The 45 Degrees Mountaineering Club is now approaching its 10th anniversary. The seed that led to its formation having been planted one weekend in April 2013 in the Glen Brittle Hut in Skye. Two pairs of hillwalkers met there for the first time, got on famously and kept in touch over the next 18 months or so. Other friends were contacted and there was great enthusiasm for the idea of forming our own club and gaining access to the huts available to clubs affiliated to MCofS (as was) for weekends away.
There were a few “dress rehearsals” over the Winter of 2014 and by early January 2015, the club had a name, a crest, a constitution and on 06/01/15 was officially registered with the MCofS.
There were 15 founder members, and the first meet took place at Milehouse Cottage, Kincraig with 9 attendees.
The membership was originally drawn from two centres – The Forth Valley and Perthshire, but before long, chance meetings and word of mouth resulted in the group having representation from many corners of Scotland. As the club grew, it also attracted quite a few keen hillwalkers from the North of England , who loved heading north of the border to the Scottish Mountains,
As it stands, the club has 38 members with home bases from Derbyshire to Aberdeenshire. There is a now a healthy mix of male/female and young(ish) and old(er).
In addition to mountaineering and hillwalking, members interests extend to mountain biking, kayaking, wild swimming, and the fittest of the group have also undertaken long distance races (West Highland Way/Montane Winter Spine Race), several triathlons in Scotland, and most recently Norway. Those whose ambitions don’t stretch that far are still very welcome in the club.
Experience ranges from mountain guide/mountain rescue team member to those whose hillwalking adventures are just starting.
A large number of the Club members have completed at least one Munro and/or Corbett round – and several meets have incorporated a joyous compleation celebration. Newer members though will struggle to catch up with one couple who are on Munro round 4, having recently completed Corbett round 2 – not to mention a round of Grahams/Fionas and Munro Tops (not forgetting demoted Tops of course).
Quite a few have travelled further afield in pursuit of exciting challenges with climbs and treks in all parts of Europe, and beyond that in Morocco, Patagonia, the US, and the Himalayas.
The essence of the club is the monthly meets which take place all year round. In the early days, most of the iconic Scottish Mountaineering huts were visited – Lagangarbh, Blackrock, Coruisk, Glen Brittle, Invercroft, Strawberry Cottage and others. These remain perennial favourites, but over the years the club has also ventured further afield in the UK with several meets taking place in the Lake District. Sadly, a planned trip to Snowdonia in 2021 was a victim of Covid along with several other meets when access to huts was not possible due to the pandemic.
In September 2022, an elite (it is claimed) sextet tackled the Mourne Wall challenge in Northern Ireland. This was successfully achieved and by all accounts a very decent contribution was made to the local economy.
The social element of the meets is foremost. The evenings inevitably result in good natured repartee as tales are recounted from past adventures. Some of these tales are mostly true albeit scarcely believable. Several members are able to coax a chord or three from the guitars that are always brought along, and some communal sing-alongs usually follow. However, the 3 Degrees have nothing fear from the 45 Degrees!
Yet another chance meeting occurred in 2017, this time with a Pyrenees mountain guide, Caroline David on a trip to Scotland, who, with her partner attended quite a few meets and days out with club members. On her return she put together an itinerary for a 45 Degrees trip to the Pyrenees and in September 2019, eleven members headed out to the village of Loudervielle in the Louron valley where home base was a very comfortable gite.
An amazing 10 days followed. Several impressive peaks were ascended on both the French and Spanish side of the massive. There was a stopover in the small municipality of Laspuna in Spain as the peaks of Peña Montanesa and Castillo Mayor were tackled. Back in France, there was another overnight stay in the superbly situated (and VERY cosy) Refuge de Venasque from where the 2738m Pic de Sauvegard was ascended.
The majority of the group decided to add paragliding to their CVs – a superb experience swooping and gliding over the Louron valley. In the meantime, three foot soldiers were determined to hoist the club banner over 3000m, which they eventually managed on the 3034m Pic de Batoua.
A highlight each year is the annual Burns Supper which coincides with our January meet. A grand traditional meal is always served, and a great evening follows with music, recitation and some never-to-be-forgotten (though some perhaps should!) hilarious speeches. Memorably in 2022 at the Braedownie Hut in Glen Clova, storm Malik raged furiously, resulting in a power cut from mid afternoon until well into the evening. A resourceful band though, guided by candlelight and head torches, we managed to cook an exceptional meal for 16 (with obligatory vegetarian option) on the surfaces of the hut’s wood burning stove.
Reports from the monthly meets (the task is shared) find their way onto the club’s website https://45degreesmc.com/ and provide a great record of past exploits. There is also an active Facebook page where photos from meets and day trips are shared – https://www.facebook.com/groups/329115623954162/.
Some great photos are taken by members on trips to the hills and last year’s best (according to the judges) were formed into a 2023 calendar. This was a great success and over £400 was raised for Scottish Mountain Rescue. A 2024 version is in the pipeline, or will be when protracted discussions on the final images are completed.
Members have enjoyed many memorable bothy trips and the club has also provided financial support to the MBA.
Meet locations have already been booked through to July 2024 (see website) and anyone interested in joining the club should make initial email contact to sec45degrees@gmail.com. Members guests are welcome at meets subject to availability.
45 Degrees Mountaineering Club 