In case you haven't yet gathered, there is lots of weather-drama going on in the UK. After the biggest snowstorm in southern England in eighteen years on Monday (whatever), the weather has stayed chilly all week, and there is more snow falling today. Airports and other public transportation are all still pretty inoperative. The problem is, this weekend is supposed to be the big "varsity meet" in North Wales with OUMC and CUMC.
Now, CUMC and OUMC are having very different responses to the weather. Oxford still seems to be planning on coming in full force -- they have a "minibus" (large van) full of people, and they all seem to be fully intent on coming despite the fact that conditions for the weekend seem to be the sort that are going to be bad for everything. Sort of a stick-their-head-in-the-sand approach. One of them who lives in Wales is claiming that at the moment the sun is shining brightly in both the towns and the mountains right now -- I'm a little skeptical.
Meanwhile Cambridge is doing the run-around-with-their-heads-cut-off approach. Rather than doing a rented "minibus," the plan was to go up in private cars. Except all the sudden, no one wants to go. They are completely panicked about the weather, both for driving and climbing, and have all decided that they can't be bothered to go on what probably is going to be a boondoggle. Which I would understand -- except that they signed up in the first place. It was clear to me from Day 1 that going to N. Wales in February was going to be a boondoggle -- but I signed up with that plan in mind. Maybe if there were more kebab shops in Llanberis they would still go.
Nick and I are probably still going (with an empty car, to wander around through snow/rain at ground level because I don't have crampons, axes, etc....). I still think it will be fun to go up to the hut and have big fires and adventures, even if they end up being at sea level. But I suspect that the "varsity" meet will be missing half of varsity. (Another factor is that the OUMC trip is officially controlled by the "Sports Fed" at Oxford, so if they decide the weather is too bad they could pull the plug on the whole thing on Oxford's side ... and then we would be missing both halves of varsity.)
Stay tuned for updates...
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5 comments:
Oh, that's so silly! In Toronto, we'd only have a "seal all the exits, batten down the hatches" snow emergency if there were ten feet of snow...how much snow has there really been?
And I thought these were mountaineering clubs you were talking about? Surely they can handle a little winter weather?
The problem is that "English mountaineering" is a bit of an oxymoron. Realistically, at the places in England that got the maximum amount of snow today (the "Midlands"), 2-3 inches will have fallen. Which might impact driving a little since if that amount falls quickly, England doesn't have the infrastructure to keep up with it. But the thing is, it has already changed from snow to rain, and the rain is more effective at clearing away the snow than any "gritting" the snowplows do. I don't actually think the drive up tonight will be bad at all. Especially since, according to reports I'm hearing, a lot of the sections of drive won't have been precipitated on at all today.
I think, for the people bailing out, it's the standard thing you see a lot. People don't really feel like going for a weekend, sign up because they feel they should, and then come up with excuses not to do it. And, as soon as one person makes an excuse, everyone else feels justified in bailing as well.
Don't forget your flippies. And bathing suite. Standard Nika attire.
Flippies are packed! No bathing suit, though.
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