The Rucksack Club

The Rucksack Club was founded in Manchester in 1902 and has a current membership of well over 400 men and women. According to the Rules, "The purpose of the Club is to encourage mountaineering, climbing and hill walking and bring together all those who are interested in these pursuits."

History

The Rucksack Club was formed in Manchester in 1902 by a group of men who responded to a letter written to a newspaper by two young men. They were invited to a meeting and resolved there and then to form a club with the object "To facilitate walking tours and mountaineering expeditions, both in the British Isles and elsewhere, and to particularly to initiate members into the science of rock climbing and snowcraft".

The Club has long been active in Mountain Rescue, Eustace Thomas designing the Thomas Stretcher[1] which was in use by Mountain Rescue teams for many years. Members Fred Pigott and Noel Kirkman received OBEs[2] for services to mountain rescue.

Huts

The Club owns three huts: Beudy Mawr at the heart of the Llanberis Pass, High Moss in the Duddon Valley at the foot of the Walna Scar track over to Coniston, and Craigallan looking out over Loch Linnhe within easy reach of Glencoe.

Notable members

Notable "firsts" by members
  • First Briton to climb all alpine 4000m peaks: Eustace Thomas[3]
  • First ascent of Nuptse 1961: Dennis Davis

Bibliography
  • Benson, Peter; Cudahy, Mike; Grant, Ian (1987). From Kinder Scout to Kathmandu : a Rucksack Club Anthology 1907–1986. Manchester: Rucksack Club. ASIN B000KFS9Z8 (UK).
  • Beatty, John, ed. (2002). This Mountain Life: The First Hundred Years of the Rucksack Club. Manchester: Northern Light. ISBN 0-9546211-0-7.
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See also

Other UK Mountaineering 'Senior Clubs':

References
  1. The Thomas stretcher Archived 2006-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Club History". The Rucksack Club. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  3. Walker, Derek (2 November 2003). "Clublife". British Mountaineering Council. Retrieved 29 October 2017.


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