The Ochils Mountaineering Club

The Scout Association almost had a fit - they had a proposal, back in 1992, to try to put Scottish Venture Scouts on the 7 Summits - the highest mountain on each continent. This audatious plan would culminate in an attempt on Everest in 2007 the Centenary of Scouting.

Initially dismissed as an unsustainable dream of leaders with their heads in the clouds, the successful 1993 Expedition to Mt Elbrus in the Russian Caucasus convinced the 'top brass' that we were lucky and that would be the end of the project. However after successful attempts on Mt McKinlay in Alaska in 1997 and Aconcagua in 2000, Scottish Scouting realised that the dream may well become a reality.

This talk is about ordinary Scottish young people doing extra-ordinary things, did a Scottsh Scout summit Everest last year .......? Is the dream still alive? How do 11 kilted scots climbers end up having lunch at the Anchorage Oilmans club? Which way would you go when the bus driver announces in Russian 'left turn for War - right turn for mountains' And how would you feel when the whole of a scout group in Mendosa has been praying for your safe return?

These questions may be answered along with the selection requirements for a series of expeditions that pushed people to the limits (and beyond) and allowed young people to realise their potential.

NOTE: As with all social evenings where there is no business meeting, a short general meeting will precede the talk to enable new members to be nomintated, and any items of interest to be notified.