Mountain Clients

BMC Name Change (17 Jul 2007)

Apparently, the so-called British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is to 'change its name'. To what I wonder? Britain's Mad Bolters? Or maybe - The Council of British Bolters? Regardless of what its name is changed to, it will not cover-up the damage that this organisation has done to British climbing...in the last fifty years.

The BMC has too much money - Shock (7 Jan 2004)

According to the Rockfax.com website (Jan 6, 2004) the BMC is refusing to take on further membership -Shock. Apparently, those with a vested interest in making money from; through the BMC via its two teir membership fees (club members pày less that individual members - another shock) and substantial government grants, were shocked to learn that the BMC is turning away hard cash... 

BMC Will Not Loose its £147,000 Grant (22 Sep 2003)

As reported in several climbing magazines, the BMC is not to loose its 2004 Sport England grant after all. Even though the climbing organisationthat purports to look after the 'interests' of all, hill walkers, rock climbers, mountaineers and now, ski mountaineers, has 'lost' £500,000 in the last three years, it apparently, still 'qualifies' for a further - £147,000 of taxpayers hard earned money.?

Thinking of Joining the BMC? (20 Oct 2003)

It was Nigel Shepherd, writer, photographer, BMG mountain guide, who when an instructor at Plas-y-Brenin, North Wales wrote: 'Does British climbing really need an organisation such as the BMC (British Mountaineering Council)?' Especially as the organisation is adept at wasting taxpayers and members money:

The much acclaimed Festival of Climbing arranged by the BMC in December, 2001, lost £54,000. A guide-book stock write-off, spread over two years, cost £108,000. The trumpeted National Mountaineering Exhibition at Rheged (it failed), Cumbria, cost the BMC £40,000. Postage alone of Summit magazine, published by Greenshires the owners of the then, High Mountain Sport and On the Edge, cost £40,000 and the Mountain Services, a new commercial wing of the BMC,originally set-up to make money, cost £51,000.

In 2001 ironically, Donald Trelford investagive journalist wrote: 'The BMC is at the top of its profession.'?? Contradicting his earlier newspaper article regarding the lack of safety in climbing / mountaineering. But then he was invited to visit PyB where: something happened. If the BMC were a trading company, it would be bankrupt as its current assets are £22,000 in the red. Government and members, give the BMC in exess of £1,000,000 per annum to waste on too many staff, too many 'officers' and flawed business practice's. Twenty years on from the original observation by Mr Shepherd, and the same question can still be asked. Does British climbing really need an organisation such as the BMC?

In 2007, 10,000 expansion bolts were purchaced by the BMC and flooded UK climbing.

IGO 8000 (29 Jan 2003)

Know, just  how to treat their clients in the Himalayas... Mountaineering, being brought into further disrepute, becoming somewhat - callous and shabby. Read on:  http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/fyi/2001/1112/054_2.html

BMC Posts - Another £167,000 Loss (28 Oct 03)

According to the April, 2002 edition of Climber magazine, the British Mountaineering Council has posted another annual loss. In 2000, the BMC recorded a loss of £62,000 and in 2001 the organisation that purports to represents all - hill walkers, climbers and mountaineers had a deficit of £167,000. The BMC also admitted that the Festival of (Light) Climbing, held at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena in December, 2001, had also lost £49,000 (where do you loose - £49,000  somebody had it?). Adept at 'loosing' other people's money, the BMC also paid out £10,000 in legal fees (when it received an unexpected legal bill) when it sought advice in its attempt to ruin - Rockfax. The BMC were threatening to sue Rockfax over supposed copyright infringement the BMC, who over the years could not have cared less about infringing other peoples copyright. Given, the BMC`s own operating losses during the four year period 1999-2002 of 370,000 pounds sterling, which coupled with a potential write-off of the 150,000 pound BMC loan to MHT/MEL and other expences absorbed into the BMC´s P&L accounts, plus the possible exposure of 400,000 pounds of bank loans - this escalates to a potential loss and financial exposure of more than - 900,000 pounds sterling. The BMC, at the top of its - profession (Donald Trelford 2000).?? Er, I think not.

The British Mountaineering Council Exists... (10 May 2002)

'It (the BMC) exists to further the interests of mountaineering as a whole, and it will succees in this in so far as it receives the full support of each and every mountaineer... It should be needless to add that there will be no attempt to introduce anything so foolish as a qualification scheme for 'mountain leaders'.' G. A. Dummett, Pembroke College, Cambridge. 1946. By embracing Climbing Competitions and qualifications of little value, 56 years later, the BMC still does not have the full support of all mountaineers...

                      IGO 8000 continues its Dirty Tricks campaign in the Himalayas

A 'full page' letter has been published in the September, 2001 issue of High Mountain Sport complaining about the service offered by a none member of IGO 8000, Adventure Extreme. Whilst similar letters, complaining about fatal accidents to IGO 8000 clients or climbers on IGO 8000 Permits, those letters have never been published (will never be) published in the same magazine. The letter was sent to the magazine by Steve Bell (it is not known where he got the letter from) a founder member of - IGO 8000...

On the 30 April, 2002, IGO 8000 lost another client on Mount Everest...

Mal Duff Refused to Join the British Mountain guides (11 Feb 2002)

According to The Daily Telegraph on April 29, 1997, sadly, Mal Duff died at Everest base Camp (the reason why, will always remain a mystery). At the height of his powers, Mal is supposed to have died in his sleep. The Obitury, continues: 'Although he earned his living taking clients into the mountains, he never showed any interest in becoming a certified (by whos standards?) member of the Association of British Mountain guides. This drew criticism from some quarters, byt Mal was untroubled by it. Affable and charismatic, he rose above it all, and his clients returned to him time and again, unconcerned by the fact that his business lacked official endorsement.'  Mal Duff, had few peers...

Rolling Contract for the MMT from 1999 (11 Feb 2002)

The Slendid Enterprise?: According to the minutes of the ninth Meeting in 1999, members of the English Sports Council voted on a paper (ESC 99/9.3) which outlined proposed changes to the contractual position at Plas-y-Brenin (given to the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) and the Association of British Mountain Guides (BMG) a commercial organisation with less than a perfect safety record where its mountain clients are concerned, for nil consideration in 1997) the Natonal Mountain Centre.

The purpose of the changes was to - strengthen the capability of Mountain Training Trust Ltd (cobbled together in order to control not only the management of PyB but to also control £450,000 per annum of government hand-outs) in carrying out operations at the centre Mr Marshall con-firmed the success that MTT had enjoyed in running the centre (assisted greatly by the above mentiones huge amount of government subsidy). Council agreed to the contractual changes, including the introduction of a rolling contract (no doubt in line with another EC Directive?) to 2006, proposals for MTT to retain small surpluses, and the introduction of - more rigorous (capture an even larger slice of the outdoor pursuit market assisted with government money) targets. Council also agreed that the new arrangements should be implemented from 1 October, 1999 and commended John Davies and Ian Holmes, of Sport England's National Centres Unit, for the excellent work thay had undertaken in this (disgraceful) matter.

The way in which PyB was given away against an EC Directive in 1996 and the way in which the management was rudely snatched away from Glendale Leisure (who originally won the contract) and the abuse they then received from the BMC throught the pages of its then, official magazine - High Mountain Sport will be to the eternal disgrace of the PyB and the English Sports Council... During the previous twenty years, when PyB was also run by members of the BMG, PyB lost 100's of 1,000's of £ due to poor management . As a reward, they now have a rolling contract to 2006 and no doubt, beyond along with least - £3,150,000 with which to compete quite unfaily - on the open market... or a Pig in a Government Poke.   

Trevor Jones the BMC Critic. High Magazine Feb 1996

Dear Sir, It is not surprising that the government is going to reduce the amount of money given to The Sports Council. The BMC has recklessly squandered tens of thousands of pounds (hundreds of thousands of pounds actually) in the promotion of sport climbing contests. Interest in such events is limited to a small percentage of the mountaineering world. I suggest that if their money to the BMC is drastically cut the BMC should be awarded the shot-in-the-foot prize.