This meet, held at the George Starkey Hut, is open to all members and will coincide with a training weekend for recipients of the 2025 Rick Allen Skills Award (RASA). Recipients of the award will spend the weekend on training, and some hut-based elements of this will be open to all.

Rick Allen Skills Award 

The training weekend based at the George Starkey Hut will be led by Nick Kekus. It will be used to confirm participants’ ability, experience, and fitness, and will serve to help with preparation for the main alpine component. Topics will include bivouac skills and moving together, and an explanation of the gear required (lightweight sleeping bag etc) for a two-day Alpine route involving a bivouac. The weekend will include a bivouac on a Lakeland multi-pitch route. Participants are expected to bring bivvy kit and should plan to use it. The goal will be to hit the ground running once in the Alps, to make the best use of weather windows right from the start.

RASA participants will receive their booking details via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. once they are accepted onto the 2025 programme. 

Others who wish to attend for the weekend and/or sit in on some of the hut-based sessions should contact Tom Davis-Merry at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

The hut-based sessions are likely to consider ropework techniques for glacier travel, tips for moving more quickly in alpine terrain, and wider discussions on topics such as equipment and clothing choices. Topics around managing bivvies, planned and unplanned, will also be covered.