Alpine Club Statement on the Death of Mohammad Hassan

Recent events on K2 have prompted several members to contact the Club to express their concern at the fate of Mohammad Hassan, a Pakistani high-altitude porter who died high on the mountain in late July.

While the circumstances of Mohammad’s death are still not wholly clear, the Club wants to express its condolences to Mohammad’s family and its concern to the Pakistani authorities at how K2 is being managed. From what we do know, it seems clear that Mohammad was ill-equipped for such an environment and that no serious rescue attempt was made, with many climbers continuing to the summit while Mohammad remained in a perilous position.

It can never be right that a local porter should be abandoned in this way if something could be done and there are vital questions to be answered about how this situation could be allowed to occur.

We share the concerns of those in the guiding world who have expressed their alarm at what happened on K2 and await with interest the promised enquiry from the Pakistani authorities.

Simon Richardson Accepts 2023 Pelmo d'Oro Award on Behalf of the Alpine Club

On 29 July 2023, Alpine Club president Simon Richardson was in the Provincia di Belluno, Italy to accept the 2023 Pelmo d'Oro Award on behalf of the Alpine Club.

The Club was nominated for the award by the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site to mark the link between the region and the first president of the Alpine Club, John Ball, who made the first ascent of Monte Pelmo in 1857.

In a speech during the ceremony, Simon commented that Ball had chosen to climb the mountain because he considered it to be the most beautiful of all of the peaks in the Dolomites. Having climbed the peak the day prior as part of the Pelmo d'Oro celebrations, Richardson commented that he could "only agree" with Ball's assessment.

He was also keen to highlight the link between the province, the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Alpine Club who all share the goal of protecting mountain environments for future generations to enjoy. As a symbol of this, he presented Roberto Padrin, the President of the region and Vice-President of the Dolomites Unesco World Heritage Site with a print of an Elijah Walton painting of Monte Pemo. Walton was a friend of John Ball and the the print was produced from an original painting from the Alpine Club's collection.

The Alpine Club would like to thank the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site for the award and the Club Alpino Italiano and Provincia di Belluno for their hospitality. We hope that this event will rekindle a strong and lasting relationship between all four organisations.

Winners Announced in 2022/23 Alpine Club Photography Competition

There was a good entry for this year's photo competition with 113 images submitted over the four different categories.

AC member John Cleare, an internationally renowned professional photographer specialising in mountains and landscapes, was the judge, and he selected the following winners in each category:

Alpine Climbing 

'Approaching the NW summit of Mount Waddington, Canadian Coast Range' by Simon Richardson

AC Gatherings

'Regrouping on the Windjoch en route to the Nadelhorn' by Nathan Moore

Mountain Landscape

'Sgurr a' Mhadaidh Ruaidh, Trotternish, Skye' by Andrew Moore

The Unusual 

'Lac Noir, summit fishing with Mont Blanc in view' by Tim MacLean

John chose another nine very strong entries, which together with the four category winners will feature in the 2024 Alpine Club calendar. Details on this will follow. 

There will also be an exhibition of the entries at Charlotte Road from early September to mid-November 2023.

Many thanks to all those members who submitted entries and congratulations to our four category winners.

Alpine Club Receives Pelmo d'Oro Award

The Alpine Club has been awarded the 25th Pelmo d'Oro Award by the Italian region of Provincia di Belluno. The Pelmo d'Oro, also known as the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Special Award, is given annually to an organisation or individual who has helped to promote, protect, chronicle or in some other way contribute to the ongoing history of the Dolomites.

This year's award recognises the contribution of the Alpine Club's first President John Ball who, in 1857, made the first ascent of Monte Pelmo - one of the iconic symbols of the Dolomites.

^{Monte Pelmo by Elijah Walton (1832-1880), Alpine Club Collection}

In explaining their decision, a spokesperson for the Provincia di Belluno said the following:

"The Alpine Club, the first of its kind in the world, was founded in 1857. This initiative was inspired by the venture John Ball had accomplished a few months before: accompanied by a guide from Borca di Cadore, he made the first mountaineering ascent to Mount Pelmo, one of the symbols of the Dolomites. The first mountaineers were also the main observers and communicators of those aesthetic, scientific and landscape values, which are universally appreciated today, and are fundamental to the recognition that UNESCO has given to the Dolomites in 2009."

^{John Ball (1818-1889), Naturalist, Politician & First President of the Alpine Club}

Current Alpine Club President Simon Richardson, who will travel to Italy to receive the award, said: 

“The Alpine Club is very proud to receive the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Special Award. At its heart alpinism has always maintained a deep respect for the mountain environment and it is fitting that the Alpine Club, Provincia di Belluno and UNESCO all seek to celebrate and preserve these special landscapes for the enjoyment of present and future generations.”