UKC

Climbing Club Annual Dinners, do you ever go? and if not why not? and what would make you want to come?
Put in Rocktalk as I bet a lot of Dinner organisers would be interested in any comments.
Cheers sjc

In reply to sjc: Our club (Warwick) always gets a decent turnout, commonly around 40 people or so - we make a weekend of it, always late January, usually somewhere like the Lakes or North Wales, so people can go out for a climb/walk/potter round the gear shops as well, and we suggest a black tie dress code. We don't have guest speakers but there's a 'review of the year' type speech and usually something like a fun quiz if we can blag a prize from one of our local suppliers. I resisted going for years, until I got voted onto the committee, as I preferred to save my 'weekend passes' for fair-weather climbing trips, but they're a good laugh with great company.
Interested to hear what other clubs do...

In reply to ripper:
Interested that you retain the Black tie format, the Dinners I am involved in are wear what you want so down jackets to suits, and I think previous committees have gone down this route thinking it will make things more popular, but I wonder if in our informal age, a more formal dress code maybe appealing, (sexist alert, sexist alert) i think ladies in particular sometimes like to dress up and it can spoil things for them if they have made and effort and then someone sits next to them in jeans and trainers.

In reply to sjc:
I'm currently running one for our club, and have tended to go to them regularly for all the clubs I've been in. They've generally been part of a weekend away. Most of them haven't involved formal clothes or anything, just a nice dinner in a pub or hotel. Some of them have had a disco or a ceilidh afterwards which works really well if enough people are into it but would be a bit crap if they aren't.

I think the company is the main thing, though. Nice food and great climbing in glorious weather are a bonus, but if you're with a big group of good friends then you can still have a good weekend in spite of average food, crap weather and grotty accommodation. Hence I try to keep the price below £40 for food and two nights accommodation to avoid putting people off. And we tend to go in october / november so you don't have to worry about stopping climbing early to get back in time for dinner.

In reply to sjc: CC/Alpine Club dinners were always good but I haven't been to one for a number of years. There used to be a mix of people in evening dress and those who came in straight off the crag. The best thing about them for me was the fact that I got to meet some amazing guests including Bonnatti and Heckmair and rub shoulders with some of the leading British climbers of their day. Some of the dinners were like a who's who of climbing history. Mind you so is the membership albeit ageing.

In reply to sjc: hmm, well if you were to offer to buy everyone drinks all evening while dressed in a fluffy rabbit onesie....

In reply to pebbles:
Well if you`ll bring your Iguanadonn I just might

In reply to GridNorth:
So why have you not been to any Dinners lately.

In reply to sjc: Huddersfield one is usually a curry and a fight. Black tie my arse.

In reply to Removed User:
You couldn`t fight your way out of a wet paper bag, and I bet you have a Korma curry :-p

In reply to sjc:

My old club, Hinckley Mountaineering Club, have what they call a President's meet on a annual basis. A location was agreed at the AGM, a et down meal is provided by some of the wonderful club members who would cook, that would be followed by photo comp, tat awards (various numpty moments to be had from members throughout the year), decent awards for various things and speeches!

Lots of drinking, some dancing and potentially guitar playing, was all very good fun!

And because a meal cooked by members, it kept the price down.

In reply to sjc:

I'm very honoured to have been invited to be guest speaker at the 60th anniversary annual dinner of the London Mountaineering Club at the Royal Vic in Llanberis at the end of November. I'm sure, because it's the 60th anniv., there will be a rather full turnout. Much looking forward to it. I've got my speech in a very advanced stage of preparation already )

In reply to sjc:

Because the dates have conflicted with other events. For the last couple I was away on climbing trips abroad for example.

In reply to sjc: We, for the last couple of years have struggled with the numbers for our Annual Dinner. We are considering alternatives ans may even consider holding it more local to keep costs down. When one considers costs of travelling to Snowdonia, the meal and the inevitable bar bill it soon adds up and as there are two of us it can prove a very expensive weekend indeed.
When you factor in the distinct possibility of not much being done on the sunday perhaps holding it nearer to home makes more sense.
Good luck organising

In reply to GridNorth:
One of the issues I suspect is that many climbers will not commit months in advance in case the Ben is in Nick or the weather is better elsewhere for climbing.

In reply to Allan McDonald (Gwydyr MC):
Yes cost is an issue, particularly if bringing a partner, fuel £40, hotel £70 dinner £50ish for 2, booze £30 it`s soon a £200 night out

In reply to sjc: agreed it's never cheap, but we always make sure there's a bunkhouse option for those who want it, as well as hotel rooms for the more delicate...

In reply to sjc:

NOOOOO

Why not? - I can't imagine anything worse.

Signed
Abseil
Pedant, party pooper, miserable old git

In reply to sjc:

Club annual dinners always seem to be in the middle of winter. I never go because potentially there will be winter climbing to get done. Plus the Lakes or Snowdonia are too far for me to justify travelling for a dinner evening. And yes, I can't be bothered dressing up!

In reply to sjc:
We tend to go self-catering for the hut based dinner meet. The budget last year was £5 per head, bring your own wine, beer (and cheese). And we usually eat very well for that.
Local Christmas Dinner was <£25 ph. for 3 courses at a local pub/restaurant.
So: good value, good company, and a good proportion of the active membership of the club tend to come.

In reply to FrJ:
PS. Dinner at 6pm in winter, so plenty of time to get a full day in and working up a whopping appetite.