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Social Events

The club organises a number of social events throughout the year. As well as the ones listed below, there are often events without a regular format, and plenty of unofficial ones organised by club members.

Burns Supper

Held in Edinburgh, around the 25th of January, the Burns Supper is held in the traditional Scottish style with speeches, recitations, music, a small ceilidh and, of course, haggis.

Midsummer

The club tradionally holds a celebration on a Tuesday evening close to midsummer. The format varies, and has included buffets and beach barbecues, but it is always at a location which allows people to climb beforehand. The normal Wednesday evening hillwalk is also moved to a Tuesday, to coincide with this.

Annual Dinner

The most important social event of the year is the Annual Dinner. It is usually held at a hotel, somewhere in the Highlands, on the first Saturday of October. A black tie dinner precedes a ceilidh, which may in turn be followed by a party lasting well into the early hours of Sunday.

A number of awards are presented at the annual dinner. The Dave MacHugh Award is dedicated to the memory of a member killed in a road accident, and is presented to a current member in recognition of their achievements in mountaineering or service to the club.

In contrast, several Silly Awards are presented each year to those whose achievements (or failures) are also notable, but may be less worthy of emulation. The awards themselves are specially selected to mark the feat for which they are awarded. Recent winners have included the man who carried Mars bars in his underpants to keep them soft on a winter climb. Nominations should be given to the Social Secretary.

Christmas Ceilidh

Held at a venue in Edinburgh, this involves people taking various approaches to traditional Scottish dancing, resulting in a spectrum of skill levels being enthusiastically expressed.

Inver Croft Christmas Dinner This dinner is held at the club hut in early December. Most people are ordered out onto the mountains for the day, while a small team of crack chefs stay in to produce a wondrous winter feast. The party which follows the meal has often seen dancing in the snow at midnight, and some of the inevitable excesses have passed into club legend. Slide Shows
These happen regularly throughout the winter, and are usually held as an early start to the normal Thursday pub night. We occasionally have an external speaker, but usually it is our own members telling us about their expeditions. The subject matter is varied, and we have had everything from Himalayan mountaineering to Canadian canoeing and ski-touring in Morrocco.

History -- Activities -- About Meets -- Social Events -- Hut -- Membership -- Organisation -- Journal -- Home

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