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Burns and Turns 2023 · Sat. Feb. 18th, 2023 - Mon. Feb. 20th, 2023

Warning: This is an old trip - it already happened

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Organized by: Ross Campbell.

Start: Saturday, Feb. 18th
End: Monday, Feb. 20th
Pre-trip meeting: Tuesday, Feb. 14th, 7:00 pm
Pre-trip meeting location: zoom

Description:

In 2015 two friends, and  stalwart members of the VOC, tragically died in an accident in the mountains. At the time of their deaths, Neil and Steph had been organising a skiing/burns supper trip (to mark Burns night, where us Scots eat haggis and recite gibberish poetry), and so we have ran just such a trip every year since in their memory. Alas, due to it's very transitive nature as a student run club, fewer and fewer active members of the VOC were lucky enough to meet either Neil or Steph, but if you come on this trip, find yourself some whisky and a kilt (old school uniforms from thrift stores can provide a kilt, and people have also managed to get creative wearing flannel tea towels about their persons), grab your skis, come try our homemade haggis (both meat and veggie options available), attempt to dance a ceilidh in the snow, then hopefully you can discern something of their spirit that endeared them to so many.

 

 

 

Last year, this trip ran later than normal because of COVID. As it turned out, this worked out really well because it meant that we could go on a long weekend. As no one in Canada really cares who Burns was, let alone when he happened to be born (or died, or whatever other reason we choose the end of January for our Burns Suppers), I have unilaterally decided to embrace this slightly later date and continue to enjoy the benifits of a long weekend.

 

 

 

This year, we plan to go to Phelix. Phelix is our grandest hut and is set in a gorgeous mountain valley surrounded by fantastic skiing (and often fantastic snow)! It is a long approach in winter though, and the terrain is not very suitable to new skiers. I will endeavour to ensure that as many people as possible can join this trip. No one will be left to get lost in the woods. Words of encouragement will be provided to those realising the weight of their packs. Any questions or concerns can be sent my way, or posted on the message board thread. That said, if skiing down from Red heather still feels difficult then I'd strongly recommend not coming on skis (but snow shoes will work just fine). Also, it is not necessary for everyone to have avalanche training to come to the hut and enjoy the festivities - there is little potential for avalanches between the cars and the hut and we will ensure that there are others around with suitable training to keep things sensible on the way up (it should be noted, as ever, that no one helping on this trip, myself included, are in any way professionals and it is very much your own decision as to whether or not you deem joining this trip safe). It should be noted however, that the terrain beyond the hut becomes much more serious in terms of avalanche potential and so, if you do not have any avalanche training then, depending on conditions and the skills mix of the group, options for exploring beyond the hut may be more limited.

 

 

 

So come one, come all. Let's enjoy a wee dram and salute the chieftain of the puddin’ race!

 

 

 

P.S

 

I need a couple of creative types to come up with an ode to the Lassies and Laddies. If this sounds like your thing then let me know. I can point you in the right direction of what this traditionally entails. Equally, there is no need to stick to tradition (we had an ode to the tellies one year). The only requirement is to be humorous.

 

Posted: 2023-01-23 14:01:43
Last modified: 2023-02-13 12:32:34