The Alpine method; Beginners, 23 July

Paul reports.....

Nigel is still injured, so Steve volunteered to lead the longer ride out of Nonsuch Park on a warm day with a bit of a breeze.  The rides list said it was to be Farthing Down but Steve decided that Farthing down was too far away and too hilly for a warm day, so he would go over Box Hill (which is further).  Box Hill, he explained, was not hilly at all except for the Box Hill bit.

Once we had vaguely agreed that those who cannot deal with altitude could turn back from Rykas, he had eleven takers so we decided to split into two, Steve taking the first group and Paul the second, giving him a five minute start.  It became a bit longer than five minutes when Lynda set off with the short ride to Ashtead, but set out we eventually did, Ken, Karen, Anna, Roger, Maggie, Alan and yours truly with Mariaan, a relative newcomer to the club, who is trying to get in the training to do a charity London to Brighton ride in September.

There had to be a balance between maintaining Beginners pace and not being stranded overnight on the vertiginous slopes of le Col du Box, so onward we drove, through the Valley where the glacial waters of the Mole tumble from the Surrey Hills slopes and we set up Base Camp on a wooden table at Ryka's.

The earlier expedition had not even bothered to stop there, but we were taking no risks and the support team made themselves at home coiffing tea and coffee and cakes while the climbers took quicker refreshment and set out for the peak.  

We climbed in the Alpine tradition, no supplies, no oxygen, to gain the peak and return safely as quickly as possible and that we did, all of us attaining the first objective, the viewpoint, but only the leader making it to Smith and Western.  Just as he got there he believes he made out, in the distance, the shapes of Steve's earlier expedition, some quarter of a mile ahead of him.  It proved a poignant moment, for they were never seen again.  We may never know whether they made the true peak, or disappeared in a valiant attempt, though thee tracks in the snow recorded by Strava suggest that they conquered it.

In contrast, we three returned safely to base camp where the support team were on their umpteenth cake and beverage, and from there we returned to civilization via Ashtead Common, where we took a "short" cut to make the ride a really worthwhile 37 miles door to door.