Tony Malcolm

Some people doubtless believe that life ends after Cambridge but you'll find that the members of the Ex-Cambridge Speleologists, to which status all Cambridge graduates may progress, still manage to give a reasonable impersonation of people enjoying themselves. This last year has probably not provided any more diverse activities than in the past, but the list is still broad and long.

Several weekend escapes were made to the low priced cottages of Chapel Stile in the Lake District, which can usually be reached in time for a pint. North Wales had become a regular fixture for Easter, activities ranging from swimming off Anglesey (and wishing we hadn't) to gentle strolls over the Welsh hills; this year the Torridons were stormed for a change.

On foreign soil; a long weekend in Holland took in an interesting visit to Amsterdam Zoo, and May Bank Holiday saw an intrepid caving trip which leaned more towards drinking Trappiste and swimming under the hot sun, but three caves were done as well allowing some scouts to be saved from an ignominious rescue. The summer saw detachments despatched throughout Europe - Austria with CUCC, Greece with CDG, the Alps with JAB, the Pyrenees with SC de G, and of course Rugby with BEN. In an effort to escape winter caving a trio set off to gather stories of the "When I was in the Himalayas" variety, determining in the process that it is possible to live without alcohol for periods of at least 11 days (and that not all alcoholic drinks are nice). With such a fund of stories in reserve the need to go underground might have been diminished, but an impressive list of bookings has been made for the coming months.

New Year brought a large contingent to the Dales and entertaining stories abound (no doubt to be heard over and over again); representatives of a French caving club sampled Tatham Wife and numerous beers which they were sorry to leave behind. Classic trips in the Pyrenees may be a possibility in the future. The Three Peaks walk was done on December the 31st, with plenty of time for drinking afterwards. The ski experts, and less experts, have come into their own since then raiding Scotland and the Alps, and a vast Spring ski traverse of the Alps is being planned for 1984. The rise of the London Group (whose expertise lies in less technical pursuits) can be measured by the large number of reunions for beer, food and music so far this year, just to show we're not just sport-minded.

Some of you may feel that so much activity might be too much for the old lags of EXCS but projected trips to the Alps and Austria during the summer, along with the above mentioned activities, serve as a reminder that their days may be numbered but at least they make the most of them.

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