The Alpine Club, the world’s first mountaineering club, was founded in 1857.  For over 150 years, members have been at the leading edge of worldwide mountaineering development and exploration. 

With membership, experienced and aspiring alpinists benefit from a varied meets programme, regional lectures with notable guest speakers, reduced rates at many alpine huts, opportunity to apply for grants to support expeditions, significant discounts at many UK retailers, extensive networking contacts, access to the AC Library and maps - and more! 

Becoming a Member
 

Symposia

Below is a list of Alpine Club Symposia.

Organised by members of The Alpine Club, events focus on the mountains of a particular area, or on a specific aspect of mountaineering. Each symposium runs for a whole day and is typically held at a weekend in the Lake District, North Wales or the Peak District. During the day experts on the subject, including top mountaineers from around the world, give a series of illustrated presentations, creating an event that is both informative and inspiring. Take a look at the impressive list of speakers at recent and forthcoming symposia to see why these events are so popular. The symposia are usually open to members at a discount, as well as non-members.

Symposia are particularly useful for anyone planning an expedition or looking for new places to visit. Many expeditions have started in the bar after a symposium; but be warned: these events can be dangerously inspirational!

Events Calendar

Plas y Brenin Skills Meet
From Saturday 09 November 2024
To Sunday 10 November 2024
Contact Kasia Piatek
Saturday 09 November 2024

The Alpine Club is entering a new partnership with the National Outdoor Centre at Plas y Brenin to offer a yearly skills course for 15-20 members. 

Held at the centre itself and in the surrounding Eryri National Park, the meet is open to all members, offering a chance for Full and Aspirant members to refresh their skills and check in with the latest ‘best practice’ in the mountains.

Staying up to date is an important consideration for all active climbers, and, as with other training meets, the Alpine Club will offer a 50% subsidy towards the training portion of the meet, reducing the cost of instruction for all attendees. This means that the cost of the meet will be £155 rather than £310 for non-residential attendees and £275 rather than £430 for those who book their food and accommodation through PyB.

The instructor ratio will be 1 instructor to every 4 climbers and an outline of the course content is shown below:

Day 1 - Centre Based/Local Crags:
 
Review of Climbing Skills
Loads and Forces
Direct and Indirect Belays
Use of Guide Plates
Twin and Series Rope Systems
Efficient Changeovers on Multi-pitch Terrain
Efficiency on Multi-pitch Retreats
Self-rescue/Simple Problem Solving
 
Day 2 - Workshops:
 
Alpine Skills
Taking Coils, Moving Together
Direct and Indirect Belays
Scrambling Terrain
Crevasse Rescue
 
However, the course can be tailored to the group's needs. If there's something specific you want to work on, this can be discussed with the lead instructor on your arrival.
 

As with previous AC training weekends, the meet will also be a great opportunity to meet other members and to forge new climbing partnerships.

 

If you have any questions about the weekend, please don't hesitate to get in touch with meet coordinator Kasia Piatek on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.