Expeditions
The Alpine Club, the world's first mountaineering club, has members from around the world. Since it was founded in 1857, members have been at the leading edge of worldwide mountaineering development and exploration. We aim to be the club of choice for all mountaineers, providing a forum for sharing experiences and information.
Alpine Club members are constantly researching, organising and participating in expeditions to mountains around the world, so it will come as no surprise to find that amongst our members there is a massive wealth of knowledge about remote areas and expedition organisation. The Alpine Club provides a number of resources that will be useful for those planning or researching expeditions. This page provides links to these resources, and to other sites that are invaluable to expedition planners.
Alpine Club Expeditions
The Alpine Club organises annual expeditions, which are often to remote and little-known mountain areas. These expeditions are open to all members, subject to qualifying criteria and numbers. They can be subsidised by the Montane Alpine Club Climbing Fund. This fund also supports expeditions privately organised by club members. .
Read more about Expedition Reports
Many expeditions will have been awarded Mount Everest Foundation grants and provided reports. There are some details on the MEF website but the MEF does not hold actual copies. These are distributed to the AC and the organisations listed below (but not the Kew archives).
Royal Geographical Society
The RGS holds copies of all MEF reports as well as many others. Searching is very straightforward and summaries are provided. Reports cover the period 1965 onwards and are very comprehensive. They can be consulted by visiting the RGS library, or copies can be e-mailed.
National Archives at Kew
Not the easiest source of information. The National Archives holds many older documents deposited there from multiple sources.
British Mountaineering Council
This is still in beta form but has some impressive features. It is easy to search although not comprehensive. It includes summaries, and you can download many complete reports as PDFs. The BMC is currently the only readily available source of this information. The AC is working towards publishng a comprehenve expeditions database which will be be available on-line in due course.
Alan Rouse Sheffield Library
Sheffield library holds a comprehensive archive of mountaineering material, including copies of MEF and other expedition reports. There is a PDF catalogue which can be searched; one of the best ways of quickly identifying peaks and leaders. At present it is up to date only to 2010.
Events Calendar
To Sunday 02 March 2025
This weekend meet provides an opportunity for members to meet together and appreciate Scottish winter climbing as well as simply meet with other members.
To accommodate the interest amongst both Aspirant and Full members alike, 34 places are available at two venues just south of Fort William.
Like previous years, a number of places will be available for those members wishing to join the meet but who do not have a climbing partner.
Aspirants and Full members who meet all the competency requirements are very welcome to attend.
The majority of members and their guests, usually plan to enjoy the wealth of winter climbs to be found on Ben Nevis, in Glen Coe, and in other areas accessible from the accommodation. The grade range of those attending varies, with the majority happy in the grade II to V bracket. Some may prefer easier routes of a mountaineering flavour, but these require the same basic skill sets. In suitable conditions, some people may choose to ski mountaineer, but primarily this is a climbing meet.
Please note that payment is required to secure a place.
Accommodation
Accommodation has been arranged at two venues for the Friday evening (28 February) and Saturday evening (1 March); the Corran Bunkhouse (£36.50 pppn) and the Alex MacIntyre hut (£20 pppn). The two venues are approximately 2.5 miles apart. The accommodation is self-catering. If you have a preference as regards venue, please let the Meet Coordinator know. Please note however that, depending on uptake, it may not be possible to allocate you a place in your preferred accommodation.
What next
In recent years this meet has been extremely popular. If you are keen to attend then don’t leave it to see how conditions are developing – you will likely be too late.
If you are interested in attending, please contact the meet coordinator, who will forward you the meet information sheet. This provides more detailed information regarding the meet, including the accommodation, competency requirements as well as more information for those applying without a partner.
Meet Coordinator: Charles Stupart - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
