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
 

Exhibitions

The Club is pleased to be able to use its premises and resources, along with its renowned archive of mountaineering reports, books, art and artefacts to host and curate exhibitions that celebrate mountain history and culture. As well as spotlighting the work of contemporary artists and academics, the Club has also worked to mark key mountaineering anniversaries; bringing together records of the past to keep our history alive and engaging for climbers and the wider community alike.

Individual exhibitions may vary, but most take place at our Charlotte Road Club House.

A full list of past and upcoming exhibitions is shown below.

Edward Compton - The Wild Pomp of Alpine Majesty

Matterhorn - ET Compton (1880)
 
Edward Theodore Compton combined a celebrated career as an alpine artist with extensive climbing. Between 1878 and 1914 he made 20 first ascents, contributed to 30 volumes of the ZAV and frequently exhibited at the Alpine Club’s winter exhibition. His paintings were celebrated for their realism and featured not just mountains but also climbers. They are dynamic illustrations of the romance of mountaineering.
 

'Probably no one prior to ET Compton had ever combined hard climbing with such talented work as an Alpine artist.' – Peter Mallalieu, Artists of the Alpine Club

 
This exhibition brings together the club’s collection of 9 paintings by ET Compton, presenting them alongside a sample of the work he did for the Austrian Alpine Club and prints from the AC collections. This is a rare opportunity to see the works of one of the premier peinture alpinistes outside of the Alpine Museum in Innsbruck.
 

Auf Dem Koblack - ET Compton (1894)

Presanella from Vadrett - ET Compton

The exhibition is housed at the Alpine Club's Charlotte Road premises, (London EC2A). It will run from 24 September 2024 to 24 October 2024 and is open to visitors from 10:00 – 16:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as on London lecture evenings.

Visitors are kindly asked to book in advance using the form below so that we can ensure the necessary level of staffing. Failure to do so may lead to you being turned away.