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! 

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News

Successful Summer meet of Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes in Langdale

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Parent Category: News
Created: Monday, 05 August 2019 09:58

Back in July, 66 women from all over Britain and Europe gathered in Langdale to meet with old and new friends and climb together in the heart of the Lake District. The 9 day meet of the Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes got off to a great start with the evening reception on 13th July and the weather for the first four and a half days was fine and dry. Climbers visited many of the crags throughout Langdale during this early period, with climbs made on the valley's lower crags and higher crags including Dow, Pavey Arc and Gimmer.

Read more: Successful Summer meet of Rendez-vous Hautes Montagnes in Langdale

Smiler's Wake

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Parent Category: News
Created: Tuesday, 09 July 2019 07:35

Sadly, our great friend Smiler passed away on 2nd May.

To celebrate his life in the mountains, we invite all his friends to an evening of illustrated talks and a buffet meal.

Date: Saturday 10th August

Time: 6pm

Place: The Celtic Royal Hotel, Bangor Street, Caernarfon, LL55 1AY).

Read more: Smiler's Wake

Chamonix Conditions

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Parent Category: News
Created: Saturday, 15 June 2019 13:48

 

If you are heading out to the Mont Blanc massif over the coming months check out the Chamonix conditions report of the Club website Report 17th June 2019

You will find regular updates on just that, the conditions in the Mont Blanc massif.  Loads and loads of useful local info throughout the year.  

Professor Ernst Sondheimer

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Parent Category: People in the news
Created: Monday, 17 June 2019 08:13

News has reached us of the death of our member Professor Ernst Sondheimer, who died aged 95 on Sunday 9th June.

He joined the Alpine Club in 1974 and became a Committee Member in 1984. He was also AJ editor between 1987-1992.

The funeral will be held on Wednesday 26th June at 1.00pm - Golders Green Crematorium, NW11 7NL.

Members can add tributes by logging in to Alpinet or send them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Martin Moran

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Parent Category: News
Created: Monday, 03 June 2019 15:30

I am sure all members thoughts  and hopes are with Martin Moran's family and those of the other climbers feared lost near Nanda Devi. Especially as there are reports that five bodies have been seen.

The two links below are the latest information we can provide for Alpine Club members

Martin’s family have now released a statement describing the present situation.

https://www.facebook.com/242282069223293/posts/2185445708240243?s=1230372207&sfns=mo 

And Mark Charlton, Nigel Shepherd and John Cousins have posted an update from Mark Thomas below.

https://www.bmg.org.uk/update-incident-nanda-devi-east/?fbclid=IwAR2jCchG43gHUe9HFNmzlf9zTthRxjo2Pi196xGhMB8ZCf0JXwlinniINq4

We will post further updates as appropriate.

Environment and Sustainability Panel

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Parent Category: News
Created: Tuesday, 21 May 2019 21:31

In discussions during the AC gathering at Blencathra in November 2018 it became apparent that a number of members, including the President and President Elect, felt that the global issues of climate change, pollution in its many different forms and unsustainable tourism were too pressing for the Alpine Club not to be proactive in doing something about them. It was decided to set up a Panel, for ease of reference known as The Green Group, to take the matter forward and as a current V-P Rob Collister was asked to chair it.

Read more: Environment and Sustainability Panel

What do the Kuffner Arete, Innominata Ridge, Charlotte Road, and Ryan Reynolds all have in common?

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Parent Category: News
Created: Friday, 10 May 2019 13:02

Friday 10th May saw the release of the latest Pokémon film.  

When the Club was approached during the autumn of 2017 by the makers of this film, “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu”, to request the use of the outside façade of 55 Charlotte Road as part of the filming location, we of course said yes as the request came with a contract and with the contract came their fee.  

Read more: What do the Kuffner Arete, Innominata Ridge, Charlotte Road, and Ryan Reynolds all have in common?

Dave (Smiler) Cuthbertson

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Parent Category: People in the news
Created: Tuesday, 07 May 2019 09:30

We are saddened to receive news of the death of our member, Dave (Smiler) Cuthbertson.

He died on the 2nd May after a short illness. He joined the Alpine Club in 1971 as an ACG member and was a past President of the Climbers' Club. 

Funeral details will be announced once known.

Members can log in to submit their tributes or send them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so that they can be posted on the website.

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Alpine Club, South East Mini Meet

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Parent Category: News
Created: Tuesday, 30 April 2019 08:32

Sunday 14th April 2019 - Harrisons Rocks 

The Club is looking to organise a mini meet program in the SE of England, and so provide an opportunity for members to get to know each other and so potentially build contacts for future climbing trips.  Also, simply a chance to just get out and have a good time.

Read more: Alpine Club, South East Mini Meet

AC Tatra Meet 2020

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Parent Category: News
Created: Sunday, 28 April 2019 11:57

After two successful winter trips to the Tatra Mountains, I would like to invite the Alpine Club members to visit those small but interesting mountains once again in 2020. However, this time I would like to make a slight change to the character and objective of the meet… 

Read more: AC Tatra Meet 2020

Alan Pope

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Parent Category: People in the news
Created: Wednesday, 03 April 2019 16:17

We are saddened to receive news of the death of our member, Alan Pope.

Members are invited to send their tributes to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so that they can be posted on the website.

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George Rhodes

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Parent Category: People in the news
Created: Wednesday, 03 April 2019 08:03

News has reached us of the death of our Longstanding member George Rhodes, who died aged 90 on 29th March.

The funeral was held at St Lawrence’s Church, Congleton Road, Biddulph on 12th April.

Members can add tributes by logging in to Alpinet or send them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Up Close with Mike Kosterlitz

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Parent Category: News
Created: Thursday, 07 March 2019 21:41

Interview by Glyn Hughes

Mike, could you start by telling us about your earliest climbing experiences.

When I turned up in Cambridge in 1962 I had done very little real climbing, but I was very keen to do more, and I had already discovered that I seemed to have some talent for it. I went on a meet to the Derbyshire gritstone as soon as I could, and, wearing my mountain boots (I had not heard of PAs at the time), I got up a few climbs. Shortly after that I fell about 25ft off a VS because the rubber on the toe of my boot was worn away, and I tore my ankle. The more experienced members of the CUMC (Nick Estcourt, Rupert Roschnik, etc) were not amused by this novice showing off. However I managed to show them that I was actually able to climb, and that I could be competitive with them. That winter I joined the Club’s Ben Nevis meet and got my first taste of ice climbing, which I also enjoyed. I think the reason that I was competitive with the best of them was that I was quite strong, and was able to keep my nerve on rock climbs. I reasoned that if other people had done it before me, even if I could not see how to do the next bit, it was obviously possible and there must be holds there, and so I should be able to do it too. I did not frighten easily, and my (flawed) reasoning worked, so I went up the grades quite quickly, and become one of the better climbers in the CUMC.

Read more: Up Close with Mike Kosterlitz

Alpine Climbing Group – February 2019 Winter Meet

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Parent Category: News
Created: Thursday, 21 February 2019 10:11

Charles Inglis Clark Hut, Ben Nevis

Heading up to the Tower Face Comb

The first meet of the ACG, following its revival at the end of 2018, was based at the CIC hut, under the north face of Ben Nevis, built in memory of Charles Inglis Clark who died of wounds in Mesopotamia in 1918 during the First World War.  As well as being a member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club, he was a member of the Alpine Club and one of those commemorated in the 2018 Alpine Journal in the article to commemorate the sacrifice of another era's young Alpine Club members who died in the First World War.

Read more: Alpine Climbing Group – February 2019 Winter Meet

Bruno Messerli

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Parent Category: People in the news
Created: Wednesday, 20 February 2019 13:11

We are saddened to receive news of the death of our member, Bruno Messerli, who passed away during the night of February 4th 2019.

The funeral took place in Bern on the 15th of February.

Members are invited to send their tributes to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so that they can be posted on the website.

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More Articles ...

  1. Andy Nisbet (1953 to 2019)
  2. Christopher Simpson
  3. John Temple
  4. Sue Baldock

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