FAQs
What is mountaineering?
Mountaineering covers various outdoor activities such as single pitch rock climbing, multi pitch rock climbing, indoor rock climbing, winter climbing, bouldering, summer hill walking and winter hill walking. As a club, most of our trips are based around the climbing aspect.
I’ve never climbed outdoors before, what should I expect?
For those who haven’t had any experience climbing before, dont worry – there will be plenty of other people in the same boat. You will be grouped up with five or six others who have the same level of experience and then looked after throughout the day by two of our more experienced members. This is a great way to meet new people and get to know some of the club’s older members who aren’t quite as scary as they may first appear. I promise, most don’t bite. Your first trip will be a relaxed one. Everyone will get their chance to have a blast, British weather permitting, at as many climbs as they wish throughout the day. However, those who wish to have an even more laid-back trip, perhaps recovering from the night/week before, are welcome to take as much time as they like to enjoy the picturesque scenes available.
I am worried I am not strong enough to climb, or that it will be too difficult. Can I still take part?
In short, yes! Climbing can be made as difficult or as simple as you wish. On arrival at either an indoor or outdoor location you will quickly realise that, although some sections of rock or wall may look totally unconquerable, there are in fact plenty of walls that lend themselves well to beginners. These climbs may be sections of slab wall (areas that are slightly leaning forwards) or have easily-reached, large holds that permit an easy ascent. Climbing is not all about physical strength, and you will quickly find yourself learning new skills and techniques that will begin to make things that looked impossible at first become possible.
I have done a bit of climbing before. Will I be able to use this experience?
If you have done some climbing, belaying or rope work before, that’s great. It is really useful for some of the people in the group to be able to help out other new members who are perhaps less certain or confident on the rock. As a club, we work hard to help anyone who wishes to develop their skills and become more confident in either an indoor or outdoor setting. However, we appreciate that some people will already have some of the skills required for both indoor and outdoor leading and, if this is the case, you will be paired up with someone of a similar standard to be able to get some personal climbing done on whatever you feel comfortable with.
I have done a considerable amount of climbing and I am looking for someone of a similar level to climb with more regularly.
As with any club, we have a vast range of ability and enthusiasm. You will quickly find yourself getting to know the more experienced and active members of the club, who can be easily persuaded to squeeze one more person into a car pretty much any day of the week to get out climbing. The best way to start getting to know people is to come down to the pub on a Thursday or the local wall on a Wednesday.
Hi Dylan. Having sat down and thoroughly taken in all of the information you have painstakingly provided over the last two hours (which you could have spent drinking), I have been totally sold and converted whole-heartedly to the path of the climber. How do I become part of this wonderful community and maybe even buy you a beer?
Well <insert name here>, you couldn’t have chosen better. Joining the club only costs £30, making us one of the best value for money clubs in the AU. You can come and find us at any time throughout the year at our regular social events (Wednesday at MCC and Thursday at Jabez). You will need to join the club before you can participate in any of our events, so please come down and see us as soon as you can and we’ll get you registered. On completion of registration, you can get me that beer you promised.