Aspirant members are encouraged to progress to full membership within five years of joining the Club. To this end, the Club provides a number of resources to help aspirants develop the skills and experience necessary for full membership.
Pre-Alps Meet
For those who are yet to climb in the Alps, the Club runs an annual preparatory trip in the Lake District where members can practice those skills that are essential to climbing in the Alps with the help and teaching of professional mountain guides alongside the mentorship of experienced Club members.
Aspirant Meet
Aspirant members are also encouraged to attend the annual Aspirant Meet in Saas, Switzerland. Members who attend this meet will receive instruction in glacier travel, route planning and other alpine skills from mountain guides, with their fees heavily subsidised by the Club to help keep the cost to individuals low.
The Saastal valley is home to many accessible and easy alpine climbs, so serves as a fantastic venue to achieve some of your first alpine ticks with partners operating at a similar level.
Informal Mentoring
As a Club member, you will be able to attend meets, talks and socials with many extremely experienced climbers who can advise you on suitable routes, techniques and help you acquire the skills necessary for both alpine climbing and large-scale expeditions. Collectively, our membership has experience of thousands of expeditions in practically every region of the world, and you will not struggle to find someone to offer you advice on more or less any objective.
Finding Partners
As well as in-person meet-ups, the Club also operates a number of online forums and WhatsApp groups to help our members find partners for objectives big and small. If you often struggle to find partners for the type of climbing you wish to pursue, Club membership can be a fantastic way to find new partners with similar aims.
Accommodation and Huts
Along with access to the George Starkey Hut in Patterdale and the Club bunkhouse in London, members are also entitled to members’ rates at Swiss Alpine Club huts as well as discounted rates at American Alpine Club lodgings and Mountain Club of Kenya huts and facilities.
Grants and Resources
Club Members are able to apply to the Alpine Club Climbing Fund to help finance their expeditions.
Alongside this monetary support, the Club also offers the best facilities for expedition planning in the UK, with a huge selection of rare maps of mountain regions (including soviet military maps) and an extensive library containing historical records of ascents, reconnaissance expeditions and trip reports. Please see the Expedition Information Centre for further advice on expedition planning, logistics and additional funding options such as the Mount Everest Foundation.
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