I used to climb with just Toaf really and a few others. We didn't have a mountianeering club and to be honest I'd never even heard of them. Back in the day the only ones that I had heard of were things like "The Climbers Club" and "The Alpine Club", not something that I thought I'd ever be part of, or even considered accessable. Then Toaf introduced me to his Uncle Rob.
Uncle Rob was a memeber of The famous Wrekin Mountaineering Club, so famous infact that I'd never heard of it! After a couple of days out with Uncle Rob, I was invited to come away to the Lakes Borrowdale meet and then it all started. I'd actually found a bunch of like minded people who go away climbing all the time around the country! When I started out I didn't really want to go without Rob or Toaf at least, but soon made some friends in the form of Stewie, Dave Bowler, Mick, Aunty Sally, Dan, Paul... the list just goes on. One of the weirder things is that everyone seems to know who I am in the club, so I feel bad when I don't know who people are.
We don't have a hut, we're more of a nomadic mountaineering club. We turn up en-mass with our tents, campers, bivi bags. Having a hut isn't such a bag thing. I know clubs with huts, who seem to spend all thier time there (sort of like a second home for alot of people). Having a hut would mean we'd need to maintain it. I prefere the "stay wherever we want climb wherever we please attitude" of the club. It certainly opened my eyes to some climbing I never would have found on my own.
With the club I've continued my rock climbing apprentship, under Rob and Stewie (and numerous others who've helped me out). Through the club I've been introduced to the delights of steep limestone and metamophs of Pembrokeshire, the massive granite of Cornish sea cliffs, the quieter crags of Cwm Carac and a host of excellent pubs, campsites, bunkhouses and major hangovers. I've been taken out in Scotland in winter, giving and reinforcing the skills I've needed to head out this year without the club support on my own. My winter apprentiship still has a few years to go. The wealth of advice and experience available is astonishing. There's always someone who can help you out whether it's planning a trip to the alps, or looking for a local crag to do a bit of climbing after work.
So what am I getting at? Well finding a mountaineering club near you, or even just a mountaineering club at all (Wrekin is based in Shropshire, a little far from me) is such a benefit. I know alot of people will be leaving University Mountaineering clubs this year and they'll loose the support of having a club. Anyway the Wrekin is a great club to be in, anyone is welcome regardless of how well you climbing or what your interests are. It's just about getting out climbing and mountainering!
So what am I getting at? Well finding a mountaineering club near you, or even just a mountaineering club at all (Wrekin is based in Shropshire, a little far from me) is such a benefit. I know alot of people will be leaving University Mountaineering clubs this year and they'll loose the support of having a club. Anyway the Wrekin is a great club to be in, anyone is welcome regardless of how well you climbing or what your interests are. It's just about getting out climbing and mountainering!
