This note offers guidance to LMC members, and their guests, on ‘meets’- i.e. climbing, walking and mountaineering trips organised by the club. It contains information on what a meet is, how to join one, and other useful details.
A meet is run by a volunteer from the club (the ‘meet steward’) whose primary role is to pick a destination, set the trip dates, and arrange accommodation. They are not responsible for organising the activities that take place on the meet (a meet is not like a commercially organised tour). The climbs/scrambles/hikes are determined by the participants and typically vary by each climbing partnership, hiking group etc. Members will then typically reconvene in the evening at the accommodation or pub etc.
Many people attending a climbing meet arrive with a climbing partner. If you are attending a meet on your own it is usually possible to join in with others but this can’t always be guaranteed. People often contact other meet participants to pair up beforehand. The meet steward can help you do this. Please be realistic about your experience. Failure to do this may endanger yourself and those you are doing the activity with.
Experienced members may offer advice or suggestions but no formal instruction or guiding is offered on meets, other than on specific training meets. The BMC states: ‘ ... climbing, hillwalking and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death...’ All participants must be aware of this and are responsible for their own safety. Whilst more experienced members might offer to take out less experienced ones for some or all of the meet, this shouldn’t be expected and can’t be guaranteed.
Meets are advertised in the ‘Events’ section of LMC website. Joining a meet is easy – simply click on the booking button on the meet entry and fill in your details. Sometimes payment is required to join the meet. This is normally done via paypal or direct debit (if you have one set up with the club) on sign up.
Click here for more information on how to use the online booking system.
The meet page has the capability to manage car shares amongst participants. If you plan to drive to the meet then state this when you sign up and fill in the details in the relevant boxes. People that would like a lift can then use the meet page to requests lifts automatically. Drivers will be notified automatically be email when they receive a lift request. If there are meet participants that don’t have a lift organised in the final days before the meet, and there is still spaces in some drivers’ cars, then the meet Steward will sometimes assign people to cars based on departure time and location.
If you would like to cancel your participation in a meet, do so as soon as possible on the website. If accommodation has been booked for you, or you’ve taken a place that has been pre-booked by the club then do also contact the meet steward directly to let them know you’re not able to take up the place. In these circumstances you may be able to get a refund if the club can find someone else to take your place, but if not, you’ll be liable to pay the cost of the accommodation.
All UK based members and their guests have 3rd party civil liability insurance through the Club’s Combined Liability Insurance. This is obtained when the Club affiliates the Club’s UK-based members to the BMC. All members and their guests should sign up to the meet page on the LMC website so that the club has a record of those attending for insurance purposes.
The Club has a number of members who are based overseas, defined as outside Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Channel Isles, and the Republic of Ireland, who are not covered by the Club’s Combined Liability insurance. This is because, under the terms and requirements of BMC Affiliation, the Club is unable to affiliate members based overseas.
It is likely that these LMC members based overseas will be members of some other alpine club. Through this membership they are likely to have insurance for mountaineering and climbing. Analogous to UK members having to arrange their own search, rescue and third-party insurance for trips to the Alps, members based overseas must arrange for equivalent insurance for climbing and mountaineering in the UK.
It is likely that participating guests who are based overseas will be members of some other alpine club. Through this membership they are likely to have insurance for mountaineering and climbing. Analogous to UK members having to arrange their own search, rescue and third-party insurance for trips to the Alps, participating guests based overseas must arrange for equivalent insurance for climbing and mountaineering in the UK.
When an LMC member is attending a club overseas meet, they must obtain suitable insurance for the meet. They should arrange their own search, rescue and third-party liability insurance as well as insurance that covers any potential medical expenses and hospitalisation. Austrian Alpine Club membership is a good value option for this and many LMC members are also members of the AAC for this reason. It also has the benefit of giving discounts at many of the huts in the Alps.
It should be noted that some insurance gives far more limited cover especially for medical expenses, and we strongly recommend you check the level of cover provided and ensure that you are happy with the cover you arrange.
Members should always ensure that they, and their guest, are competent in the mountaineering and climbing skills necessary for attending the meet.
The club is always looking for members to volunteer to run meets. As mentioned above the primary role is to set a date and location for a trip and organise some accommodation. This could range from simply nominating a campsite for summer UK meets, to booking a whole chalet for a winter ice climbing meet in the Alps. The meet steward is also the point of contact for participants and prospective participants and would normally answer any questions they have and help them to form climbing partnerships if requested. If you’d like to volunteer as a meet steward or have an idea for a meet, email the meet secretary via the Contact page