Oh come all ye faithful! 'Tis that time of the year for high-altitude hilarity.

Calling all crag-conquerors, cliff-dwellers, and lovers of lofty heights

As the frost kisses the fells and the mince pies beckon, it is time to stow your ice axes, hang up your harnesses, and put on your finest festive fleece for an evening of jolly good cheer and moderately controlled revelry.

Let us gather, not to scale peaks, but to toast them—with good company, great tales, and enough holiday spirit to avalanche the Alps.

When: Wednesday 17th December
Time: 6:30pm
Where: The Wildwood Room at The Green Man W1

36 Riding House Street
W1W 7EP

How Much: £35 for food and drink

NB: In talks with the pub — food and one drink are in the bag, however if enough cam carriers turn up, they’ll sneak a cheeky second drink into the budget

Book early to avoid disappointment

Booking closes on 03/12/2025

Take advantage of the post Christmas bank holidays with a week's winter climbing and walking in the Northern Cairngorms.

NB: there is no Caledonian sleeper until Sunday 28/12, and none on New Year’s Eve either. There are day trains and flights to Inverness.

We’ll be staying at the Aviemore Youth Hostel which is warm, clean and spacious and arguably has the best drying room in the UK!

Winter Climbing
The Cairngorms, and in particular the Northern Corries, are the most popular early season winter climbing venue in Scotland and are often in condition this time of year.

The venue is ideal for novices and seasoned climbers alike with many classic routes across all grades.

Winter Walking
The Cairngorms boast many excellent winter walks and are home to 55 Munroes and numerous bothies.

Accommodation and booking
We’ll be staying at the Aviemore Youth Hostel https://www.hostellingscotland.org.uk/hostels/aviemore/
As well as booking onto the meet we ask participants to book themselves a bed in a dorm room at the hostel. They can do this either online at the website above, or by calling 01479 810345.
We’ve agreed with the hostel that they’ll try and put LMC members in the same rooms so please mention that you’re with the LMC if you book by phone. If you book online, follow this up with an email to aviemore@hostellingscotland.org.uk mentioning that you’re with the LMC.
Please book early to avoid disappointment as the hostel does book up in the winter, especially on weekends. Booking via a 3rd party website is not recommended as this will make it more difficult for the hostel to keep the group together.
At the time of writing a bed in a dorm room at the hostel was £26.50 per night.

Cancellation
The cancelation terms for people booking individually, directly with the hostel, are very generous and are the main reason we’re asking people to self-book their accommodation. Participants can cancel independently up until 12 noon on the day before they’re due to arrive and receive a 90% refund. This could be for any reason including if participants feel the weather or snow conditions are likely to make winter climbing/walking impossible.

Travel
Aviemore is roughly a 10 hour drive from London, but having a car on the meet is not strictly necessary as much of the winter climbing and walking can be accessed by public transport, short taxi rides, and even hitch hiking!
There are direct day trains from London.

Prerequisites
The cairngorms are a great venue for winter climbers and walkers of all levels, including novices. But we recommend that anyone that’s completely new to either of these activities do a course beforehand to familiarise themselves with the winter specific skills they need. A weekend course in the Cairngorms or Western Highlands should be sufficient. For winter climbing, summer trad climbing is also a very helpful (arguably essential) grounding.

Guidebooks
Winter Climbing – Scottish Winter Climbs (SMC)
Winter Walking - The Cairngorms & North-East Scotland (SMC) or https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/ is pretty comprehensive and free.

Work off that Christmas pudding with a weekend at the club's hut in Eryri

“The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley.“

A cold, dark time of the year - the perfect time to organise a trip to blow away winter lethargy with some walking and potentially some very early season climbing - all with a Burns Supper themed meal on Saturday night.

This year, we’re staying at the Yorkshire Mountaineering Club’s hut in Coniston, a great venue for Southern Lakelend.

The cost covers the accommodation and the costs of the Burns supper meal.

Cogne – One of the World’s Best Ice Climbing Venues

Located in the heart of Gran Paradiso National Park in northern Italy, Cogne offers easy access to dozens of single- and multi-pitch routes across all grades, with generally reliable ice conditions and stable weather.

This meet is suitable for both experienced climbers and those with at least some prior ice or technical winter climbing experience. Ideally, participants will have completed an introductory course with a qualified guide.

That said, climbers will get much more out of the trip if they’re comfortable leading multi-pitch trad routes and have general winter mountaineering experience.

Beyond the ice climbing, the area also offers excellent opportunities for skiing—piste, cross-country, and ski mountaineering.

Some of us may also attempt a summit between 3,000–4,000 metres, which would involve an overnight stay in a winter room of a mountain refuge. These are unmanned but provide shelter, beds, and blankets—offering refuge from snow and wind. This will suit those with winter mountaineering experience and familiarity with snowshoeing or skiing. Possible objectives include:
- Gran Paradiso (4,061m)
- Gran Serra (3,552m)
- Punta Rossa della Grivola (3,630m)

Accommodation
The club has booked 18 spaces at Residence Château Royal, https://www.residencechateauroyal.com/en, located in the centre of Cogne. We’ll be staying in four apartments: three for four people each and one larger flat for six.
Cost: £275 per person for 8 nights.
Accommodation will be allocated in order of booking. Members are welcome to swap among themselves afterwards. Full payment is required on sign-up and accommodation fees are non-refundable. However, if you need to cancel your place, you're welcome to try and find someone to replace you (or if the meet fills up, there may be a waiting list to draw from).

Travel
Fly to Turin or Milan, then hire a car to reach Cogne.

Guidebook
Cogne Selected Climbs – Oxford Alpine Club.

More Info
For a detailed overview of ice climbing in the area, check out:
UKC article – Cogne: Icefall Climbing in the Italian Alps

Coordination
To help you find a climbing partner, share a rental car, and give an overview of everyone’s plans, I will circulate to the attendees a spreadsheet to fill in your itinerary, realistic ice climbing level, and any other relevant info.

Zoom Call – December
I’d also like to propose a Zoom call in December to go over plans, answer any questions, and give everyone a chance to connect before the trip.

A meet at our club hut in Eryri

A week of winter climbing and winter walking in the Cairngorms.

We’ll be staying at the Aviemore Youth Hostel which is warm, clean and spacious and arguably has the best drying room in the UK!

Winter Climbing
The Cairngorms, and in particular the Northern Corries, are a Scottish winter climbing Mecca with some of the most reliable winter conditions in the Highlands. The venue is ideal for novices and seasoned climbers alike with many classic routes across all grades.

Winter Walking
The Cairngorms boast many excellent winter walks and are home to 55 Munroes and numerous bothies.

Accommodation and booking
We’ll be staying at the Aviemore Youth Hostel https://www.hostellingscotland.org.uk/hostels/aviemore/
As well as booking onto the meet we ask participants to book themselves a bed in a dorm room at the hostel. They can do this either online at the website above, or by calling 01479 810345.
We’ve agreed with the hostel that they’ll try and put LMC members in the same rooms so please mention that you’re with the LMC if you book by phone. If you book online, follow this up with an email to aviemore@hostellingscotland.org.uk mentioning that you’re with the LMC.
Please book early to avoid disappointment as the hostel does book up in the winter, especially on weekends. Booking via a 3rd party website is not recommended as this will make it more difficult for the hostel to keep the group together.
At the time of writing a bed in a dorm room at the hostel was £26.00 per night for weeknights and £28.00 for weekend nights.

Cancellation
The cancelation terms for people booking individually, directly with the hostel, are very generous and are the main reason we’re asking people to self-book their accommodation. Participants can cancel independently up until 12 noon on the day before they’re due to arrive and receive a 90% refund. This could be for any reason including if participants feel the weather or snow conditions are likely to make winter climbing/walking impossible.

Travel
Aviemore is roughly a 10 hour drive from London, but having a car on the meet is not strictly necessary as much of the winter climbing and walking can be accessed by public transport, short taxi rides, and even hitch hiking!
The Caledonian Sleeper operates a direct service from London Euston to Aviemore and seats are very reasonable (especially if bought in pairs with a two together railcard).
There are also direct day trains from London.

Prerequisites
The cairngorms are a great venue for winter climbers and walkers of all levels, including novices. But we recommend that anyone that’s completely new to either of these activities do a course beforehand to familiarise themselves with the winter specific skills they need. A weekend course in the Cairngorms or Western Highlands should be sufficient. For winter climbing, summer trad climbing is also a very helpful (arguably essential) grounding.

Guidebooks
Winter Climbing – Scottish Winter Climbs (SMC)
Winter Walking - The Cairngorms & North-East Scotland (SMC) or https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/ is pretty comprehensive and free.

MEET CANCELLED DUE TO LOW DEMAND

5 Nights at the CIC hut situated at the foot of the North Face of Ben Nevis. The UK's premier winter climbing crag and home to a huge range of routes including many classics!

Our monthly meet at the club hut in Eryri

All 16 spaces booked by LMC members and guests.

PLEASE ENSURE YOU SELECT THE CORRECT PAYMENT OPTION WHEN YOU BOOK ON DEPENDING ON WHETHER YOU WANT TO STAY IN A CARAVAN OR CAMP.

Our annual meet at the Kelynack campsite with the affable Francis. Twinkling granite in the sunshine above a turquoise ocean, climbs steeped in history and stature, clifftop paths and white sand beaches, Cornish pasties, palm trees, and maybe the occasional pirate.

12 spaces booked accross 2 caravans (£74 per place) and unlimited camping as usual.

To stay in a caravan, please select this option when you book and payment will be taken by DD or Paypal. You'll need to already have a DD set up if you want to pay by this option.

To camp, please select the £0 payment option and pay at the site during the trip.

A meet at our club hut in Eryri

Sport Climbing in Greece

Details TBC

Info

https://manikia.com/climbing/

https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/destinations/manikia_-_the_next_international_climbing_destination_in_greece-15409

Bank holiday climbing on the sea cliffs of the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast — finest limestone in the country.

Pembroke is an excellent destination for climbers of all skill levels, and offers a good opportunity to those looking to develop their skills or just get back to form.

For those new to Pembroke, there is a good introduction to the area on UKC — https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/destinations/beginners_pembroke-10261.

Campsite TBC

Staying at our club hut in Eryri which has 16 spaces and we've also booked 12 spaces at the Vagabonds' Mountaineering Club hut 2 mins walk up the road.

The first 16 people to sign up will be in Fronwydyr, the rest in the Vagabonds' hut.

The Vagabonds hut has alpine style sleeping platforms, a living room, and well equipped kitchen and bathroom

There'll be plenty of BBQs and charcoal at Fronwydyr for everyone to use ( including the honorary Vagabonds! ). Just bring some food to cook and whatever you want to drink.

Hut fees can be paid after the meet in the following ways:
Fronwydyr - via the payments page on the LMC website.
Vagabonds hut (£10 pppn) - via bank transfer to the Vagabonds club account. Details are in the sign-in book in their hut.

The Misty Isle beckons for another LMC adventure, our 3rd in a row.

The first 9 beds reserved are now gone, so participants will now have to reserve their own bed at the hostel or find alternative accommodation. There’s also the Glenbrittle Memorial Hut a minute’s drive away, and the Glenbrittle campsite at the end of the valley. Just remember your midge nets!

The youth hostel is well situated with a beach and the famous Fairy Pools nearby, and has parking and a drying room on site.

There will be opportunities for walking into famous sites such as Corrie Lagan, as well as fantastic climbs on the Cioch as well as the Cuillin Ridge itself.

Cost of accommodation is £28 pppn. The full cost (£168) is payable on sign up.

Book early to avoid disappointment - and don’t forget your midge nets!

CANCELLATION TERMS

Although the hostel does offer refunds for individual bookings as long as cancelled 24h or more before arrival, due to the charge this incurs, we strongly recommend finding someone to take your place on the meet instead.

A meet at our club hut in Eryri

Our annual endurance challenge at Fronwydyr. Returning for its 31st year!

Start and finish from the hut, climbing all 14 peaks over 3,000ft in North Wales. It is a monster day out, but there should be plenty of daylight. The moon phase in Wales will be a Waxing Crescent. Complete the challenge in under 15 hours, and you'll get a bottle of champers.

A successful Champagne Challenge also requires team support to rescue the exhausted. Anyone interested in assisting, please let the meet steward know.

Fingers crossed for good weather and maximum daylight during the longest day of the year.

Some insights on the challenge can be viewed here.

The spiritual home of European mountaineering needs no introduction. More high quality alpine routes than arguably any other climbing venue in the world.

We're going early in the summer season in the hope of beating the crowds and catching the snow before it melts. But if it's already too warm for the mixed/snow/ice routes then there's still a lifetime's worth of alpine rock, sport climbing and hiking to fall back on.

Accomodation:
Camping at Les Marmottes
https://camping-lesmarmottes.com/
It also has chalets to rent for those that want a more permaent roof over their heads.
Booking well in advance is not recommended, to allow flexibility in the event of bad weather - see below.
If the campsite is full at the time of the meet we'll go to another of the ones in Chamonix.
Particiapants will be expected to book their own pitches shortly before the meet.

Weather
If the forecast is too wet, the plan is to head elsewhere - e.g. Saas or Ecrins. We could also change the location during the meet if the weather deteriorates.

Travel
It's possible to drive to Chamonix in a day from London.
Those wanting to fly are advised to book a flight to Geneva which is well situated for getting to Chamonix, but also many other destinations in the Alps (hiring a car from there may be required)
If we do end up in Chamonix then there's good public transport links between there and Geneva airport, and in the valley itself, so hiring a car is not necessary. But it is useful and can be as cost effective as paying for transfers.

Meet duration
The full meet is 2 weeks but participants are welcome to come for as long as they want.

Guidebooks
Rockfax - Chamonix (paper and app version)

Info
https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/destinations/chamonix_classic_alpinism_the_best_alpine_routes_at_add-15473
https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/destinations/best_of_chamonix_granite_up_to_6b-15375

Staying at the Alpine Club's George Starkey Hut in Patterdale, at the foot of Helvellyn.

22 bunks booked for Friday 28th to Monday 31st August

£21 per person per night.

Bookings are non-refundable, but if you need to drop out you're welcome to find someone else to take your place and reimburse you the hut fees directly.

Participants are welcome to stay an extra day or so either side of the meet if they want. Please let the meet steward know if you do this and we can arrange an additional payment to the Alpine Club for any extra nights.

Activities: Climbing, Scrambling, Bouldering, Hiking, Swimming,

Guidebooks:

Trad: Rockfax - Lake District Climbs
Sport: Rockfax - Northern Limestone

Travel Notes: Possible to take a direct train from London Euston to Penrith. It takes 3 to 4 hours one way depending on the service.

A Whatsapp group for the meet will be added to the LMC Whatsapp Community in due course so that participants can add themselves. We can't add a link here for data security reasons.

Chance to sharpen your map reading and navigation skills - both by day and night. Suitable for novice navigators and wizard-like wanderers. This year with new helpers - and new ideas!

We will to focus on using maps, and then go out on the hill to practice navigation. We will all make use of traditional navigation (using a compass, the map and looking around!), and also discuss use of GPS-based devices.

Bookings open on 1 September, and will be limited to ten participants. We will organise a communal meal on the Saturday night (I'll be looking for a volunteer co-ordinator). The meet fees include an extra amount to pay for the communal meal.

Returning to Calpe again for the fourth year and staying at the ever-popular Villa Perles that we stayed at in 2023 and 2024.

There is plenty of climbing at all grades.

Celebrate Guy Fawkes night at the club hut in Eryri.

A Whatsapp group for the meet will be added to the LMC Whatsapp Community so that participants can add themselves. A link to it cannot be added here for data security reasons.

This meet it best suited to experienced winter climbers.

5 Nights at the CIC hut situated at the foot of the North Face of Ben Nevis. The UK's premier winter climbing crag and home to a huge range of routes including many classics!

The hut is booked from the Sunday to the Friday morning so it's recommended to travel up on the Saturday (15th Feb) and then use Sunday to walk up to the hut with food and gear for the week and ideally do a climb that day as well

The CIC hut is basic. It has a kitchen, toilets, running water and drying room, but no shower. For details on facilities, and the hut more generally, see https://www.smc.org.uk/huts/cic.

All gear and food needs to be taken up on foot from the Ben Nevis North Face Car Park which takes around 2hrs 30 mins and is a real slog. But once you're there, there are relatively short walk-ins to all the climbs on the North Face.

Late Feb is slightly earlier that previous years, however the hut is in high demand and already booked out. This time of year is typically a good time for ice routes on Ben Nevis so you're likely to get more out of this meet if you're happy on this surface and can climb at least Scottish grade III. This meet is not recommended for those that favour winter walking as options for that activity are very limited.

The cost of a bed in the hut is £28 p.p.p.n. The full cost of £140 is payable on sign up. Unfortunately due to high demand for the CIC hut in the winter season the Scottish Mountaineering Club cannot offer refunds in the event of cancellation. If you need to cancel your place then please let the meet steward know asap. They can help find someone else to take your place (who will transfer you the money), though replacements aren't guaranteed and you will be liable for the costs if replacements can't be found.

Guidebook: Scottish Winter Climbs - SMC (available in paperback or to download on the Rockfax app)

Scottish Winter Climbs West - Scottish Mountaineering Club

Travel to Ben Nevis: The drive is about 10 hours from London and can easily be done in a day.

Please reach out to the meet steward (Will Osborn) if you have any questions prior to signing up.