A week of alpine pursuits in Saas-Grund, Switzerland — an ideal location for those looking to get one or two of the Alps 4000m peaks under their belt. Notable mountains include the Allalinhorn, the Nadelhorn and the Täschhorn.

The Saas valley is the ideal playground for the novice and intermediate alpinist with many classic routes ranging from PD to AD+ on 3000m and 4000m peaks. There is also sport climbing both down in the valley and up on mountain crags.

The area has good public transport links from Geneva airport and up and down the valley so hiring a car is not necessary

Accommodation:

I will be booking apartments in Saas-Grund on the 13th May. The cost per person for the week is expected to be £230–£270. If you wish to be included in the accommodation booking please confirm by paying the Summer Alps Meet Accommodation Deposit (£150) on the website payments page before the 13th.

There may be the possibility of adding further accommodation at a later date, should participant numbers support it.

If you do not want to share an apartment, there are some very good camping options in Saas-Grund. I will share links in due course.

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A weekend of family-friendly adventures on the beautiful Gower peninsula — Britain's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The area offers a mix of Trad and Sport climbing, plus lots of stunning coastal walks.

Camping is at Pitton Cross Campsite https://www.pittoncross.co.uk/

1 person tent - £17 per night
2-3 person tent - £32 per night
3-6 person tent - £38 per night

After you sign up to the meet, please book yourself into the campsite by calling 01792 391557 and quoting "London Mountaineering 2024" and you can pay over the phone.
If you choose to book on-line please quote the above.
Please note, if you have a larger tent and only want to stay for 2 nights, you'll have to book by phone as the website has a 3 night minimum for 2 person tents and above.

If you cancel before 26th June you'll get a refund minus £50 (i.e. no refund for one person tents). If you cancel after that, there's no refund at all.

They can only offer us a total of 15 spaces due to high demand on Gower at this time of year.

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LMC members and guests welcome at the hut in Eryri

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Trad, sport climbing and walking on the sea cliffs of Dorset.

Discord channel https://discord.com/channels/1001790898646028359/1229845245609377824

Staying at Tom's Field campsite. The 10 spaces booked by the club have now been filled. New people joining the meet will need to book their own pitches.
For booking, see https://www.tomsfieldcamping.co.uk/

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Bank holiday BBQ meet at the club hut.

Camping is available down the road at Ty Isaf if the hut is full.

The hut has BBQs, charcoal and firelighters. Just bring/buy some food to cook on it.

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A long weekend of climbing and hiking in the Lake District.

Accommodation TBC

Option to change the location if the forecast is terrible a couple of days ahead of the meet.

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12 spaces booked by Scunthorpe MC

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Sport climbing on the South Coast. Staying at the Portland Bunkhouse

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Enjoy an Autumn weekend at the hut.

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Follow in the footsteps, or rather handholds, of such greats as Yvon Chouinard, Royal Robbins, Tommy Caldwell, Alex Honnold, Andy Kirkpatrick and Leo Houlding by climbing the granite walls of California’s famous national park.

Or, if you're more of a walker than a climber, there are a tonne of wonderful hikes throughout the valley such as Half Dome via the Mist Trail, Bridalveil Falls Trail, Tuolumne Meadows and Cathedral Lakes Trail.

Climbers
If you think those walls are reserved only for the premier crew, you'd be mistaken — there are tonnes of climbs within the capabilities of mere mortals. In fact, there is this handy list on UKC exactly along those lines —

A list of climbs under grade E1 (5.10b US)

And a search on Mountain Project reveals an extensive list of routes between 5.4 (HVD) and 5.8 (HVS) —

Rock routes (Trad or Sport or Toprope) in Yosemite National Park. between 5.4 and 5.8+ with at least 2 stars

Accommodation

My hope is that we will be camping in one of the park's renowned campgrounds for the week however getting reservations is proving tricky.

I am trying to reserve two sites. Each site allows for up to six people, and at the time of writing this, there are seven of us signed up. However, although the sites allow for six, it does not mean they will fit six tents (they vary in size apparently) so to ensure we have adequate space for tents, vehicles and any additional joiners, I will book two sites.

I hope to get sites in either the Lower Pines or North Pines campgrounds in the valley. The total cost will be £70–£80 per person for the week.

If I am unable to get sites in May the options are to either a) take our chances on booking in Camp Four, which can only be reserved one week in advance (and is highly competitive), b) plan on using one of the walk-in camps a little outside the main valley. There are a number of Bureau of Land Management campsites near Midpines and El Portal that operate a first come, first served plicy for $10 per site per night.

Park Access

If we can't get a site in the park, we will need to make vehicle access reservations for the weekends unless we plan on entering the park before 5am or after 4pm. Vehicle reservations are for three days and cost $2. There are over 2000 reservations available for the dates we're there at the moment, but we should probably get them ahead of time when trip details are firmed up.

We will also need to pay entrance fees. A single vehicle entrance fee covers all occupants and is $35 for three days (and maybe seven because the weekdays don't require reservations, it's not entirely clear). We might want to consider an annual pass at $70 as that may be more cost effective. We buy those passes on entrance, so don't need to worry about it now.

If we have campground reservations or Half Dome permits we will not need access reservations.

Travel

Other travel details still to be worked out, but I plan to fly into Los Angeles and pick up a hire car there as I will spending a few days either side of the trip in LA. I will update with my flight details once booked.

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Join the Bonfire night celebrations at the hut.

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Beat the late autumn blues with a few days of bolt clipping in the sunshine! There is climbing at all grades from beginner to expert.

The plan will be to take a Thursday flight to Alicante from Gatwick returning Monday night. Suggested flight(s) to be confirmed when booking opens in July.

We are booked into the lovey villa Perles for a second year (Villa Perles) with a pool close to the centre of Calpe.

We also have an additional villa, Villa Benicuco that also has a pool and is just a couple of mins walk from the main villa.

We will hire a car or two and head up to the climbing. Approximate cost should be around £50 per person for the car hire (depending on how full the cars are).

Flight Options Outbound (Thu 7th Nov):
Please don't book yet these are just for discussion!

1. LGW 07:20 - ALC 10:55 Easyjet


2. STN 07:10 - ALC 10:45 Ryanair


3. LGW 17:40 - ALC 21:15 Easyjet


4. STN 06:05 - ALC 21:40 Ryanair

Flight Options Inbound (Mon 11th Nov):
Please don't book yet these are just for discussion!

1. ALC 21:55 - LGW 23:30 Easyjet


2. ALC 21:00 - STN 22:45 Ryanair

Guidebook:

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Chance to sharpen your map reading and navigation skills - both by day and night. Suitable for novice navigators and wizard-like wanderers.

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 (e.g. using a compass and looking around!), but also discuss the GPS-based devices people may bring along.

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 will include an extra amount to pay for food.

{This weekend has been run since 1997 by myself and a dedicated band of seasoned LMC navigators. I am looking for two or three new people to join us to help run the meet in future years. Contact me directly if you'd like a chat about what that might entail.}

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The highly-anticipated celebration of adventure, culture, nature and exploration, is taking place this November, and the first wave of tickets is now live!
During the four-day Festival, over 200 live sessions including 300+ speakers, 180+ films, and 80+ activities will be programmed engaging over 30,000 adventure-seekers and outdoor enthusiasts.

Accommodation

The club has booked 10 spaces on the Friday and Saturday night for the first 10 people that sign up. 2 are already taken, but the remaining 8 are at the Ecclerigg Old Farm.

https://www.lakelovers.co.uk/cottage/Lake-District-Cumbria-The-Lake-District-Ecclerig-Ho/Ecclerigg-Old-Farm-1042482.html

The cost is 29.38 per person per night (£58.75 is total).

Please pay this to the club via the payment button on the LMC website payments page once you've signed up (if you're one of the first 10 to sign up!). Go to Membership -> Payments.
The booking is non refundable and we don't want the club to be out of pocket.

Anyone signing up after that will need to book their own accommodation

https://www.kendalmountainfestival.com/how-to-festival/where-to-stay/
Or the YHA Ambleside is fairly close.

Tickets

You'll need to book your own tickets for the festival.
https://www.kendalmountainfestival.com/

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Come and and spend a long weekend climbing unpronounceable hills in indifferent weather - a return of the Winter Munro bagging meet.

Bring axe. Crampons, warm clothes and your sense of adventure.

We’ll stay at the Ochil Mountaineering Club’s hut at Crianlarich, which gives loads of options for days out of of any length and any technicality direct from the doorstep.

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This meet is recommended for experienced winter walkers and wild campers only.

Winter backpacking hike in Scotland -
Tyndrum to Corrour via Glencoe.

Route is mainly based on West Highland Way with few munros to cross, 60km in total.

Train and bus as main transportation, then hike for almost 4 days- day and night most likely, wild camping.
Discord channel:
https://discord.gg/VshFUrqy

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Escape the Xmas shopping with a weekend at the hut.

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8 spaces booked by Croydon MC.
8 spaces remain for LMC members.

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A wintry, dark time of the year - the perfect time to organise a trip to the Lakes for some walking, with a Burns Supper themed meal on Saturday night. Crampons dependent on weather but Kilts obligatory

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Ice climbing and skiing on the the Ecrins massif in the French Alps.

We'll be staying in the town of Le Bourg-d'Oisans in the northern Ecrins which is well situated for a range of winter sports.

Activities

For ice climbing there's the beginner friendly area at Alpe d'Huez with short approaches . There's also the world famous La Grave and the lost valley of Vallon du Diable with many excellent multiptich routes. Both Alpe d'Huez and Vallon du Diable are situated above 2000m and have relatively reliable ice.

For those looking for something more esoteric, there's the adventurous mixed climbing of Tetes de Sainte Marguerite.

There's lots of skiing options too with the resorts of Alpe d'Huez and Les Deux Alpes nearby, and the freeride mecca of La Grave less than an hour away.

And of course in the high mountains of the massif there's a wealth of ski touring, ski mountaineering and winter alpine climbing opportunities.

Accommodation

The club has booked a 10 person detached house with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a terrace with mountain views.
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/30015153?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=90c3ea33-a73b-47b6-ac0d-80e38e2f30ac
Once this has filled up we may book more accommodation if there's demand.

Full payment for the accommodation is required on sign up. I'm afraid we can't offer refunds if you have to cancel. If you need to pull out of the meet after booking you can try and find someone else to take your place and pay you the accommodation fees directly.

Travel

The best way to get there is to fly to Lyon and hire a car. The drive from Lyon airport to Le Bourg-d'Oisans is around 1hr 30 mins. Car hire sharing will be organised nearer the time. At the time of writing both flights and car hire were reasonably priced.

Recommended flights:
25th Jan, 10:30: LGW to LYS Easyjet
2nd Feb, 13:05: LYS to LGW BA

Ice Climbing Guidebook

Ecrins: Selected Climbs; Oxford Alpine Club

Prerequisites

This is an ice climbing focused meet and whilst it is suitable for those that are new to this climbing discipline, it is not suitable for those that are new to climbing. Participants will need to have experience of leading multipitch trad climbs and some winter climbing experience in Scotland or elsewhere. If you're reading this in the summer, there's still time to gain this experience before the meet, including enrolling on, for example, a winter climbing course in Scotland.

Links to crag info:

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/alpe_dhuez-8414/
https://www.ukclimbing.com/videos/categories/winter+alpine/the_amphitheatre_of_ice_-_vallon_du_diable-5810
https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/destinations/la_grave-1516
https://www.camptocamp.org/waypoints/40865/fr/tetes-de-sainte-marguerite

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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 are home to 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 £24.50 per night for weeknights and £26.50 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.

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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 (16th Feb) to the Friday (21st Feb) 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 £26 p.p.p.n. The full cost of £130 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.

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TBC

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12 spaces booked by the Alpine Club.
4 loft spaces available to LMC members.
This is a Sunday to Sunday booking.

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The Deadline for being included in the club's accommodation booking has now passed. All new people signing up to the meet will now have to book their own accommodation, ideally at the Glenbrittle Youth Hostel, if they still have space.

The Misty Isle beckons for another LMC adventure.
Based at the Glenbrittle Youth Hostel with the beach and Fairy Pools nearby, plus parking on site.
There will also 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.
Book early to avoid disappointment!

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