Safety, Risk and Training

"The BMC recognises that climbing, hill walking and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement."


Safety, Risk and Training

Climbing carries risks. We don't generally offer tuition on a normal meet and expect members to know the BMC Participation Statement before they go. We also recommend that on climbing meets, as a minimum, people know fundamental principles of climbing such as how to belay safely.

Injuries are possible in climbing, hill walking and mountaineering, as in all sporting activities, as a result of over-training, inappropriate training regimes, or poor technique as well as those that might be sustained during a slip or fall, or if something or someone falls on a person.

We encourage everyone to develop his or her own climbing skills and experience - it adds much more to the enjoyment of the experience.

Risk is an integral part of climbing and in dasily life. Management of risk can play a vital role in helping people to acquire important life skills. Minimising risk boils down to having the right level of skill and experience relative to the difficulty of the activity. When starting out climbing, choose the easiest routes available and work your way up as you feel comfortable.

Accidents can still happen due to circumstances over which the climber has no control, such as a rockfall, and in these events first aid training can make all the difference.

Certain meets a year are run with a formal tuition theme - these will generally be where the club arranges professional guides and trainers. These tend to focus on lead climbing, Alpinism and winter climbing.