ULMC was established in 1945, as a friendly student club for climbers, hill walkers and anybody with an active interest in the mountains. The club runs regular weekend trips during the year to participate in climbing, hill walking and scrambling, visiting such places as the Lake District, the Peak District, Snowdonia and Cornwall, amongst others. Our members also enjoy weekly indoor climbing, access to club owned gear, slide shows etc. ULMC also have an active social calendar with weekly bar meets, curries, slide shows, video evenings, parties etc there's always something going on! So, what now? If you are interested in joining, read on... below are some of the questions we often get asked by new members.
How do I go about joining ULMC? We have an introductory bar meet in ULU on the 9th of October where new members can sign up and find out more about the club, and more importantly book to come on our first trip to the Lake District on the 19-21st of October, or alternatively come along to some of our meetings. Every week throughout term time we meet in either the Gallery bar or the Duck and Dive in ULU on Tuesday from 8pm, and at Mile End Climbing Wall on Wednesday from 7:00pm.
How much does it cost? Becoming a member of ULMC is not expensive. Membership costs just 8 pounds for the year. As well as giving you access to the clubs climbing, mountaineering and camping gear, this cost gives you affiliated membership of the British Mountaineering Council (useful for cheap mountaineering, skiing, and travel insurance), providing the club with third party insurance. Make sure you also have a valid ULU card.
What about outdoor meets? The club tries to organise at least one weekend trip each month to the main outdoor localities in the UK. These usually last from Friday night to Sunday night. Destinations include the Peak District, North Wales, Cornwall, and the Lake District. Meets typically cost 30 pounds and are booked cash up front on a first come first served basis, at the bar on Tuesday each week.
I've never been into the mountains before, is this a problem? At this time of year, almost half the people coming on meets have done little or no climbing or hill walking. As a club, we are very keen to introduce people to the sport, and are happy for people of all abilities to join us. If you are a complete beginner and are interested, we recommend that you come to the indoor climbing wall with us before going on an outdoor meet if you are interested in climbing. This will give you chance to pick up the basics, and make climbing outdoors much more enjoyable. For those interested in hill walking and scrambling, just come along on one of the trips and join one of the groups who are of a similar standard.
What equipment do i need? The basics are a sleeping bag, pair of walking boots (leather are usually best) even if you only plan to climb cos it will probably rain heavily all weekend otherwise ;-), warm clothes, waterproofs, water container, spare change of clothes and any other personal equipment you might have eg climbing equipment (esp. sticky shoes and harness). Note space is often at a premium in the minibus, so you can leave the kitchen sink at home!
So what's going on this term? Check out the 'meets' page within this webpage.
Count me in! For the first half of term, news of social events and climbing meets will be distributed by email to everyone who has expressed an interest in joining. If you are not on this list, then make sure you pass on your email address to us as soon as possible!
For more information the ULMC website is updated on a regular basis, with all the news of social events and outdoor meets. However, if you have any questions at all, please feel free to email us. The individual committee members can be contacted at the addresses given on the 'contacts' page within this website.