Above: Dave Pleydell on Cream (E3 5c), Tremadog. Photo by Don Sargeant. |
It's often said that the CC is an elitist institution, which is
quite untrue. We do require candidates to be experienced,
committed and competent climbers, but the threshold of
competence is quite modest; our policy regarding what we view as an appropriate level of competence is detailed within the Applicant's Pack. Far more important to the CC is to select
members who can demonstrate a high level and broad range of
experience, and who will adopt and uphold the ethos of the club.
Clearly this is much more difficult to measure than a climber's
leading grade, so we rely on references from existing members
during the selection procedure.
At first glance, and to
someone who currently has no contact with the CC, the
application might appear to be a very arduous and exclusive
process. It isn't. It does however require a little commitment and effort on the part of applicants.
The CC provides a mechanism for making
the important first contact: the Aspirant's Meet. This is a
bi-annual weekend event, designed to allow |
anyone interested in membership to meet and climb with existing members and learn
about the club and the way the hut system operates. From the
CC's point of view however, it is important that at least two of
the referees (proposer and seconder) have greater knowledge of a
candidate than is possible to glean over the course of one
weekend, so you will not be able to obtain all the required
references, but it's a great way to get the ball rolling and
make some new friends.
Click to See More information on the Climbers' Club
Provisional Membership Scheme:
At the committee's discretion, an
applicant who has attended an Aspirant's Meet and has the support of two members who have climbed with the applicant on that meet may be granted Provisional
Membership for a period of one year (not extendable, normal
annual subscription fee applies). Provisional Members can use
the huts and attend any club meets, and hopefully within the year they'll have gained enough
support to meet the normal selection criteria, and full
membership status will be confirmed. During this period they are expected to attend further club
meets to demonstrate their commitment to the CC. Note: Provisional Members
aren't eligible to vote in the Club AGM, and aren't allowed to
use other Clubs' huts through the CC's Reciprocal Rights Scheme.
Under 18s
Persons below the age of 18 are able to join the club subject to our continued compliance with BMC Child Protection requirements. To ensure compliance the young member must be accompanied by a club member who acts as their responsible adult whenever they attend club properties or participate in club activites. The responsible adult may be either their parent or an adult who accepts that responsibility with the consent of the parent. The young member may sleep in communal dormitories in the presence of their responsible adult although they may not have their own personal hut key until they attain the age of majority. When staying in huts the responsible adult should indicate their name in the 'Sponsor' column of the hut logbook next to the young person's name. In all other respects their membership is identical to that of any other member.
Application procedure (See Appicant's Pack for full details):
Step 1)
Download the Applicant's Pack in,
Adobe Acrobat (PDF, 148KB) or
Microsoft Word
(DOC, 240KB) or Open
Office Format (ODT, 48KB) format. An extract from
the Members' Handbook detailing the
Climbers' Club Rules
(PDF, 440K) is also available.
Step 2) Read the pack paying particular attention to the guidance notes. Complete your application form.
Then either
Step 3a) If you already have your proposer, second and supporters ask your proposer and seconder to sign the completed form. The proposer and seconder should write separate, independent letters (or emails) of support to the Membership Secretary using the standard proforma. Ask your four supporters to sign your completed form; usually the best way to obtain these signatures is to attend a Meet. Meets are frequent, and you can attend as the guest of your proposer.
or
Step 3b) If you are a candidate without any CC contact so far, you can attend an Aspirant's Meet designed specifically for these circumstances. See the Meets page for more information about these meets. Contact the Membership Secretary to book a place on the next convenient Aspirants’ Meet. Take your completed form with you to the meet where you should be able to obtain the support of two members who have climbed with you. These two members will sign your completed form and should complete the proforma for supporting provisional membership and submit it to the membership secretary.
Step 4) Send the completed form to the Membership Secretary.
Your application will be considered at the next committee meeting. If successful, you will be asked for an initial subscription by cheque; hut fees and subsequent subscriptions will be paid by direct debit.
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