Full Membership

Competent mountaineer

An applicant for full membership is a competent mountaineer as demonstrated by:

• exercising judgement on the hill, taking into account weather conditions and the ability of the group
• sharing in decision making
• having confidence in their own ability.

Minimum Technical Standard

Navigation

An applicant for full membership should:

• be able to relate the map to the ground
• be able to judge distance covered on a hill by pacing/timing
• be able to navigate by compass in poor visibility or in darkness involving 3 to 4 changes in bearing, e.g. Ben Macdui summit to Coire Cas
• be able to select a route suitable to the group and conditions and adapt the route on the hill when required
• be adaptable in the use of maps of different scales, e.g. 1:50 000; 1:25 000; Harvey’s 1:40 000.
• be aware of GPS and mobile apps for use in navigation.

Winter

An applicant for full membership should:

• be able to use an ice axe for self arrest and to ascend/descend snow slopes safely, e.g. descent of the Goat Track (Coire an t-Sneachda) in winter
• be able to use crampons on nevé and ice
• be able to take decisions about the chosen route in light of avalanche information.

Rock

An applicant for full membership should:

• have experience of unroped rock scrambling on classic Scottish mountain ridges, e.g. Aonach Eagach
• be able to attach to the rope and to the rock (with and without harness and slings), to pay out/take in rope for a partner with a belay device and to abseil
• have completed a minimum of two multi-pitch traditional routes with a minimum grade of Diff with at least 3 pitches, one of which should be a mountain route in Scotland e.g. D Gully Buttress (Buachaille) or Tower Ridge (Ben Nevis)
• have a minimum of two further days experience of rock climbing at any grade.

The completed application form should show a variety of personal mountain experience in different conditions in Scotland, e.g. walking, scrambling, climbing, in summer and winter.  It is expected that applicants have a realistic knowledge of the skills they possess and confidence that these meet the club criteria. 

The proposer and seconders have a responsibility to satisfy themselves that, between the three of them, all the criteria for membership of an applicant have been met.

For application form and notes see Application page.