About Us

Whether you are an experienced rock climber looking for new challengers of ice climbing or a first-timer who wants to learn and try climbing both indoors and outdoors, UBMC is a large, highly active club at the University of Birmingham, who can provide opportunities for students to undertake mountaineering related activities. The club is very proud of its friendly, welcoming atmosphere and members are only too happy to help people get started...

To see some of the things that we get up to, click here.

The club is continuously growing and expanding to meet a greater range of activities for the members to try, we have recently introduced caving to the club.

We meet regularly at the Creation Climbing Centre, in Mosely on Wednesday afternoons. To get involved either contact the committee, use the forum, or come down on a Wednesday and grab anyone wearing anything with UBMC written on it!

Should you decide to join us, for only £30 you get all of the following:

• All gear provided for free
• British Mountaineering Council Insurance
• Cheap trips to many locations including: Wales, Scotland, the Lakes, Dorset, The Peaks and Pembrokeshire
• Subsidised access to Midland Association of Mountaineers (MAM) and The Ceunant Club accomodation
• Subsidised training costs for First Aid qualifications, Single Pitch Award (SPA), training, Rope Works Course, Winter Skills Courses and many more
• Free advice and encouragement from experienced members of the club
• Several social events from weekly pub visits to slide show presentations by club members as well as house parties and trips out
• Discounted shopping trips for climbing gear
• 20% off at Cotswold Outdoor and 10% off at many other outdoor shops

Trips

An important part of the club are the weekend trips to various venues around the UK. Every fortnight a group of members head off on Friday evening to enjoy 2 days of climbing and 2 very social evenings. These trips offer novices the chance to begin and develop their outdoor climbing experience, and increase confidence and techniques. The trips vary from gritstone rockclimbing in the Peak district to Scottish mixed iceclimbing in the Cairngorms. Whatever the weather these trips are always great fun and never seem to last long enough....

(see "Trip Reports" for details of recent adventures) 

History of the Club and the MAM

UBMC has been climbing since 1932 when it was established. As such we have over 75 years of experience and a wealth of tradition to go with it. Several routes around the country were put up by climbing pioneers from the University of Birmingham!

In the clubs early days an affiliation was developed with the Midland Association of Mountaineers (MAM), a local climbing club still very active to date. Climbers from the MAM described the way UBMC climbers stuck to the rock as being Stoat-like, and the club nickname, ‘The Stoats’, has stuck ever since. Many ex. Stoats go on to join the MAM and continue climbing but still venture back as ‘Old Gits’ to join in the UBMC fun!

We celebrated our 75th anniversary with a fantastic joint meet with the MAM in the Lake District in March 2008. Manyof the clubs past presidents many of whom are still climbing as members of the MAM were able to join us! A journal is being sold in memory with many accounts of trips over the years, fantastic pictures, and writings from our members. For a copy to get in touch, its well worth a read! The university club is extremely lucky to have this relationship with the MAM, who constantly offer experienced, advice and accommodation in their wonderful climbing huts for an awesome price.