Ever climbed? Been climbing for ages? Tried it once before? Who cares! Being a member of the Mountaineering Club is about having fun climbing, whatever your level. We provide the equipment and an awesome social atmosphere to allow people to pursue their interest in climbing, so if you've never climbed before, now's the time to try.

The club is active in all aspects of climbing including bouldering, sport, traditional, winter and beyond. We also represent Imperial in competitions such as BUCS. With a huge pool of experience amongst our members it provides the ideal atmosphere for new climbers to learn and for experienced climbers to progress. Climbing gives a unique and adventurous perspective on life and provides both physical and mental challenges that are uniquely satisfying.

The club meets every Wednesday to go climbing at top quality indoor walls in London and every second weekend we run heavily subsidised trips to the best climbing areas in the UK. ICMC membership also offers multiple benefits: London Climbing Center (LCC) gym discounted entry, free gear rental and free cake and dinner every Tuesday!

We run social nights throughout the year and head abroad during the Easter and Summer holidays for tours to areas that have included Croatia, Italy and Spain. In addition there are trips in summer term to Fontainebleau in France and also a winter tour. Sign up at the Freshers' Fair and we looking forward to climbing with you soon!

Participation Statement

Indoor climbing sessions 

Participating parties will go to a climbing centre, where experienced staff and other members will be present. Indoor climbing can be without rope and harness (bouldering, where falls are protected by the presence of matting), or roped (sport) climbing, categorized as either top rope (where the climber is protected by tying into a rope that runs through the anchor) or lead climbing (where the climber is protected by clipping into protection as they climb up). Experienced climbers will advise less experienced participants on safety techniques and intervene whenever necessary, with a maximum of a 2-to-1 novice-to-experienced climber ratio. ICMC typically runs social sessions for bouldering on Mondays and Tuesdays, and roped sessions on Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

Weekend trips 

ICMC runs weekend trips approximately 5-7 times a term, with each trip leaving Beit from Friday evening and arriving back at Beit on the Sunday evening. Members of the club will go to parts of the UK to climb outdoors, where climbing safety practices are dictated by climbing style (bouldering, trad or sport) and will not differ much across the locations we plan to climb at. Areas we plan to climb are: Peak District (trad, sport, bouldering), North Wales (trad, sport, bouldering), Portland (sport, bouldering), Dartmoor (trad, bouldering), Wye Valley (trad, sport, bouldering). Climbing may involve bouldering (climbing up to 5m where falls are protected by soft bouldering pads), sport climbing (involving top rope or lead climbing, where a climber is attached to pre-placed protection on the wall roped into their harness), or trad climbing (where climbers place their own protection to clip their rope into). We will go to accessible, well-maintained and commonly visited crags on trips. Members will stay in a village hall or bunkhouse over the weekend, as this is the most cost-effective form of accommodation for us. 

Term tours 

Selected members of the club participate in our term tours, where members partake in an extended climbing trip. Three tours occur in one academic year: Winter (usually Scottish winter climbing), Easter (typically sport climbing, taking place in Europe), Summer (can be a variety of activities, typically taking place in Europe). Tours can involve a licensed guide or independent climbing depending on the type of climbing occurring. Members partaking are expected to have advanced to expert experience in climbing in general and be aware of the risks inherent to the form of climbing taking place. 

Competency Statements

Foundation Level 

A Foundation level member can... 

• Use appropriate falling technique when bouldering 

• Boulder safely and fall without injury 

A Foundation level member is permitted to... 

•  Advise others on bouldering falling technique 

• Boulder outdoors 

Intermediate Level 

An Intermediate level member can... 

• Tie a figure 8 knot correctly (and any other appropriate tie-in knot) 

• Top rope belay 

• Use a tube-style belay device correctly 

An Intermediate level member is permitted to... 

• Belay others on top rope 

• Climb on top rope and if they desire, lead 

• Top rope outdoors 

Advanced Level 

An Advanced level member can... 

• Lead belay with appropriate technique 

• Be confidently familiar with the technique and equipment they are using 

• Have experience belaying outdoors 

• Clean a sport route outdoors 

An Advanced level member is permitted to... 

• Teach lead belay 

• Belay others outdoors 

• Lead/sport climb outdoors 

• Second a trad climb 

• Clean a sport route outdoors 

• Rappel off a climb 

• Sport multipitch 

Expert Level 

An Expert level member can... 

• Be familiar with different types of trad placements 

• Assess the safety of trad placements including nuts, cams and hexes 

• Assess other environmental factors like terrain, weather, etc., including in non-roped climbing situations (scrambling, mountain navigation etc.) 

An Expert level member is permitted to... 

• Lead a trad climb 

• Teach trad climbing technique/theory (within their area of confidence) 

• Lead a party of 3 in an outdoor climbing activity 

• Trad/sport multipitch 

• Go on winter tour (with a guide)