About Us
The Outdoor Club is a club for anyone who’s interested in mountain sports! Our members include climbers, mountaineers, mountain-bikers, trail-runners, walkers, and a number of people who just come along to our social events. Every Thursday we meet at Ethos climbing wall at 6pm, where we welcome all levels of climbers. We organise as many trips as we can, with day trips fairly often. A few times per term, the club packs into a minibus (or two) and trundles down the motorway to a hut or campsite somewhere in the British Isles. Regular destinations include North and South Wales, Yorkshire, the Lake District, the Peak district and Cornwall. Our activities include:
- Rock Climbing
- Hiking
- Hill walking
- Scrambling
- Mountain Biking
- Trail Running
and the list goes on and on. Not all of these happen every weekend of course – our core activities are climbing, scrambling and walking, but if you want to have a go at something unusual (and you or we have the necessary equipment), suggest it at a meeting and we’ll try and sort something out.
I’ve never done this before – can I join?
Of course! The club caters for all levels of competence. From the “whas’a moun’ain mate?” to the die-hard “I just did an E6 abo with one carabiner and a piece of knotted string” types, whatever your level is, you’re welcome!
A large number of our new members come along because they want to learn to climb. If this is you, then we invite you to come along and learn the basic techniques (use of equipment, belaying, climbing calls, etc) in the comfortable environment of one of our weekly trips to a climbing wall. Many of our members also climb in other gyms around London during the week, so there is plenty of opportunities to learn and train.How much does it cost?
The membership fee is £25 which gives you:
- Free use of all our equipment
- Heavily subsidised trips and tours (Weekend trips around £35)
- Cheap indoor climbing (£2/session at Ethos!)
- Lots of fun!
What types of trips?
WEEKLY ACTIVITIES
Every week, we go to the climbing wall at Ethos for a couple of hours on Thursday evening. Sessions are £2 for members (and FREE for the first couple), so come along even if you’ve never climbed! We also go to Westway and RavensWall climbing centre, where members get discounts!
DAY TRIPS
We organise day trips as often as we can. Usually, these will be a hike or a climbing/bouldering trip to somewhere near London so that we don’t spend too long on the train.
WEEKEND TRIPS
The weekend trips take place 2-4 times per term. We take a minibus or two and usually stay in a hut. Our weekend trips depart on Friday evenings (meet under Beit Quad Arch at 5 pm) and get back on Sunday nights, so we make the most of the weekend! On our trips you can have a go at hiking, scrambling, running, climbing, orienteering, mountain biking, trail running and rafting. No previous experience is required and we have all the specialist equipment that you’ll need. Our weekend trips offer great value, usually costing £35, this includes transport, food and accommodation. We also cater for any type of dietary requirement, as long as you let us know in advance.
TOURS
Every year we also organise some longer tours during the holidays, to stunning climbing or hiking locations around Europe (Greece, Spain, …). During tour members get the chance to experience the beauty of outdoor sport climbing, as well as enjoy stunnning hikes and great scrambles.
What kit do I need?
The Club owns a lot of equipment, thanks to the generosity of Imperial College Union. We can provide sleeping bags (limited), ropes, harnesses, helmets, tents, mattresses, ice-axes, crampons, maps, compasses, survival bags, guidebooks, most of a lead rack, rock boots (limited) and lots more. There are things that you will have to provide yourself though; most importantly:
- A good pair of boots
- some waterproofs (no, a plastic cape won’t do!)
- Warm clothes
- A decent rucksack (we have some to lend)
- Water bottle (a couple of coke bottles will do!)
Without these, there may not be any activities on the trip that you can take part in.
Is it safe?
We have an excellent safety record in the Outdoor Club: blisters are not unusual, but serious accidents are unheard of! Nevertheless, please remember, when on a weekend you are responsible for your actions. You should be aware of the risks and of your responsibilities.
What’s in it for me?
You’ll get to visit most of Great Britain (and perhaps other countries), in a friendly and hassle-free atmosphere. You’ll learn vital survival techniques and safety practises that’ll help get you home in one piece. You can learn to climb (belaying, climbing methods and how to use gear) during our climbing sessions at Ethos (Thursday evening 6pm to 8pm), and then bring your knowledge to the crag during weekend trips and tours.
If you’re an experienced mountaineer, you’ll get to continue your passion for the sports with people like you. We’ll invite you to try new things and you’ll be able to borrow the club’s kit if you need it for a trip outside the club.
More importantly, you’ll get to meet new people at Imperial outside your year and with similar interests. You’ll find that club members come from all over the world and have all kinds of backgrounds. The friends you’ll make at the club are long term friends, and when you leave College and enter ‘Real Life’, we hope you’ll come back occasionally and climb with us.