The Alpine Club

A climber at the top of a rimed-up rock buttress in front of a blue sky. They are a significant distance from the camera, with their ropes snaking back towards where the image has been taken from.

Back in January we had a fantastic early season meet on the Ben where, as well as members repeating several classic climbs (& accidentally trying 'Metamorphosis'), 2 attendees, Johnny Nicholson & Jonty de La Harpe established a direct start to 'Neptune Gully', christening it 'The Butterfly' (IV 5).

A lone figure walking towards a glacier in front of a striking, rocky peak.

This autumn we're partnering with Plas y Brenin to help deliver an Expedition Symposium covering everything you need to know in order to plan, fund and carry out your first expedition.

You can sign up here to receive an email notification as soon as booking opens ➡️ pyb.co.uk/event/expedi...

Next Tuesday we're taking a trip to Kyrgyzstan with three of the team from the #Galtitude2024 expedition.

Isobel Jones, Jing-jie Cheng & Martha Gutteridge will be sharing stories of first ascents, directionless drivers & a surprise desert music festival.

Join us from 7PM ➡️ tinyurl.com/ykw9cdx3

Our latest Newsletter is arriving with members now.

As well as our regular meet reports and event listings, this edition has a guide to flower spotting in the Jura, an interview with mountain artist Polly Townsend and an exploration of the photography of Lizzie Le Blond.

Showing a fly leaf with a strip that has been cleaned and is much whiter than the rest of the page

A small book with a blue paper cover that has a tiny gilt border

Title page of Helvetischer Calender 1798.

Paper cleaning tiny books! There's a box of these and they all have some staining from soot and a few need their fold out pages refolded so they don't overhang the edge.

The west face of Peak 6010 in northwest Nepal, showing little snow and evidence of recent rock collapse.

The north face of Peak 6010 in northwest Nepal showing a heavily-crevassed glacier approach and recent serac collapse.

The east face and south ridge of Peak 6010 in northwest Nepal showing a very dry, rocky aspect.

The south face of Peak 6010 in northwest Nepal showing large quantities of hard, exposed ice and bare rock.

2025 MEF EXPEDITION SUMMARIES - LIMI

Challenging conditions put paid to this expedition's plans as they arrived to find the west face of their objective bare (Pic1). With no safe route to the north face (pic 2), they planned for an ascent from the east (pic 3), but heavy snow prevented an attempt.

An image of an alpenstock, a long slender walking pole, with a ram's horn on its top and a metal plate attached to its front. To its right, in front of a grey/brown background are the words: "Ice Axes & Other Tools" and beneath that: "Run Extended To 2 April".

We're thrilled to announce that our exhibition of ice axes and other mountaineering equipment has extended its run until Easter!

Visit our #Shoreditch exhibition space to trace the place names on Edward Whymper's alpenstock or learn the story of the Grépon ice axe.

Book Here ➡️ tinyurl.com/yc58bmuh

The BMC are currently recruiting hosts for this year's International Summer Meet.

Based in North Wales from 13-20 June, this is a fantastic opportunity to introduce visiting climbers to some of the best routes in the UK. www.thebmc.co.uk/en/internati...

A climber heading up a mixed face of snow, ice and rock, two bright ropes training from him towards the camera.

We still have four spaces left on next month's ACG Mont Blanc Meet.

If two weeks in #Chamonix sampling the best of the local ice and mixed climbs with a psyched crew sounds appealing, you can request a place now ➡️ alpineclub.org/event/acg-mo...

A photo of a climber from below with two ropes snaking up towards them. They are looking down to inspect their foot placement and we can see that they are trying to find a good spot for their crampons on a blank, steep section of rock. In the bottom right of the image in white block capital text are the words 'ONE MONTH TO GO'.

There’s just one month to go until our 2026 Lecture!

If you want to hear the full story of ‘one of the gnarliest routes’ of 2025, then make sure you grab your tickets now for ‘Summits, Science & Survival’, 26 March at the @rgs.org, London

🎟️ Book your place now ➡️ tinyurl.com/9a9s5vmc

Petzl Issues Recall for Some Nomic and Ergonomic Ice Axes - Gripped Magazine Certain models between 2017 and 2021 are affected, see below for serial numbers

Important to check your ice axes in case they're part of this recall.

Three stickers lying on a wooden table. The top sticker covers the other two and shows the 'Alpine Club' logo.

Available now: AC logo stickers!

Sold in packs of 3, the stickers are both UV and water resistant, making them perfect for brightening up everything, from your laptop to your guidebook case.

Order here ➡️ tinyurl.com/yrewpcct

This is tonight!

Join us from 7 to learn more about the Alps as a site of international cooperation ➡️ tinyurl.com/3pnd43kw

A climber wearing several warm layers abseiling a rock face towards a glacier.

A climber stemming up a rock corner towards a striking sky of dark blue dotted with light clouds.

A climber traversing away from the camera up a slab that hangs above a rippling glacier. In the background is a pyramidal peak in the centre of a rocky ridgeline.

2025 MEF EXPEDITION SUMMARIES - STIRLING UNIVERSITY

This team of four established several new trad and alpine lines to the north of their basecamp on Rodin Bay in eastern Greenalnd. Two of the team also completed a 23km loop of the main rock massif, during which they undertook nanoplastic sampling.

Behind the Climb: Colin Haley & Tyler Karow on the Southeast Ridge of Cerro Torre | Patagonia In December 2024, Patagonia Ambassadors Colin Haley and Tyler Karow joined forces to climb the Southeast Ridge (Filo Sureste) of Cerro Torre in Patagonia. Considered the modern hard classic of…

"Climbing mountains accomplishes nothing tangible. The only thing you really get from it is your memories."

Lovely short film of the Southeast Ridge of Cerro Torre from Colin Haley & Tyler Karow, including a great mid-pitch footwear adjustment.

A pair of metal ascenders, tied together with cord and showing a large number of drilled holes on their face.

Next week is the last chance to see our exhibition of early climbing equipment.

As well as ice axes used by some of the UK's best-known mountaineers, we have a whole host of other equipment on show, including these classic ascenders.

📍 Shoreditch
🎟️ Free
📆 Closes 26/02
🛒 Book: tinyurl.com/yc58bmuh

We showed this painting a couple of years ago at our 'Glaciers' exhibition and you can see close ups of some of those figures in the video tour. There's enough detail to make out what they're wearing!

Despite the temperature plunging to as low as -25°C in the day, members had a fantastic time in Hemsedal, Norway earlier this month, with frequent trips to Golsjuvet for friendly ice cragging and even a bit of late night skiing under the floodlights of the ski resort.

📷 Steve Pritchard

Today is very exciting as we welcome back two paintings from restoration! Seracs has had its old varnish removed and has turned out to be blue - not green! While Himalayas from Almora has had anti reflective glass fitted and a stain from its old wood boards removed #artrestoration #mountains

These botanical illustrations are beautiful 😍 From Alberti von Haller Icones plantarum Helvetiae, 1795 #botany

Two large, deeply coloured lakes below a line of mountain ridges,

As glaciers around the world recede, they leave behind them a new & unpredictable threat.

Glacial lakes look beautiful, but when their banks burst they threaten the lives & livelihoods of the communities downstream.

Join us to learn more about this growing threat on 26 March ➡️ tinyurl.com/9a9s5vmc

How did the Alps serve as a site of international cooperation and diplomacy between the 1st and 2nd World Wars, and how did the Alpine Club & the UIAA contribute to interwar internationalism?

Join us at Charlotte Road next Tuesday to find out from academic Ilaria Scaglia ➡️ tinyurl.com/3pnd43kw

In 1899, Vittorio Sella captured the first ever photograph of #Everest.

Last year, filmmakers Dom Bush & Matt Sharman set out to locate the exact spot from where the famous photo was taken & try to recreate it.

Join us to see their journey in 'A Thousand Words' on 12 March ➡️ tinyurl.com/mr29s3ba

John Porter's talk 'One Day as a Tiger' on the life and climbs of Alex MacIntyre is now available to rent online ➡️ tinyurl.com/wcz9sd22

Fittingly, every rental will help to fund the refurbishment of the Alex MacIntyre and Don Whillans Huts.

A climber looks back down a corner and crack system from a belay ledge, a beautiful landscape of lakes and mountains in the background.

A rocky wall of granite leading upwards to a pinnacle.

A climber ascends a thin crack in an otherwise blank rock face.

How would you like to climb in the Sunnmøre Alps of Norway, with local climbers to show you around & the opportunity to repeat the climbs of renowned 19th century mountaineer (& AC member) W C Slingsby?

That's exactly what's on offer on this August's Sunnmøre Meet ➡️ alpineclub.org/event/sunnmo...

A pair og black leather boots. The one in the front is laid on its side shwoing metal grips driven into the sole.

Ice axes aren't the only things on display in our current exhibition!

There's also the chance to see the early predecessors of crampons and spikes!

'Ice Axes & Other Tools' will run at our Charlotte Road exhibition space until 26 Feb. Book a visit here ➡️ alpineclub.org/event/ice-ax...

A purple line traces a line of ascent up an impressive ridgeline on a twoering mountain face. Camps are indicated on the ridge and just shy of the summit. A dashed line shows a different line of descent between two huge glaciers,

A pair of ropes lead out away from the camera towards a climber making difficult moves in crampons on a blank rock face.

Two climbers in sunglasses and many layers of clothing smile into the camera on a mountain summit.

Climbing Magazine described it as 'one of the gnarliest routes' of 2025.

Over 9 gruelling days, George Ponsonby and James Price made the first ascent of the northwest face of Aikache Chhok (6673m).

Join us on 26 March at the @rgsibg.bsky.social to hear their incredible story ➡️ tinyurl.com/9a9s5vmc

This is tonight!

Join us from 7 at Charlotte Road for an evening of tales about touring ➡️ tinyurl.com/yeywmx24

A series of five headshots accompanied by the text: '2026 Audrey Salkeld Bursary Awardees'.

We're pleased to announce that, in its inaugural year, the Audrey Salkeld Bursary for Media & Research Into Alpinism has been awarded to five recipients with exciting plans for mountain-history-related projects.

Find out what they'll be working on here ➡️ tinyurl.com/57w9n8yc

A climber abseils down a rock face in the left of the image, a rock spire rising towards the skyline to his right.

A climber leads away from the camera, ascending a thin crack line on the edge of a rock face, advancing towards the misty upper portion of the picture.

Among the recent photos we received from AC members, several stood out from the crowd. In a sea of digital shots, these had the unmistakable grain of film.

Intrigued, we caught up with Freddy Dorling to ask him about why he chooses to document his climbs the old-fashioned way ➡️ tinyurl.com/36zkv27p