Reading University Mountaineering Club - RUMC

  

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RUMC is teeming with the kind of people who see a wall as a challenge, not a barrier. Mountains are only there so we can reach their summits, and pretty much anything is designed to be climbed. We climb, we walk, we scramble, we camp (sometimes!), but most of all, we have fun doing it.

The club is open to everyone, irrespective of age, experience or association with the university.  We welcome all newcomers with open arms because everybody brings something different to the club, whether it’s experience in walking and climbing, or a good conversation starter down the pub.

We’re an active, friendly and enthusiastic club, driven by the passion and commitment of our members. To this end, every week during university term time the club runs two evening climbing sessions at various local indoor walls for which we provide transport and any training or climbing equipment you may need. These evenings are an ideal way to get to know club members and improve your climbing at the same time!

The club also runs numerous day climbing trips on sunny days off or weekends to crags around the UK; places such as Dorset, Avon, The Peak and Southern Sandstone.  Needless to say enthusiastic members will frequently venture further afield to places such as Wales and the Lakes.  

It is not only climbing that RUMC provides for its members – we also enjoy organising walks. This can be anything from a gentle stroll around the greenery of Berkshire to a night navigation exercise in a forest.  Due to the physical exertion of such ventures, we find a pub stop is entirely necessary to replenish lost fluids!

RUMC organises two or three weekend trips per term which combine a mix of hill walking, scrambling, and climbing in all conditions, from snow and ice to dusty and dry.  These trips are always in high demand and provide a brilliant excuse to escape the rather flat expanse that is Berkshire to discover some real mountains and adventure!  There is no trip too hardcore and no person too experienced as we tailor our trips to match the people on them and ensure that everybody gets the best out of their time.

Along similar lines we run an Easter trip to Scotland where we get some time to play in the snow and learn, practice and improve our winter skills.  This is complemented by heavily subsidised winter skills courses, such as SASA and Conville.  Our members also organise unofficial trips to places such as Skye, Scotland, Fontainebleau, the Alps and Via Ferrata in the Dolomites.

So we work hard, but as the (somewhat clichéd) saying goes, we play hard too! We’re such a social bunch that we’re forced to meet at the pub every week. Every Tuesday night you will find members congregating in the Back of Beyond (or BoBs as it is affectionately known). We can normally be found wearing club t-shirts, hoodies or fleeces - so very easy to spot - please don't be afraid to come and say hello! This is a perfect excuse to meet up with other members, make friends, swap tales of adventure and excitement or vent frustrations over the latest episode of Neighbours! As if that wasn’t enough, we lead an active party life going to several clubs in town on a regular basis, or if drinking and dancing isn’t your thing then there’s always the BBQs, formal meals, fancy dress parties, park games, days out – the list is as endless as your imagination!

Still don’t think that RUMC has something to offer you? Click this link to read on about more about who we are and what we do.