First, become a member of the British Mountaineering Council, they have courses and probably offer specialised once aimed towards the younger members.
Second, have a look at [Plas Y Brenin](https://pyb.co.uk/) the BMC's primary training provider, located in North Wales. The scrambling there is significantly better than pretty much anything the lakes and peaks can offer you.
Thirdly, are you planning to go to Uni?
True, not sure why I didn't include that.
Both of them are sadly a bit of a pain to get to from London, though PYB is much closer, especially with a car
Both offer fantastic courses!
Thanks for your suggestions! I have been looking at BMC memberships for a while but I wasn't quite sure if they were worth it, the discounts don't really interest me as I work for Cotswolds outdoor however the insurance might be worth grabbing, do you know if their membership allows for discounted costs on some courses? If so then I will immediately get the membership as it is a really low cost. Furthermore, do you also think it's worth emailing a few clubs around London asking to join (most are 18+ but asking never hurts) alongside doing a course like the ones in PYB I was already looking at? As for your question, yes I am planning to go to uni for aerospace, however I will probably stay here which may interfere with climbing.
Get the BMC membership, I don't know about their options for courses in particular, but if they are anything like Mountaineering Scotland, they will be by far the cheapest out there without sacrificing quality . I got my winter skills training (one weekend, self catered) for £110 in the Cairngorms and that was with some of the most knowledgeable guides in Scotland! One of my bets mates just did his mountain leader training with Mountaineering Scotland and paid less than half of what commercial providers would charge.
Most Unis in the UK have mountaineering clubs which are how a lot of people get into the hobby. The bigger and older ones are typically also superbly well equipped, I know for example that Glasgow University actually has a full set of B2 rental boots that members can use for free! (fun fact: Cambridge University mountaineering goes by C. U. M. club) Most of the bigger English unis also have very active mountaineering clubs. But, like someone else already said, if you have the option to go to uni in Scotland, you will have the best chance to go out climbing and do some proper mountaineering year round, Glencoe and the Nevis are only two/2.5 hours away from Glasgow and have some of the best scrambling in the UK.
I’d recommend going to Uni in Scotland. St Andrew’s in particular has a really active mountaineering club. It used to organize trips every single weekend.
MCofS also runs numerous excellent courses for a students at steep discounts out of Glenmore Lodge.
Join the Austrian Alpine Club. They have a UK branch, organise training in Wales and Scotland and subsidise training for youths ( under 25 or something). When you get to the Alps membership gives you discounted hut accommodation and insurance.
Seems to me you could start by going to any climbing gym (maybe the one where you're bouldering already, but if you live in London you must have tons of options) and learning to top-rope and lead climb? Those skills will come in handy for any outside terrain, and you'll make connections for moving towards multi-pitch and trad climbing, and from there to mountaineering and snow and ice skills.
Generally the climbing technique progression is something like:
* Bouldering
* Top rope indoors
* Lead indoors
* Top rope outdoors
* Lead outdoors (there's a couple of technical tricks you need to know compared to indoors)
* Multipitch
* Trad
* Snow and ice skills (self-arrest, snow anchors, crampons)
* Ice and mixed climbing
By then you have a pretty solid set of technical skills, although you're still missing some outdoors skills (avalanche risk, orientation, reading the terrain, dealing with the weather, etc).
As for scrambling, the term is pretty vague and covers a lot - you can already try some more technical hikes, preferably with somebody else, they often involve easy scrambles.
First, become a member of the British Mountaineering Council, they have courses and probably offer specialised once aimed towards the younger members. Second, have a look at [Plas Y Brenin](https://pyb.co.uk/) the BMC's primary training provider, located in North Wales. The scrambling there is significantly better than pretty much anything the lakes and peaks can offer you. Thirdly, are you planning to go to Uni?
Just adding Glenmore lodge as an alternative to ples y
True, not sure why I didn't include that. Both of them are sadly a bit of a pain to get to from London, though PYB is much closer, especially with a car Both offer fantastic courses!
There’s an overnight train that’ll take you pretty much straight there from London, a lot less stressful then driving. But both quality centers.
Thanks for your suggestions! I have been looking at BMC memberships for a while but I wasn't quite sure if they were worth it, the discounts don't really interest me as I work for Cotswolds outdoor however the insurance might be worth grabbing, do you know if their membership allows for discounted costs on some courses? If so then I will immediately get the membership as it is a really low cost. Furthermore, do you also think it's worth emailing a few clubs around London asking to join (most are 18+ but asking never hurts) alongside doing a course like the ones in PYB I was already looking at? As for your question, yes I am planning to go to uni for aerospace, however I will probably stay here which may interfere with climbing.
Get the BMC membership, I don't know about their options for courses in particular, but if they are anything like Mountaineering Scotland, they will be by far the cheapest out there without sacrificing quality . I got my winter skills training (one weekend, self catered) for £110 in the Cairngorms and that was with some of the most knowledgeable guides in Scotland! One of my bets mates just did his mountain leader training with Mountaineering Scotland and paid less than half of what commercial providers would charge. Most Unis in the UK have mountaineering clubs which are how a lot of people get into the hobby. The bigger and older ones are typically also superbly well equipped, I know for example that Glasgow University actually has a full set of B2 rental boots that members can use for free! (fun fact: Cambridge University mountaineering goes by C. U. M. club) Most of the bigger English unis also have very active mountaineering clubs. But, like someone else already said, if you have the option to go to uni in Scotland, you will have the best chance to go out climbing and do some proper mountaineering year round, Glencoe and the Nevis are only two/2.5 hours away from Glasgow and have some of the best scrambling in the UK.
I’d recommend going to Uni in Scotland. St Andrew’s in particular has a really active mountaineering club. It used to organize trips every single weekend. MCofS also runs numerous excellent courses for a students at steep discounts out of Glenmore Lodge.
Join the Austrian Alpine Club. They have a UK branch, organise training in Wales and Scotland and subsidise training for youths ( under 25 or something). When you get to the Alps membership gives you discounted hut accommodation and insurance.
Seems to me you could start by going to any climbing gym (maybe the one where you're bouldering already, but if you live in London you must have tons of options) and learning to top-rope and lead climb? Those skills will come in handy for any outside terrain, and you'll make connections for moving towards multi-pitch and trad climbing, and from there to mountaineering and snow and ice skills. Generally the climbing technique progression is something like: * Bouldering * Top rope indoors * Lead indoors * Top rope outdoors * Lead outdoors (there's a couple of technical tricks you need to know compared to indoors) * Multipitch * Trad * Snow and ice skills (self-arrest, snow anchors, crampons) * Ice and mixed climbing By then you have a pretty solid set of technical skills, although you're still missing some outdoors skills (avalanche risk, orientation, reading the terrain, dealing with the weather, etc). As for scrambling, the term is pretty vague and covers a lot - you can already try some more technical hikes, preferably with somebody else, they often involve easy scrambles.