What does Ben Lairig do?

Winter mountaineering is the main focus of Ben Lairig, but we run trips throughout the whole year to include all kinds of mountaineering with or without the snow. The club revolves around weekend trips every fortnight to Eryri (Snowdonia), the Lake District and Scotland. In the past the club has also ran trips further afield including the Alps and Morocco. The club is open to anyone who wants to get involved; no prior knowledge or experience is required to join, just an enthusiasm to learn and enjoy mountaineering. Our members range from being completely new to the mountains, to having several Scottish Winter seasons under their belt. 

Our trips include a variety of different activities, and we encourage our members to pursue whatever they enjoy in the mountains. A typical autumn trip can vary, with groups doing a mixture of hill walks, scrambles, and climbing. In winter, again different groups climb at varying degrees of technical difficulty, with some tackling low level winter scrambles, and others climbing the more challenging grades that Scottish Winter climbing has to offer. It all depends on your experience level, and what you’re interested in doing. We always endeavour to help develop any skills that members need to do the routes that they’re interested in, no matter what level of difficulty they are.

Statement on Mountain Leadership

Ben Lairig is a student-led mountaineering club that welcomes members of all experience levels, from complete beginners to seasoned climbers. We offer the opportunity for members to connect with each other to organise and take part in mountain activities, developing their skills and confidence.
However, Ben Lairig is not a guided club.
Committee members are not trained mountain guides and are not individually responsible for the safety or decisions of other members on trips. The club holds a legal and ethical duty of care, which we take very seriously. We oversee everything from trip planning, to navigation, to safety equipment training. We ensure that every member is prepared and capable of managing their own safety on the mountains.
However, all members are expected to take personal responsibility for their actions, and may be held accountable if they act recklessly or ignore safety procedures. This means coming to planning meetings with a route plan, bringing appropriate equipment, and being able to navigate safely through the mountains.
We offer training, support and kit hire throughout the year to support members as they become competent mountaineers. The club aims to foster a supportive community to promote independence and safe participation in mountain activities through careful preparation, communication, and oversight.