We
have now been going for over seventeen years (est. 1985) and
remain as fervently unpolitical
and vertically active now as in the beginning. Clubs can not made
on production lines
and getting the balance right can only be achieved through the
attitude and actions
of its members. The East Grinstead Climbing Club can therefore
boast of those who believe climbing scary ‘E’ grades on
quarried slate is not certifiable, yet we still welcome
anyone just starting out; we have mountaineers who enjoy walking
for days
(preferably in snow) and those who praise the likes of Tremadog
because you can park
at its foot and Eric’s Cafe is always in sight! We are happy
to have all ages
(but sorry, no under 18’s), all sexes and all abilities.
So, if you sit down in front of the TV with a cup of tea and
Custard Creams on a Sunday evening
and think “I could have done something this weekend”,
the chances are you probably could have! Lets hope the vitality
of The Club continues unabated.
Getting out on the crags is the Clubs main objective, and Meets are organised for about two weekends in every month - the 2002 Meet List is included on this website. All information regarding a Meet is passed on at the Social at the beginning of that month along with any organisation for travelling arrangements, hut key collection, best pub advice and that kind of thing. The relevant guide books are also available then for you to browse through and borrow if you need. If you are very keen, we also have frequent trips to the local sandatone, or Portland, or Swanage, or various indoor walls going on almost every weekend.
We meet at 8.30pm every first Tuesday of the month at the Dorset Arms (You'll find us upstairs). Along with the usual chit-chat and organising, we frequently hold a raffle enabling you to win a climbing guide to a soon-to-be-visited location.
We have an extensive library of guide books, reference books and videos available. Access and a full list of titles is obtainable via the librarian, once you have paid up.
We have a regular and informative monthly Newsletter of outstanding quality, from which no member is safe - if you do it, it will be reported. Neither will you ever be spared from the nagging for a contribution. Extracts can be found elsewhere on this website.
...we have the AGM! We also have a gear auction - a chance to sell some of your unwanted kit (or buy) and make a little bit of money for yourself and for The Club. Then there is The Annual Meal, held in December at The Gwydyr Hut, North Wales, and closely followed by The Xmas Meal at a local curry house.
As often as is financially viable we organise guest speakers to come along and tell us what they have been up to. In the past Mick Fowler did the biz, and Norman Croucher OBE and Gerry Gore have also thrilled us with their tales. We are arranging more.
