Getting Started
If you are a beginner wishing to try hill walking, climbing, mountaineering or ski-touring for the first time there are several ways to get started:
- You can go out and do it on your own or with friends
- You can join your local club
- You can go to your local climbing wall
- You can look for a course at an outdoor centre
- You can employ an instructor or a guide to teach you the basics
- Children can take up sessions operated by their School or Local Authority
In order to choose what is right for you, these pages will give you some basic information about each activity and where to go to Get Active.
Also on these pages the MCofS gives advice and information about the following:
- Climbing Wall design, management, information and support
- Club organisation and setting up a new club
The MCofS also runs its own sessions, usually for those already started but still only novices wishing to increase their skills and experience. Go to the Mountain Safety pages for skills courses and look on the Improving Your Skills pages for activities such as MCofS REALrock and Gathering events.
Some Definitions:
‘Hills’ are distinguished from ‘Mountains’ by being relatively lowly in height and having a topography which allows them to be scaled on foot from almost any direction without the use of hands or technical equipment. Mountains tend to be high and are more shattered with rocky sections and mountainous terrain such as scree, gullies, ridges and rock faces. Although it may be possible to scale them without hands, they are often more serious environments to be in.
Ben A’an in the Trossachs would be regarded as a hill, whereas the Aonach Eagach ridge in Glen Coe and the Cuillin ridge on the Isle of Skye would both be regarded as mountainous.
Hill Walking:
‘The ascent or traversing of hills on foot’
Scrambling:
‘The ascent of steep and rocky sections of mountains where hands have to be used as well as feet’
Climbing:
‘The scaling of a rock face where the use of the hands is essential for passage’
Mountaineering:
‘The ascent of hills and mountains where the use of technical equipment is essential for either hands or feet’