Mountaineering Scotland is the national representative body and membership organisation for
mountaineers
Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...
,
hillwalkers,
climbers and
ski tourers who live in
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
or enjoy
Scotland's mountains.
With nearly 16,000 members as of 2022,
it encourages participation and progression in these activities, promotes safety and skills, campaigns to safeguard access rights and responsibilities, and seeks to protect Scotland's cherished mountain landscapes from insensitive development. The organisation is based in
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
and was formerly known as the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS).
As a not-for-profit organisation, it relies on funding from a combination of membership subscriptions, non-governmental grants and investment from
SportScotland
Sportscotland (officially styled sport) (), formerly the Scottish Sports Council, is the national agency for sport in Scotland.
The Scottish Sports Council was established in 1972 by royal charter. The body works in partnership with public, ...
.
Aims
* To act as the representative body for hill walkers, climbers (indoors and outdoors), mountaineers and snowsport tourers in Scotland
* To cultivate a flourishing, diverse and sustainable mountaineering community in Scotland
* To promote enjoyment, safety and risk awareness, leading to self-reliance in mountaineering related activities
* To safeguard and secure responsible access to hill and crag
* To protect the mountain environment from insensitive development
* To co-operate with other organisations with common interests
* To provide an excellent value benefits package to members, enabling them to get the most out of their mountaineering activities
Activities
Mountaineering Scotland has an authoritative website which provides wide-ranging advice on getting started and developing skills for the hills. It produces the only magazine dedicated to Scotland's hill walking, climbing and mountaineering community, "The Scottish Mountaineer", a quarterly publication received by members. It also has a presence on following on
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
and
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
As well as their magazine subscription, members receive a wide range of benefits, including a membership card giving discounts at outdoor shops, places to stay and other useful services; access to subsidised mountain skills courses, a network of mountaineering huts, eligibility to take part in climbing competitions and coaching, and liability insurance for mountaineering activities.
Key areas of activity include encouraging safe practice on hill and crag; safeguarding access to upland areas following the introduction of the
Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003
The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament which establishes statutory public rights of access to land and makes provisions under which bodies representing rural and crofting communities may buy land.
Provisions
...
and
Scottish Outdoor Access Code
The Scottish Outdoor Access Code provides detailed guidance on the exercise of the ancient tradition of universal access to land in Scotland, which was formally codified by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. Under Scots law everyone has the ri ...
, and campaigning on conservation of the mountain environment.
History
The MCofS was formed in 1970 by the Association of Scottish Climbing Clubs to represent the views of mountaineers in Scotland.
In September 2015 it introduced the ClimbScotland brand to encourage and support young people in Scotland to get climbing. In July 2016, the organisation announced a rebranding as "Mountaineering Scotland".
it represents a total of 15,630 members.
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]
See also
*British Mountaineering Council
The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is the national representative body for England and Wales that exists to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers, including ski-mountaineers. The BMC ...
(BMC), the national representative body for England and Wales.
*Mountaineering Ireland
Mountaineering Ireland is the representative association for hikers and mountaineers on the island of Ireland. It is recognized by both Sport Ireland, the Irish authority for sport, and Sport Northern Ireland, the corresponding authority of the G ...
References
External links
*
Mountaineering Scotland Facebook
Mountaineering Scotland Twitter
Mountaineering Scotland YouTube channel
ClimbScotland website
{{Authority control
Climbing in Scotland
Organisations based in Perth, Scotland
Sports organizations established in 1970
1970 establishments in Scotland
Sports governing bodies in Scotland
Climbing and mountaineering organizations