The British Mountaineering Council

General information

We're the British Mountaineering Council - or BMC for short.

It’s an exciting time for the outdoor world. A recent Active Lives Survey revealed that 2.14 million people now go hill walking, climbing or mountaineering twice a month. That’s almost 2 million walkers, around 100,000 outdoor climbers and 170,000 indoor climbers.

Our activities are constantly evolving, and we are too: from nurturing future talent to owning climbing crags for the benefit of everyone; from organising beginners’ climbing courses to raising over £100,000 to help mend the British mountains.

People often call our work a broad church. We even work in one: a converted old church in West Didsbury, Manchester. For hundreds of dedicated volunteers and 31 paid staff, this is the hub for a diverse range of activities to help everyone get more out of climbing, hill walking and mountaineering. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a passionate indoor boulderer or a committed long-distance walker, you’ll find that our work benefits you. After all, we’re all connected by a shared love of adventure, whether that’s found on a chalky crimp or a windswept mountain.

The BMC is rather unique: part your representative body, part campaigning organisation, part environmental pressure group, part land manager – and all so that you’re free to just get out there. In our exciting world, we can all find our natural home: from swinging axes to getting pumped on plastic, placing nuts to standing on summits. Our diversity is our strength.

Join our 82,000 members today.