Essential alpine know-how

Posted by Tony Ryan on 08/06/2016

Heading for the Alps this summer? Whether you’re a novice taking your first tentative steps on foreign snow and ice, a trekker planning a hut-to-hut walk, or a seasoned alpinist hoping to add to your collection of summits, we’ve got loads of essential skills and equipment advice for you right here on the BMC website.

The Alps have been a playground for mountaineers since the earliest days of the sport, and their magnetic attraction pulls just as strongly today. Alpine mountaineering provides challenges that just can’t be experienced in the UK, such as glacier travel.

The mountains are much bigger too, with summits reaching above 4,000 metres requiring acclimatisation for their successful ascent. There’s a greater variation in extreme weather, and speed is often a crucial factor for safe progress.

So to help you avoid the pitfalls of crevasses or the chill of an unplanned bivi, we’ve collected our most useful alpine articles here in one convenient place. Make sure your skills are as sharp as your axe picks by reading the information and advice in the following articles, and have fun putting your skills to the test:

Clothing & Equipment

Skills & Hazards

Access & Environment

Emergencies

General Information

Books & DVDs
(from the BMC online shop)

Also check out our free to members Summit magazine Alpine edition app here

DON'T MISS:

BMC TV skills channel

Walking
Scrambling
Bouldering
Indoor climbing
Sport climbing
Trad climbing

BMC travel insurance is loaded with the essential cover that you need for adventure.

To make planning your trips easier, we've added Covid-19 cover into all five BMC Travel Insurance policies: Travel, Trek, Rock, Alpine and Ski and High Altitude.

Our new Covid-19 cover includes:

£5,000 cancellation cover: if you test positive for Covid-19 within 14 days of departure
Medical and repatriation: Covid-19 related illness
Being denied boarding: if you test positive for Covid-19 prior to your return home

Read more about the Covid-travel FAQs here

* Policy details: £77.53 for 7 days European Alpine and Ski policy up to age 69.

For full terms and conditions see our Evidence of Cover

WATCH: BMC Travel Insurance built for the mountains

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