Learning from more experienced hill walkers, mountaineers and climbers is one of the best ways to learn key skills - and one of the great benefits of belonging to a club or meetup group.

It can bring with it considerations about duty of care and potential liability in the unfortunate event that a member has an accident, however this need not constrain club activities. The guidance we offer below can help clubs manage their affairs in a way that minimises the risks for everyone. 

Guidance documents

We ask that clubs officers read our Safety and Liability Guidance as a condition of being covered by Mountaineering Scotland's club insurance. Members of clubs should be made aware of its contents too:

Risk assessment guidance and examples

Clubs have a duty of care to their members to ensure that the risks are considered and communicated. The following documents should be used as a guide to detail the expected risk in the activities that your club participates in and give starting points to develop your own club-specific policies and procedures:  

Guidance:

Examples of risk assessments:

Mountain safety essentials

Our website is full of useful advice on mountain safety and skills, from navigation basics to avalanche avoidance, all given by some of the most experienced mountaineering instructors out there! Take a look and signpost your club's new members to it before they join you on their first meet or recommend it as refresher for even experienced members at the start of the season.

More info:

The information we provide is not prescriptive and is offered as guidance. Our advice is based on current good practice and Mountaineering Scotland cannot be held responsible for any omissions.

Any questions?

If your club has any queries, concerns or suggestions not covered here, please get in touch with our team! We'll aim to help or direct you to someone who can. 

Email info@mountaineering.scot or call us on 01738 493942.