UKC

A fellow climber suggested that he was prepared to support my application to become a member of “The Lake District’s premier mountaineering club”, (aka “The Fogies and Retireds Chattering Class”). I duly applied for the appropriate forms. These came, eventually, along with a set of rules; more rules than tax increases seen under Blair/Brown. Not being a member of the club it was somewhat difficult to fully understand how the club worked, but the assumption was that ordinary members could understand the club’s rules.
MISTAKE 1.

We met up for a weekend away, and I was introduced me to a fellow member who would second my application. All the forms were filled in and sent off. I also asked for a list of club meets, so that I could get to know more members, and they could get to know me.
MISTAKE 2.

I received an e-mail me to say that my application was fine, and would be put before “t’committee” at the next meeting.
MISTAKE 3.

Shortly before the meeting I received a phone call to say that there had been a change of mind and my application would not be taken any further. Apparently somewhere hidden in the rules it says that prospective new members must spend a year attending prospective new members meets, at least one of which must be dedicated to hut cleaning, not climbing. It appears that prospective members are not allowed to attend meets with the main body of the club, until it can be established that they possess no communicable diseases. As I had not been to any meets this broke the rules. It seems that new members have to spend a year being watched very closely: I assume that how quickly you go to the bar is of paramount importance, along with toilet cleaning abilities. After one year of being watched, “t’committee” will consider suitability for affiliate membership. This means that for the next three years new members will be watched closely, at the bar/cleaning the toilet etc. to see if they are jolly good chaps, what ho!
As I mentioned I had asked for a list of meets, but apparently it is not possible to send this to me. Why? No idea!
It seems that to become a member you have to go to meets, that you are not to be told about, then you are watched for a year, after which you are watched for three years, then you might or might not be considered suitable. Four years to get into a climbing club?
Alternatively there is another way to be granted membership. In addition to any proposer and seconder, if four existing members are prepared to write directly to the club (so that prospective members can have no influence on what they say), then “t’committee”, might decide to grant immediate membership. This does mean that six existing members of the club must be known. But how do you get to know six members of the club, if they won’t tell you where the meets are?
I am told that the club is actively looking for new members, but how is anyone ever going to going to put up with such time consuming obstruction?
I am currently reading a history of climbing in the Lakes District, which is really a history of FRCC. When climbing first took off in general popularity, either side of the WWII, it appears that membership was earned by going climbing with a member, being proposed, and then being allowed in. Nowadays climbing clubs are losing popularity, and the main topic on the couple of occasions I have stayed at FRCC huts is declining and ageing membership: with unwelcoming procedures, almost designed to deter new members, how do they expect to rectify this?
The club has been in existence for nearly a century; I had no idea that membership was closed at the inaugural meeting, except for a clique of people who all seem to know each other anyway.

In reply to Blackballed without a vote!: You are not alone. Been down the same road myself, just a couple of months ago! What's so secret about this club. You can get into the Masons easier.

In reply to Blackballed without a vote!:
>> I received an e-mail me to say that my application was fine

MISTAKE 4 - the email address was a trick question. You should have answered "Email, what on earth is that?"

In reply to Blackballed without a vote!: i'm sure someone will be along to correct the obvious misunderstanding . . .

remember that the password is 'kindred'

or maybe you are a FRCC agent stoking the reputation of inpenetrability . . .

or . . .

In reply to Blackballed without a vote!:

>Alternatively there is another way to be granted membership. In addition to any proposer and seconder, if four existing members are prepared to write directly to the club (so that prospective members can have no influence on what they say), then “t’committee”, might decide to grant immediate membership. This does mean that six existing members of the club must be known.

This is the CC system, (more or less) and it's very easy to become a member. Can't see why it would be all that harder under this system. You know one guy; ask him to set you up with some other guys, and so on. It might take a while, but the whole purpose of a club is that any member can climb with any other member and know member B won't kill them or otherwise turn out to be undesirable.

Having said that if I were anything to do with the FRCC I'd be a bit troubled by some of what you say. But I'm not.

In reply to Blackballed without a vote!:

Now look here old chap! You need to to understand the procedure for assessing what sort of a chap a chap is when he applies for membership of any decent sort of club for chaps. How on earth can a chap decide what sort of a chap a chap is unless the chap gets to know the other chaps? And vice versa the other chaps need to meet a chap to establish whether he is the sort of chap that the other chaps want in their club for chaps. So be a good chap and take your rejection on the chin like a decent chap should.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously1:


I am a member of the F&RCC, but not at all troubled by Bitterballs' amusing work of fiction. Not bad as a description of how the FRCC was perceived (but never actually was) in the 1920s and 30s.

The main reason some folk find it difficult to get into the established clubs is because they are rapidly outed as tw*ts - which is why the provisional membership stage is there.

Perhaps BB could send his complaints in with his next attempt an application and see how far it gets him.

Good luck old boy!

Pip Pip!

In reply to Colin Wells:


This makes you seem very welcoming... Kinda sends me the message "If your personality don't match ours, then piss off and don't bother to complain to our cabalistic commitee of members, we won't consider your comments at all"

I thought climbing clubs were about a shared interest in climbing, not a boys gang. My club (ie the one I am a member of, I'm not on the commitee) welcomes all sorts of people some I don't like and don't climb with, others I do. Provided they don't bugger the bursar, their personality is moot...

In reply to Colin Wells:



In the original posting it was mentioned that a list of meets would not be supplied to possible new members. How does anyone get to know the club and make an application to join?

Chin up old boy!

In reply to Colin Wells:

Dear Colin

No wonder he was blackballed. Where is his sense of adventure, with no list of club meets, he should have used his initiative and found out where they were. As you know I an not a member, so I have no say in the matter, however, I say keep him out

Norrie

In reply to Blackballed without a vote!:


Here's a list of about 50, which should keep you busy :-

http://www.frcc.co.uk/club/meets/main.htm

In reply to Kipper:

Perhaps he was blackballed due to not knowing how to find the meets list on a computer. How will he be able to find his way around the hills?

Allan Austin was barred for a while until the FRCC realised they needed him to write guidebooks.

In reply to Blackballed without a vote!:

There must be some FRCC members on this site that could tell us if this is what really goes on? Does this sort of exclusive Old Boy garbage really happen? If not why are you all so quiet?
Smacks of naff elitist exclusivism to me.. and to think buying Lakes guides is bankrolling this archaic freemasonry...
Blackballed: if they behave like this-why do you want to join? Exercise your consumer power and don't bother...

In reply to Blackballed without a vote!:
It might be more illuminating to post this on one of the other forums where FRCC'ers might be..they won't be cruising the Lifts'n'Partners forum as they already have lots of friends and don't need any more?

In reply to Removed User: Why would anybody want to be a member of the FRCC????
CC Member

In reply to Al Evans: Actually thinking about it, wanting to be a member of the FRCC is a good reason for any club black balling you
CC member

In reply to Blackballed without a vote!: As a FRCC member, I have a lot of sympathy with what you say, but I can't imagine why your application was so stunningly unsuccessful. There have been hundreds of new members added recently, and the attrition rate of older members will ensure the club is reborn with new blood. Keep climbing and keep interested - honestly, there are some very friendly nice people in the FRCC and some of them do climb an awful lot.

In reply to Blackballed without a vote!:

Seems like you cant be arsed to do what 90% of the other old twa*s have done to join the club!

I guess someone missed your lack of interest in the first instance, then they saw through your pathetic attempt to cruise into this established club with it's fantastic reputation, hot chicks and numerous quality huts.


Go join the CC.. it's easy if you lead VS
There again, I hear the FRCC and CC have a joint blackball database!

In reply to Blackballed without a vote!:

Whatever their reasons in the first place, I'd say you've completely blown your chances now!

In reply to Blackballed without a vote!: Why is everyone moaning on about not being able to get into a club that you don't want to be a member of?

In reply to Blackballed without a vote!:

Out of interest, how did you manage to get an invite to stay at an FRCC hut?

In reply to Removed User:

we're not moaning, we're mocking

albeit in an affectionate way . . .