What does the Club do?

Thanks for taking an interest in the Cragmont Climbing Club, the CCC. The club consists of 20-30 active members who climb at all levels of difficulty and are interested in a variety of styles of technical rock climbing from traditional cragging, to sport and gym climbing, to big walls. Our activities include twice monthly weekend climbing trips to major California climbing areas (Yosemite, Tuolumne Meadows, Lovers Leap, etc.), safety practice sessions, gym nights, social meetings, annual dinners and picnics, and informal bouldering. Several times a year the CCC organizes longer trips to more distant climbing destinations such as Joshua Tree, Red Rocks, and Smith Rocks. Members also engage in other activities together including skiing and ice climbing. The club organizes a weekend back country ski-snow camping trip each winter.

About Cragmont Climbing Club

The CCC was formed in 1988 to continue the rock climbing activities of the Sierra Club Rock Climbing Section (RCS), after the Sierra Club prohibited climbing as an organized Sierra Club activity due to insurance problems. The CCC is proud to continue in the tradition of the original Cragmont Climbing Club of the 1930's founded by Dick Leonard and other early California climbing greats. This original club later became the nucleus of the RCS, from which we inherit a long tradition of climbing, teaching and conservation. Our club and our local practice rocks, including Cragmont Rock in Berkeley, have hosted many fledgling climbers who later went on to greatness. These include David Brower, Galen Rowell, Arlene Blume, and Peter Mayfield.

The club encourages interested people to get involved in club activities and consider becoming members. We know that each person brings something unique to the club, often something that has nothing to do with their climbing ability. Everyone is welcome to attend in-town events where you can begin to meet people. Climbing activities are for people with at least novice to intermediate skills. If you haven’t climbed before, we recommend you take a beginning class before contacting us. Then you can climb with those you meet at club social events by attending one of the casually arranged gatherings climbing at local gyms or bouldering on local outcrops. Out of town climbing trips are for members and their guests, and non-members are welcome on a space available basis. Members typically arrange their climbing partners in advance, but ad-hoc plans do frequently get decided around the camp fire. For each trip, attendees must contact the assigned trip coordinator in advance.

After you've climbed with some CCC members, you can be considered for full club membership. Ask your CCC partners to recommend you for membership. For less experienced climbers, it may take several seasons to develop the skills and confidence to be a competent climber. The CCC, specifically its more experienced members, can help you learn these skills and build your confidence. Since the club relies entirely on the volunteer efforts of members, we hope that new members will become active leaders and participate in organizing club activities.