A Guide to UBES
Some pearls of wisdom from current and past UBESters to guide the new generation of members on their epic UBES jouuurney! You’ll see references to some UBES wonders like: ‘lake bagging’, ‘Wednesday Pub’, ‘organised fun’ and ‘James’….. come along to find out what this all means and get involved in the Society many of us call ‘home’.
What advice would you give to your former self before your first trip?
- ‘Head to pub before your first trip and get to know some UBESters – that way there will be some familiar faces on the trip.’ – Ewan White
- ‘Think about what you want to do on the trip, talk to the experienced members about their plans and join in planning routes (even if this is just watching to understand the process).’ – James Wheeler
- ‘Bring more than one pair of gloves, earplugs and high energy food.’ – Aaron Larkworthy
- ‘Organised fun is the best way to make best friends!’ – Will Armstrong
- ‘Try to remember the names of the walks you go on and the mountains you go up, I remember being on some fantastic walks on my first few trips but I didn’t take in any of the names of places so I now have no idea where they were if I wanted to return!’ – Cassia Copeland
- ‘Extra snacks is a great way to make new friends!’ – Rory Bryson
- ‘Even if the weather ends up particularly British, the good company you’ll have with UBES really can keep the spirits high and actually make dodging floods in pouring rain a cherished memory!’ – Dan Heins
- ‘Try not to be nervous! It’s a very relaxed, chilled weekend overall – no one will judge you if you have a little bit less experience or not so flashy kit as the person next to you!’ – Leila Pankhurst
What trip would you tell yourself not to miss?
- ‘The next one’ – James Wheeler
- ‘Portland Climbing – an easy way into outdoor climbing, and Portland is simply beautiful on a sunny day.’ – Ewan White
- ‘Snowdonia.’ – Karlon McAllister
- ‘One of the snowy ones; lakes 2 or snowdonia 2.’ – Leila Pankhurst
- ‘AGM (our Annual General Meeting held in Snowdonia)!’ – Amy Dronfield
- ‘Scotland as it’s the furthest north we go for a trip.’ – Rory Bryson
- ‘Lake District trips. It’s hard to believe (and a nice thing to be reminded of) that there are places as beautiful as the Lakes on our back door.’ – Ellen Kinsman
What social would you tell yourself not to miss?
- ‘Pub as that’s where you meet loads of people!’ – Claire Naveh
- ‘The first one! It’s a great opportunity to meet everyone with lots of people in the same boat as you.’ – Edgar Crassier
- ‘You have to do scav hunt at one point in your UBES time. One of the weirdest but best weekends of your life.’ – Hazza Enevoldsen
- ‘Mendips! A great opportunity to see all your mates not in gear!!!’ – Aaron Larkworthy
- ‘The Ceilidh!’ – Cassia Copeland
- ‘All of them. Dive straight in. The more you get involved, the more you’ll enjoy it – becoming a regular at the Wednesday pub (perhaps enjoying a cheeky lime and soda) each week is a great way to get to know fellow UBESters.’ – Ewan White
What’s the weirdest tradition you’d dive straight into?
- ‘Lake bagging. (it’s not weird, just get naked and get in the water; nudity not actually obligatory)’ – Hazza Enevoldsen
- ‘Ratchet Screwdriver!’ – Will Armstrong
- ‘Organised fun. The first time I met some of my closest friends in the society was by going through their legs upside down (you’ll see what I mean)!’ – Ellen Kinsman
- ‘Sea shanties!’ – Claire Naveh
- ‘I regret not doing the scavenger hunt, I was unaware of how entertaining it would be!’ – Dan Heins
- ‘Trip morning porridge and raisins!’ – Karlon McAllister
What’s the most useful piece of kit you have borrowed from UBES?
- ‘A rucksack for trips!’ – Amy Dronfield
- ‘Not technically answering the question but it was the discounted climbing kit night which was really useful for me. I was able to by the essentials for a newbie climber at a fraction of the price.’ – Ellen Kinsman
- ‘Climbing shoes. Being able to borrow the same pair of shoes when I was learning to climb meant I didn’t have to spend money borrowing from the climbing wall before investing in my own pair.’ – Hazza Enevoldsen
- ‘Books and maps’ – James Wheeler
- ‘Ropes. it’s allowed me to climb all year and bring plenty of people outdoors.’ – Dan Heins
- ‘Sleeping mats and sleeping bags.’ – Leila Pankhurst
- ‘A social life!’ – Rory Bryson
Why do you keep coming back?
- ‘This is where I found my people and I just wanna spend all the time I can with them. And also the car rides. The energy in those journeys to/from an adventure make me beeeam’ – Ellen Kinsman
- ‘You come for the mountains and the learning (which you can now go and do solo with all the skills) and stay for the weird people you’ve met!’ – Hazza Enevoldsen
- ‘It’s definitely for the people. There’s something about UBES that just attracts the most wonderful people, and you share so many crazy experiences together which bring you closer and creates some really solid friendships.’ – Cassia Copeland
- ‘UBES is full of weird traditions and slightly unhinged people, all with a mutual love of the outdoors, a sense of comradery I’ve not felt anywhere else at uni.’ – Amy Dronfield
- ‘James!’ – Will Armstrong
- ‘I’ve always loved climbing and the outdoors, but in particular I’ve found myself drawn to UBES because it is such a positive, friendly, and welcoming community. From the very first time I wandered into the pub I’ve found smiling faces keen to get to know me, trade stories, hang out, and go on adventures together.’ – Dan Heins