Document type : vocene
Date : 2006-09-13
Description : VOCene #6
Content :
VOCene #6 - Sept 13, 2006
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In this VOCene:
Summary
I. Letter from the Editor
II. Slide Shows
III. Upcoming Trips
1) Yosemite
2) Sport Climbing at Exit 38 Washington
3) Glacier School*
4) Long Hike
5) Cliffhanger*
IV. Trip Reports
1) Mt. Price by Roland
2) Brew Hut Clean-up
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I. Letter From the Editor
Welcome to the VOC!
I was in the climbing gym yesterday, and a new member asked how many members are in the VOC. I replied (incorrectly) "about 300". The VOC actual has closer to 400 members. She then asked how the VOC can organize events for so many members. The quick answer is that the VOC doesn't. So, you might be asking, where does your hard earned $30 go if the VOC doesn't really plan anything.
The VOC provides resources allowing members to organize their own trips, which is actual quite an effective way to get 400 people into the outdoors without a full time government bureau. Its sort of like going to a restaurant and ordering fondue, you're paying for dinner, but you still have to cook it. The VOC provides a forum to communicate with other members (message board, club room and wiki), free gear rentals, free accommodations at our huts, and instructional courses to give you a base to build from.
VOCers engages in climbing, skiing, hiking, mountaineering, camping, kayaking (white water and ocean), canoing, slide showing, drinking, road tripping, carpentry (VOC has a long tradition of building and maintaining huts in BC's beautiful mountains which you can use for free if you can find them), cycling, photography and whatever other activities I have missed. There is just too much variety and really no need for a central executive to plan everything. There are many leaders in the club who have very successfully planned and lead trips of much higher quality and on a much more regular basis than an unpaid executive could ever manage.
So, how does it work. Club members choose what activities they want to do. You can do this by attending slide shows, reading trip reports in this publication, the yearly journal, talking to others, or borrowing a guide from the VOC library. You then have to gather a group, gear, skills and transport. The message board is an excellent place to post ideas and respond to other peoples trip proposals (each executive member must individual plan two trips a year). Gear can be borrowed from the club for free, rented from MEC, or a club member can help you buy your own (I love spending other peoples money). The wiki is better than the message board to organize complex trips. The club provides a number of "long hikes" and schools to teach the basic skills.
Then you go on your trip and send me your trip report so other people may want to either try that destination or join your group.
Repeat as often as you can.
A few words of cation:
1) If you want to borrow gear, show up during gear hours which are often posted on the wiki. Don't call a gear master at 4pm on Friday for a trip that you are leaving for at 5pm that same day. Don't laugh, it happens. Actually, we laugh about it all the time. If you do this, the quarter master will probably tell you to bugger off, unless you tip/flirt/or are friends. They are not getting paid, treat them well.
2) Cars are in short supply. The general etiquette is that the passengers pay for gas. If you claim a spot in a car, you do so by talking to the driver who has offered rides on the message board or wiki (numbers are on the members list). Do not claim a spot in a car through the message board, it doesn't work. If you do claim a spot in a car, you really should take it unless you provide reasonable warning or have a decent excuse. No one is forcing you to go have fun in the mountains, excuses should be better than you gave your high school teachers for skipping. Most drivers remember those who take spots and don't use them. Claimed but empty seats prevents others from taking those spots and makes the gas bill that much higher.
I heard this story this weekend.
One driver arranged to pick up a new member at 6am on a Saturday morning for a VOC trip. He arrived on time, banged on the door and was greeted by a half naked, large, rather angry man and his yappy little dog. Turned out the new member had swapped a few numbers around in the address and the driver was in fact in the complete opposite part of town (of no fault of his own). The driver then said he was a door knocker for the political party he most despised (there was an upcoming election), and beat a hasty retreat. This story is true except for the political party bit.
3) Getting into outdoor activities requires obtaining gear and skills, which takes a lot of work. The VOC tries to organize events to give people the basic skills and lends gear to keep the cost down. This is just a start. Don't be too discouraged when you hit hard spots. Pick the sport you want to pursue (few can afford the time or money to do more than one or two sports on a regular basis) and hack away at it. It may seem like no one in the VOC cares about you, which is sometimes true, but there are other people in the same boat. If you can find these people, others with similar skills, interests, and amenable gear, you can develop some great friends and plan some great trips.
II. Slide Shows
When: Wednesday, Sept 20 @ 7pm
Where: VOC club room
The four glacier girls (Greta, Alex, Krystil, Ellen) will
give an awesome slide show about their adventurous trip: a three week
kayaking, bushwhacking, hiking, mountaineering and biking trip from
Vancouver to the Coast Mountains and back... This will be an awesome
start of this year's slide show season, don't miss it!! See
http://www.glaciersgirlsandgranite.blogspot.com for more info...
Check the wiki http://www.ubc-voc.com/wiki/Slide_shows for more slide show info.
II) Upcoming Trips
1) Yosemite
When: Sept 27 to Oct 1
Info: http://www.ubc-voc.com/wiki/Yosemite_climbing
You want to go on an epic trip, I can almost guarantee that this will be an epic...
2) Sport Climbing at Exit 38 Washington
When: Sept 23-24
Where: Exit 38
Info: http://www.ubc-voc.com/phorum2/read.php?f=1&i=17607&t=17607
Excellent sport climbing area in Washington that is not too far to go for some quality sport climbing. Topo's are all on the Internet. Beer is really cheap and the camping is free. Was one of my best trips of the summer. It is a sport climbing destination, I wouldn't trad climb there and top ropes can only be set-up if someone sport climbs it first - usually.
3) Glacier School*
When: Sept 16-17 - Dry School: Wednesday, September 13th, 7pm. Buchanan A102
Where: Matier Glacier, approached via Cerise (past Pemberton)
Trip is pretty much full. Everyone who has signed up, please show up to glacier school, you might get in. Bring $5, a harness and prusik cord.
4) Long Hike*
When: Thanksgiving
Where: Evans Lake (30 minutes from Squamish)
An instructional climbing camp that has nothing to do with hiking or being long. This is a climbing trip followed by one of the best parties of the year. All climbing levels are welcome from those who have never touched a rock to those who are instructing. There are usually three instructional groups: rock 1,2 and 3. Rock one covers the basics for those who have never climbed. Rock two covers top rope anchors. Rock three goes into placing gear and leading. Cost will be ~$30 which covers one dinner and accommodations on Saturday night. I have been looking forward to long hike all summer, it's that good. Sign-up sheet will go up after club's days.
5) Climbing Plastic*
When: every Tuesday and Thursday @ 6:30pm
Where: Cliffhanger Vancouver (google it)
Need a belay? We have you covered. Sometimes go for food and drinks after.
IV) Trip Reports
Title: Mt. Price @ Garibaldi Lake
Info: http://www.ubc-voc.com/phorum2/read.php?f=1&i=17484&t=17484
Title: Brew Hut Clean-up
Info: http://www.ubc-voc.com/phorum2/read.php?f=1&i=17368&t=17368
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Quote of the Week: "To have a great adventure, and survive, requires good judgment. Good judgment comes from experience. Experience, of comes, is the result of poor judgment."
- Geoff Tabin
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