Document type : vocene
Date : 2014-10-21
Description : VOCene #16 2014
Content :
VOCene #16: Tuesday, October 21, 2014
In this Issue:
1. Fall Gear Swap: TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY)!
2. AST (Avalanche Skills Training) Courses
3. Recent Trip Reports
4. Upcoming Trips
5. Message Board Highlights
6. Ms. Manners
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1. VOC Fall Gearswap: Sell your surplus gear/buy used gear · Wednesday, October 22nd
The VOC Gearswap is an outdoor gear buy and sell event. If you have some extra gear that you no longer need, come sell it. If you are looking to buy used/new outdoor gear for reasonable prices, come on out. Actual swapping of gear is encouraged as well. There will also be a "free table" - if you have items that could still be used by others but are not fit for selling, or you'd just like to give them away, please consider putting them in the free pile (no junk please). This event will occur from 6:00-7:30 PM in Irving K. Barber Room 261 TOMORROW!!! (Wednesday).
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2. Avalanche Safety Training (AST Courses)
Every year the VOC works with Canada West Mountain School in order to provide its members with discounted rates on avalanche safety courses, with the intent to help students mitigate the risks of backcountry skiing. The courses available to VOC members run from November thru February and in total include four sessions of Avalanche Skills Training I (AST I), and one session of AST II. The dates, details and deadlines for each course may be viewed in the table below. Web links to the CWMS course descriptions may be found here. Please contact Tes at tedangus@gmail.com with questions or concerns about experience level. Sign up will take place in the clubroom during gear hours, and full payment is required at time of registration.
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3. Recent Trip Reports
Team Bad Idea Alaikhama Wara Taki
New route! A new route! In the alpine. Serious f*cking business. A first, of hopefully many for me. My time withering away in the confines of a party hostel in La Paz, Bolivia has suddenly become completely justified. I’d spent many days hopelessly searching for a climbing partner, but apparently this is not a climbing destination. All the gringos come here just for tourist highlights and whilst calling themselves travellers, none have the true spirit of adventure... The nearby Huayna Potosi gets absolutely gang-banged by paying clients who have never seen a mountain before just because it is the “easiest” 6000 meter peak in the world. The few willing to venture out always target Huayna, the towering Illimani, and the Condoriri group, whilst hundreds, no thousands of mountains remained unclimbed....
MEC Outdoor Nation Summit
150 youth from across Canada gathered at the Cheakamus Centre in Squamish for the first ever MEC Outdoor Nation Summit in Canada. I must say that it was an amazing experience to partake in this conference! Arriving at 9am downtown Vancouver, almost all attendees were shuttled off to the Cheakamus Centre for this event. Chattering on the bus, time flew by and we had already arrived at the outdoor centre where we were greeted by the extraordinary staff who had organized this conference. We all settled down for a quick breakfast (after receiving free goodie bags gratuity of MEC!) to hear more about the schedule for the weekend...
Phelix Creek // 10-13 October 2014
I showered three times before arriving to the car. I’d never hiked before, nor been on a camping trip of any sort. All I knew was that the warm glow of cleanliness I was currently basking in was temporary, and I had to cling to the remnants. The sprawling grey above our heads was testament to the fact, but we tossed our packs into the trunk knowing that it didn’t really matter. It was raining with a gentle insistence and it would only get worse; there was dirt and wet to come. But it was okay. The journey was now all there was...
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4. Upcoming Trips
THIS WEEKEND
Workhike - Harrison Hut Trail Final Hurrah · Sat. Oct. 25th - Sun. Oct. 26th
It's been a long 4 years, but we can finally say that we have restored access to our Harrison Hut thanks to the hard work of many, many, VOCers and financial assistance from MEC. However, there remain some critical tasks for the trail before this trail-building season draws to a close. This will be a great opportunity to give back to the club, and one of the few major workhikes this fall where you actually get to, you know, work. Hard. This trip is "beginner friendly" in the classic VOC sense of the term - not in the sense that it will be easy, but we will welcome you to come help out even if you are not an experienced overnight hiker. Pre-trip meeting will be Wednesday, October 22nd at 7:00 PM in the clubroom.
Cousin Of Canyon · Sat. Oct. 25th - Sun. Oct. 26th- TENTATIVE
Shoulder season? Too wet to climb, no snow to ski? False - it's canyoning season. Note that given the nature of the activity, the number of participants on this trip is limited. You need to have previously rappelled, scrambled, and jumped into water from up to 3m. General coordination desired. Pre-trip meeting will be Wednesday, October 22nd at 6:00 PM outside of the clubroom.
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NEXT WEEK
VOC slideshow: Trips to the Arctic (Ellesmere Island, Iceland, Greenland) · Wednesday, October 29th
Cassandra Elphinstone will give a presentation on the Arctic (Ellesmere Island this summer and Iceland and Greenland three years ago). "The Arctic is a special place; once you see it you will never forget its vast beauty, its spectacular peaks and its endless glaciers. Three years ago during an SOI Arctic (2011) expedition to Iceland, Greenland, and parts of northern Canada I fell in love with the Arctic landscape, its wildlife and its harsh conditions. This summer I had the amazing opportunity to return to the high arctic, this time to Ellesmere Island (a polar desert). After nearly three months of camp life with 24 hour daylight, polar bears, no trees, and mild frostbite in the middle of summer, I was reminded how spectacular the north is!"
Yoga for Mountaineers: Fundraiser for Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter (VRRWS) · Thursday, October 30th
Open up those tight hips and strengthen your core! Wishing you were more confident in stemming and high-stepping? Now you can do yoga and a great cause all together! Join the Mountain Goatees, an all-women VOCers fundraiser bowling team (See Facebook page) initiated by Anne Darby, in ending violence against women by supporting Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter (VRRWS)! This event will run from 6:30-7:45 PM.
Climbing Horror Show · Thursday, October 30th
Does the thought of a 20 m run-out above a shaky RP have you break out into a cold sweat? Do you wake up in the middle of the night in a panic after dreaming about your rope cutting in the alpine? Well then this spooky movie night is for you! We will be screening one of the most terrifying mountaineering movies ever made. Touching the Void is the true story of two climbers summitting Siula Grande and the disaster that followed. This event will run from 8:05-10:00 PM.
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NEXT WEEKEND
Halloween Climbing · Fri. Oct. 31st - Sun. Nov. 2nd- TENTATIVE
Climb in Skaha for Halloween! In theory it will be dry, or at least dry enough to get on some climbs. This won't be an instructional trip. You will need to be self-sufficient or have someone who has agreed to set top ropes for you. Costumes are highly encouraged, and I will offer free beverages to the most creative. There are also some breweries in Penticton (Bad Tattoo and Cannery) in town we could visit in the evenings if the weather isn't ideal for outdoor partying. Pre-trip meeting will be Wednesday, October 29th at 4:00 PM (this time is correct unless indicated) in the clubroom.
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5. Message Board Highlights
a. You can still get your Climbing Stoke going despite the coming of fall! Alternatively, you can also start getting stoked about skiing or stoked about ice climbing! Or, get your Mountain Bike Stoke on year-round. Check out these threads for awesome videos, photos and more!
b. Haven't gotten in enough climbing yet and want more despite the upcoming rains? Check out the The indoor climbing faff thread!
c. Already looking to plan your winter break? Check out the options available, such as the New Years Powder Slaying at The Waddington Hut: Dec. 26th-Jan. 4th trip or the Nephew of Icicles Dec 22 to Jan 5 trip. Ensure you meet any requirements that may be put in place.
d. Need some gear? In addition to the gear swap coming up, you can also check out these links: 1, 2, 3
e. Good tent, bad tent? Follow this discussion to share your opinion or listen to others.
f. Be sure to check out showings in the Banff Mountain Film Festival when it passes through Vancouver December 5-6.
g. Have a big beard? Want to short-lived fame? Check out this posting looking for "Grizzly bearded Trappers needed for feature film (Squamish area)".
h. Have you experienced concussions previously have advice to offer on what signs to look out for? Discuss them here.
i. Room available in 5 BR house, 8th and Blanca: check out details here!
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6. Ms. Manners
Do you have a question for Ms. Manners? If so, email it to to your friendly neighbourhood VOCene Editor and it'll get forwarded Ms. Manners for review. Remember, there's no such thing as a stupid question, so ask away.
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Dear Ms. Manners,
I accidentally deleted the VOCene from my mailbox and have forgotten all of the amazing things planned for the coming week. What can I do??
Sincerely,
Deletes Everything
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Dear Deletes Everything,
There are a few options available to you. One would be to ask a friend to forward you the VOCene, with all of its nice links associated with events and pages. If you do not have any VOC friends, or your friend does not receive the VOCene either because they opted not to or they entered their e-mail address incorrectly, you can actually still see the VOCene on our webpage here! This link can be found under the members section in the subsection "VOCene". In fact, you can see VOCenes from years past here as well, full of wonderful advice from Ms. Manners! Unfortunately, there are no links associated with the words on this page, so you have to go to the Trip Agenda or Message Board manually. You also can initially check the Trip Agenda directly for regular updates and to check out what trips are coming up.
Sincerely,
Ms. Manners
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