Document type : vocene
Date : 2015-01-13
Description : VOCene #27 2015
Content :
VOCene #27
Numerous deadlines are coming up THIS WEEK for our exciting competitions and for journal entries! Don't miss the deadlines!
In this Issue:
Special Features:
1. New Semester, New Gear Hours!
2. Submit an Article to the VOC Journal-Deadline January 15th
3. Climbing Wall Logo Competition- Deadline January 15th
4. Photo Competition- Deadline January 28th
5. Wilderness First Aid Discount Opportunity! Sign up by Mid-February
6. Aviary Logistics Meeting- TONIGHT! Tuesday, January 13th
The Usual Suspects
7. Recent Trip Reports
8. Upcoming Trips
Note: Some trips/events have been cancelled or postponed
9. Message Board Highlights
10. Ms. Manners
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1. New Semester, New Gear Hours!
Welcome back to a new semester! Each semester, the timing of gear hours change for each day. Please keep in mind that for the first few weeks of the semester, gear hours may continue to change! Check back to the gear hours link regularly before going to rent gear as the times may change.
Current updates for gear hours for the current semester are as follows:
Monday: TBD
Tuesday: Cassandra Elphinstone 18:30 - 19:30
Wednesday: Tianna Sturdy 12:00 - 13:00
Thursday: Gabe Frame 18:10 - 19:10
Friday: Krista Cawley 09:30 - 10:30
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2. Submit Your Trip Report to the Annual VOC Journal! Deadline January 15th
Calling all adventurers - from first-time to old-time VOCers:
Have you been on a memorable or epic trip lately? We want to publish your TRIP REPORT in our annual journal! Simply submit the report to vocjournal@gmail.com.
Pictures can be submitted in JPEG format (resolution should be at least 300 dpi). Be sure to include a caption for each photo and who took it.
Don't hesitate - submit your report today! The deadline for all articles is January 15th!
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3. Climbing Wall Logo Competition!- Deadline January 15th
We've decided on a name for the new climbing wall: The Aviary! I'd like to get a head start on a few things like having signs/banners made, getting staff shirts, and maybe even something as snazzy as membership cards. I'd love a cool logo for the gym!
The following might provide inspiration:
The name: The Aviary. This is following the UBC Thunderbird theme, and the fact that the gym space is tall and narrow.
The colour scheme. The wall is mostly a grey colour ("Stone" - RGB 201,207,204) with accent areas in a light blue ("Azure" - RGB 51,128,184)
The final version will need to be in a vector format (SVG, etc).
There is now a deadline set of January 15th at midnight! There is nothing like saying Happy New Year like a good old logo submission!
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4. Photo Competition- Deadline January 28th
It's time to pick your best pics and submit them to the VOC's annual photo competition!
The pictures can be submitted in the following categories:
A) Landscapes – Waterfalls, mountains, sunsets, etc. People are not the focus of the shot.
B) Action Shots – Photos of people outdoors and in action, usually climbing, skiing, or mountaineering.
C) Flora and fauna – Plants and animals only. A good place for macro's.
D) Club Activities – Parties, longhike, winter longhike, glacier school, and all other club activities.
E) Portraits – Portrait of a person. Preferably in an outdoor setting, and of someone in the club.
F) Miscellaneous – Anything that doesn't fit in the other categories.
To submit your photos, simply upload them to the VOC gallery with the appropriate tag. Step-by-step instructions can be found here:
http://www.ubc-voc.com/wiki/Photo_gallery
If you upload your pictures to the gallery, they'll automatically contain your name. The next step is to give them a tag for the relevant category. The format is :
a-contest2015, b-contest2015, c-contest2015 etc for the six categories above. CAPITALIZATION IS IMPORTANT. Use lowercase letters throughout.
Deadline is January 28th. Photos will be judged in the last week of January 2015. Prizes are presented at the annual VOC banquet at the end of March. Maximum six submissions per person. The competition is open to VOC members only. May the best photos win!
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5. Slipstream Wilderness First Aid Training Discounts
Slipstream First Aid is once again offering the VOC a roughly 40% discount on their 50-hour and 90-hour Wilderness First Aid courses. These courses have been taken by members of the VOC in the past and have recieved very positive feedback.
To keep things flexible, Slipstream is allowing us to purchase course vouchers that are good for one year from purchase. With your voucher you can select any course date and location that works for you. Please signup using the signup tool by early February.
Discounted prices are as follows: 50-hour course: $285 + tax = $320; 90-hour course: $475 + tax = $535.
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6. The Aviary Logistics Meeting · Tuesday, January 13th (TONIGHT!!!)
With the opening of The Aviary fast approaching, I’d like to have a public info/discussion session where we can go over some of the details of how the wall will be run.
I’ll go over the results of the survey I’ve conducted, and present my thoughts on some of the following points: Membership pricing structure, open hours, staffing, route-setting and programs.We’ll also go over more general concerns, get feedback and suggestions from everybody, and start up the stoke for what is going to be an EPIC facility!
This event will be at 6:30 PM in Buchanan D213.
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7. Recent Trip Reports
There are no new trip reports this week! Remember to write up a report from your adventures, to share your experience with the club :)
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8. Upcoming Trips
THIS WEEK
The Aviary Logistics Meeting · Tuesday, January 13th
With the opening of The Aviary fast approaching, I’d like to have a public info/discussion session where we can go over some of the details of how the wall will be run. I’ll go over the results of the survey I’ve conducted, and present my thoughts on some of the following points: Membership pricing structure, open hours, staffing, route-setting and programs. We’ll also go over more general concerns, get feedback and suggestions from everybody, and start up the stoke for what is going to be an EPIC facility! This event will be at 6:30 PM, location Buchanan D213.
VOC slideshow - Climbing Wahoo tower · Wednesday, January 14th
Nick, Lena, Will and Olek are giving a slideshow about their alpine climbing trip to the Manatee Group where they climbed the remove Wahoo tower.
To get you excited, have a look at their trip report. This event will be at 7:00 PM in Buchanan A202.
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THIS WEEKEND
Stepson of crampon (Beginner friendly ice climbing) · Fri. Jan. 16th - Sun. Jan. 18th
This will be beginner friendly but you should know how to belay someone on a top rope. No previous ice climbing experience is necessary but winter camping experience will help. I'll take people according to the committed sign-up order. Committed sign-up will open on January 7th. I will probably limit the group size to 12 people, but don't worry, more ice climbing trips will follow. I have a Modo van with snow tires booked so unless the winter doesn't come, this trips is a go! Pre-trip meeting will be Wednesday, January 14th at 6:00 PM.
Avalanche Skills Training Block C (AST-1) · Sat. Jan. 17th - Sun. Jan. 18th
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. This trip requires sign up in advance in the clubroom, along with payment. Cost is $230 (course and avy kit) + $110 (Whistler Pass). There will be an in-class session on the evening of Tuesday the week before. Note: registration has already closed for this session, but there is one more in February (7th-8th) in which registration closed January 9th- inquire with Ted Angus for more details if interested.
Brew Hut Backcountry Skiing - Beginner Friendly · Sat. Jan. 17th - Sun. Jan. 18th
Beginner friendly ski trip but AST is required. Plan is to drive up the road, skin to the hut and ski around the hut. Apparently the weather around Brew Hut is quite gnarly so the trip will depend on if the freezing level and avi risk are reasonable. Be prepared to ski in fog - although if it is foggy we will probably end up skiing the trees north of the hut. No message board thread; email organizer with questions/ concerns/ comments. Pretrip meeting will be Thursday, January 15th at 7:00 PM, outside of the clubroom.
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CANCELLED OR POSTPONED
Exposure Volume II: SAR Fundraiser Movie Night · Tuesday, January 20th- CANCELLED
Details forthcoming! Check out the trailer here. At this time, this event is cancelled. Check back to see if it is post-poned to a new time instead!
TeleSchool at Mt. Seymour · Saturday, January 17th- POSTPONED
Wish that you had a chance to learn how to tele ski in a controlled environment, with a teacher and without a giant pack on your back? Do you know the basics but want to hone those mad skills with the help of someone who can *actually* ski? Do you want a chance to show off your beautiful style while imparting knowledge to others? If you answered yes to any of the above questions than the VOC Tele-School is the trip for you! At this time, this trip has been postponed as we wait for better snow conditions!
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NEXT WEEK
VOC Slideshow - Baby-hiking in the Sierras · Wednesday, January 21st
Ever felt a little bored in camp while on a long backpacking trip? Or perhaps that your pack was a little too light? One possible solution to these problems is to have a baby, and bring them hiking! You will soon find yourself with a brutall heavy pack, running around after your baby without any time to set up the tent, and with some of the most amazing memories and quality family time you could imagine. Really, all a child wants it to spend time with their family, and maybe go outside and play. On a long trip they get both, and you won't have any distractions (except maybe nagivation, the weather, food, water). But not any artificial seeming distractions like work or email. Come on our and share photos and memories with Christian, Line, and Fenya of an 8 day unsupported hike along a portion of the Pacific Crest / John Muir trails through the high Sierras, their first major trip together as a family of 3. This event will occur at 7:00 PM, most likely in Buchanan A202.
Becoming a Trip Leader Roundtable · Thursday, January 22nd
Have you wanted to lead trips but thought to yourself:
I'm not an expert at _______ I wouldn't feel comfortable leading a trip and being responsible for others
I'd love to go and try _______. I've been wanting to do it forever but it's hard to find other people interested in it.
I want to lead a trip to ______ but all that VOC techno bable has me dazed and confused!
Or have you lead trips before and have sage-like knowledge to pass down the generations? Then this is the evening for you!
The idea is to empower more members to lead and/or organize trips, especially beginner friendly trips where we can have amazing adventures in the outdoors. This will be the time and place where new and old members can ask questions, pose thought experiments and get the inside/honest scoop from one another. The logistics behind planning a trip, the resources you have at your disposal as well as pitfalls to avoid will be discussed. It's meant to be an informal roundtable where we can talk as a group about questions people have. In the meantime check out the wiki for organizing a trip. This event will run from 6:00-7:15 PM, location TBD.
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NEXT WEEKEND
Intro to Backcountry Skiing · Sat. Jan. 24th - Sun. Jan. 25th
Intro to Backcountry Skiing is a trip aimed at people who can ski already who want to get into backcountry skiing and tent camping. The objective of the trip is to camp and do some skiing above camp, or climb a peak and ski down (not just skiing to camp and back). Participants should ski well enough that they will be able to descend through forest with a pack on without hitting trees, but they do not have to look remotely good while doing it (this is called Survival Skiing). The trip is a one night excursion to an area with simple terrain and no hut. Participants stay in tents and cook in a snow kitchen, while getting some advice on travelling in the backcountry and winter camping from the more experienced trip leaders. Pre-trip meeting will be Wednesday, January 21st at 6:00 PM in the VOC Clubroom.
Intro to Backcountry Snowshoeing @ Mt. Seymour (**Uber Friendly!!**) · Sunday, January 25th
It's about that time of year where everyone outdoorsy receives wool socks as stocking stuffers and down jackets as holiday gifts from relatives; yet you may claim to be outdoorsy but actually don't have a clue on where to start. Or you may be starting a new term here at UBC, see these mountains looming over the city, but have no idea where to begin your exploration. Wait no longer, your trip is here!! Join me for a day-trip snowshoeing the backcountry of Mount Seymour Provincial Park! Mount Seymour Provincial Park is one of my favorite local winter exploration spots; access is easy and you'll likely see beautiful views. And because this trip is labeled as **Uber Friendly**, this means that this trip is designed for you to have little to no experience traveling in the backcountry and trips like this will be the best place to start. Get stoked to get after your winter adventure grind! Pre-trip meeting will be Thursday, January 22nd at 5:00 PM, location TBD.
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9. Message Board Highlights
a. Wanting to get away over Reading Week and head south to climb at Red Rocks? Follow the discussion here!
b. Want to join an amazing group of people by joining the VOC exec this coming year? Check out details here!
c. Missing Person: Has anyone been out on the North Shore recently?
g. Whistler FAFF thread: This is a thread to help folks organize rides up to Whistler, much like the Squamish faff thread.
h. Can't get enough climbing and eager for more? Check out the The indoor climbing faff thread!
i. Check out the message board for numerous for sale items, including outdoor gear, tire chains and more!
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10. 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 joined the club back in September with nothing but excitement, but then university had me bogged down and working all weekend every weekend! I feel like I am not making the most of my VOC (and university) experience. How can I find the time to make it to VOC trips?
Sincerely,
Stressed Out Student
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Dear Stressed Out Student,
I have also been a casualty to university work, sacrificing my weekends to stay in and complete tasks sub-optimally. I have found that (for me personally) if I get out on a trip on the weekend, then I am far more productive and efficient during the subsequent week. As a result, I finish my next week's work earlier and can go on another trip in one to two weekends time! This does not work for everyone, unfortunately, as sometimes work loads are just far too large to ignore.
I would recommend staying on top of your work and avoid procrastinating, Get your readings and assignments done when they are first assigned, and you may find an excess of time in your schedule! Further, commit to a weekend trip early (a few weeks in advance), and set yourself deadlines. Do not tell yourself that you have a specific weekend to do work if you do not get it done. No! Realize that you have to get your work done by Friday so that you can go on a specific trip that weekend!
This may be hard to do, but I recommend trying it out once or twice. You may just find that you come back the next week re-energized and more efficient. Good luck and I hope you find yourself out in the wilderness soon!
Sincerely,
Ms. Manners
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