We wrote the following guidelines to help our members connect with club events. These guidelines are for all members, trip leaders, and participants alike.
In addition to the guidelines below, we want to emphasize communication. Communicate your needs and concerns during the trip and participate in decision-making.
The instructions below assume that you have created a Meetup.com account, are logged into your personal Meetup.com account, and have already joined the Island Mountain Ramlers’ private Meetup group.
Joining a Trip:
- Be familiar with the club’s Meetup etiquette and policies.
- Log in to the club Meetup and check the schedule frequently for updates
- Become familiar with the trip rating system codes, such as HK3P2 and others
- Read the trip description carefully, and if it’s something suitable for your experience and fitness, join the trip
- If the trip is full, go on the waitlist, as there are almost always cancellations
- Tell the organizer if you are taking medication or have a condition of concern
- Remove yourself from the going and waitlist as soon as you know you can’t make it
- Show up for the event; ‘no shows” cause problems for trip leaders, which could exclude you from future trips Read more here
Bringing a Guest
- Guests cannot join the club Meetup
- We allow guests to attend trips as a courtesy to our trip leaders and members who want to bring a friend on a trip.
- Contact the trip leader to confirm a guest may join the trip
- Ensure your guest completes the FMCBC Liability waiver
- Leaders record the guest’s name in the trip submission report
- A guest may attend two club day trips before becoming a member
Pre-trip Preparation
- Review trip reports, route descriptions, and maps provided by the trip leader
- Seek out and review road maps, guidebook notes, topographic area maps
- Ask questions if you need more clarification before and during your trip
- Assemble a suitable first aid kit that is freshly stocked to your level of expertise
- Pack for the worst-case scenario: spending an unexpected night out
- ALWAYS pack the 10 essentials
- Assemble the appropriate gear (gear lists)
- Monitor weather and avalanche forecasts (if applicable)
- Bring money for the ride-sharing fee (posted in the event details)
- Leave a trip plan with a responsible person
Rendezvous
- Know the departure time, and arrive early!!
- Multiple rendezvous points en route are not uncommon
- Ensure everyone is taken care of regarding required gear
- Arrange ride-sharing
At the trailhead
- Introduce yourself
- Expect a short overview of the trip, its objectives and safety requirements. Expect to hear about the hazards of the trip and ask about them you don’t. It is important to travel as a group to avoid getting separated and putting the entire group at risk.
- Agree upon the ‘goal’; perhaps ‘the summit’ is not a priority!
- Set the turnaround time.
- Listen to instructions about the emergency communication plan, or ask about it
- Expect the leader to assign a first-aider or ask about it (the trip leader shouldn’t be the first-aider, an alternate leader will be identified)
- Orient yourself with a map or guidebook
- Leave with the group
Expectations for the trip
- Communicate emergent issues with the trip leader(s)
- Uphold the standards of the club’s harassment policy
- Follow the pace set by your trip leader and group; no jack-rabbits
- Practice the 7 principals of Leave No Trace
Guidelines for Trip Leaders
To understand more about the role of the trip leader, review the club’s Guidelines for Trip Leaders page.