FAQ

This FAQ is broken into 3 sections based on your experience with the club:

Existing Members

  • Why would I want to become a Trip Leader considering all the hard work required

    There are a number of reasons to become a Trip Leader:

    1. Respect. The majority of participants appreciate the opportunity to go to the mountains. Any skills taught, knowledge shared and encouragement given does not often go unnoticed.
    2. Trip Coordinators were once novices and got to where they are with the help of other individuals that can roughly be categorized as Trip Leaders. Organizing a trip is a way of returning the favour
    3. All the trips on the Calendar generally fill quickly. Better to lead a trip than stay at home watching TV.
    4. The Trip Leader can define the trip. The Trip Leader chooses the destination, the pace and the style. For example, the Trip Leader can choose fast and light, or slower with better food and more time to take pictures. The Trip Leader selects the participants and should select the participants based on making the trip a success. This means that a Trip Leader needs to define a minimum allowable skill level and is in no way required to select novices. In fact, there is no reason the Trip Leader must be the most skilled individual on the trip and can recruit more skilled participants than themselves. This strategy combines all of the above benefits in addition to giving themselves the opportunity to gain greater knowledge through interacting with more experienced members.
  • How do I become a Trip Leader

    That process is described under the Trip Leaders menu.

    Once you are an active Trip Leader, we encourage you to take full advantage of our many free or partially-subsidized courses and workshops, that allow you to broaden and improve your skills.

     

  • Who can be a Trip Leader?

    Trip Leaders are not professional guides, but rather experienced members who organize mountain-related trips. These trips happen both in town and in the mountains. A basic level of competency is required to become a Trip Leader, but there is no standard for technical skills outside of standard first aid. However, Trip Leaders are initially vetted by the Chair of the related trip committee, e.g. ski Leaders are vetted by the Ski Committee Chair, etc. Occasionally, as a result of a significant lapse in a Trip Leader’s technical experience their ability to post trips may be removed until they are again vetted by an event committee chairperson. Committee chairs endeavour to monitor trips to assess the trip’s level of difficulty v.s. his assessment of the Leader’s skill level. Trip Leaders technical ability varies widely, as does the level of trips posted to the Event Calendar. Therefore, the Trip Leader is expected to only lead trips within their current ability. In short, anyone who has the ability to safely lead intended trips can become a Trip Leader. Please see also 3.3 below.

  • How do I get onto more interesting trips

    The best way to get onto more adventurous trips is to increase your skill level and fitness. The club offers a large number and variety of courses at subsidized rates as well as climb and ski training nights. All courses are posted to the Calender and occur year round. The climbing nights are at local gyms (typically The Crux and Calgary Climbing Centre) as well as local crags while the ski dry land training has been at Edworthy. Climbing nights run year round while the dry land training has historically been in the fall. Training nights are a great way to meet Trip Leaders.

  • I was first on the waiting list, but others who signed up after me were selected and now the trip is full – what gives

    It is the Trip Leaders responsibility to move people from the wait list onto the roster. Typically, the Trip Leader will vet the participants and if they do not personally know them, will vet them by the best available information including asking for a resume, looking at event histories and talking to other Trip Leaders. You should not have a first-come, first-serve expectation considering that a participant without the required fitness, skill and equipment will prevent the success of the group achieving their goal. Vetting participants is widely considered the most unpleasant bit of leading a trip. A Trip Leader is taking a gamble taking anyone they have never met into the mountains. If you are new to the club, make it easy on the Trip Leaders and meet them at a training night, slide show, social or a climbing/ski review (these events are usually first-come, first-serve). If a Trip Leader can put a face to a name, you have a much better chance of getting onto a trip. It is also a good idea for participants to vet Trip Leaders as you will be trusting them with your safety.

    If you sign-up for a winter trip, make sure you take your AST level 1. If you sign-up for a climbing trip,  try and climb with the Trip Leader at a gym or rock rage night. Finally, be reliable. A no show on your record will drop you to the end of the selection list in most cases.

  • I keep missing out on cool trips because I don’t get the notification emails. Why don’t I get them

    You can sign-up for our weekly newsletter (The Breeze) and event notifications. Visit our main page at www.acccalgary.ca, click on the green Event Calendar link, then login. Under Account –> Preferences you’ll notice a link leading you to a subscription page for the Breeze as well as a list of event type notifications you can sign up to receive. 

  • I don’t get any emails from the club

    This is likely for one of three reasons:

      1. This is likely caused by an incorrectly submitted e-mail address to National. The Calgary Section member information is synchronized with the National database frequently, so please update your information through the National website and it will make its way through the system.
      2. Our event notification emails come through the Event Calendar. To receive those, go to the Calgary Section main page https://www.acccalgary.ca/, click on the “Event Calendar” link, login and make your changes through the “Account” –> “Preferences” menu item/page. On that same “Preferences” page you can also sign up to receive our monthly newsletter, The Breeze. 
      3. If you don’t receive any event notification emails (likely you have hotmail), please check your spam folder. To prevent ACC emails from ending up in the spam folder, you can try adding no-reply@acccalgary.ca to your contact list. If that still doesn’t solve the problem, please email webmaster@acccalgary.ca with the issue.

New Members

  • I have logged into the Event Calendar and signed-up for a trip. I was placed on a waiting list and have been there for a month. The trip is this weekend and I’m getting anxious. How do I get moved onto the trip roster

    Many Trip Leaders wait until the weather forecast and avalanche conditions are known to finalize trip details, which is 5 days before the event at best. This is tough on social planning, but is prudent for mountain trips where weather is a matter of safety. That is first assuming that there is room on the trip for everyone that would like to join in. If you are well down on the wait list and/or the “registered” roster is full already then it may be that there is not room on the trip for you. Unfortunately, this situation is endemic in organizations of this sort and can be disappointing, our trips our generally very popular so members need to make a commitment to events as soon as possible after their posting if they would like to maximize their chances of participation. Please see 2.2 and section 3 below.

  • I have forgotten my user name and/or password for the Event Calendar

    Please follow these instructions to retrieve your credentials for the Event Calendar:

    1. Go to our main page:  https://www.acccalgary.ca
    2. Click on the large, green “Event Calendar” link part way down the page. 
    3. Click on the “Log In” tab at the top of that landing page. 
    4. Click on the “Need help logging in?” link. 
    5. Enter your email address in the text box provided. 
    6. If you do not receive an email with your credentials right away, please check your spam/junk folder. 
    7. If you still can not locate that email, contact webmaster@acccalgary.ca for more assistance. 
  • I’m a new member and I can’t log in to the Calgary Section website (Event Calendar, forum or photo gallery)

    The Calgary Section website is run by Section volunteers and separate from the National website. The Calgary Section website is synchronized at least weekly with the National membership database. You will not be able to access the Calgary Section website until this update is made. We are currently working on a method to automatically sync each night. Alternatively, if you would like to access the Event Schedule sooner than the expected Calgary Section update, please email the volunteer webmasters at: webmaster@acccalgary.ca . We will update the database with your record as soon as we are able, generally the same day in the evening. 

  • How do I change my account information (e.g. email)

    Please update membership information with the National ACC office. You do not need to update this information with the Calgary Section because Calgary synchronizes these details with National at least once a week. To make changes, you can call the ACC office in Canmore at: 1-403-678-3200 and they can update your record. Or alternatively, and preferably, you can go on-line and make any changes that are required:

    1. Go to https://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/web
    2. Go to the “Membership” tab and then click on “Sign in” at the top of the main page. 
    3. When you get to that page there is an interface “FIRST TIME LOGGING IN” to allow first-time access to your profile. 
    4. Once you have access you can login and change your information at any time. 
  • Am I eligible to participate in an ACC Calgary Section trip

    The ACC is comprised of two levels, ACC National and the 23 local Sections (in this case Calgary) across Canada. They both have separate Boards, budgets, responsibilities and websites. ACC National is the umbrella organization that takes care of things like huts, membership lists and dues, and insurance for all of the local Sections. Each local Section focuses on planning activities for their Section members and location. You will need a National ACC membership, and there is a small additional annual fee payable (e.g. ~$20.00 for the addition of the Calgary Section) for each Section you wish to be affiliated with and to participate in their activities. This website is maintained by the Calgary Section of the ACC. Call National to make sure you are a paid up member with Calgary Section affiliation if you would like to participate in Calgary Section trips. Calgary Section trips are posted for Calgary Section members first and foremost. If there is a Section trip that you would like to attend but you are not a member of the Calgary Section, please contact the relevant Committee Chair at https://www.acccalgary.ca/contact/. That person can put you in contact with the Trip Leader. If there is sufficient space after Calgary Section member interest has been exhausted then other Section members or unaffiliated National members will be permitted to participate, pending the Trip Leader approval based on skill level, etc. The final say is always with the Trip Leader.

Prospective Members

  • Am I eligible to participate in an ACC Calgary Section trip

    The ACC is comprised of two levels, ACC National and the 23 local Sections (in this case Calgary) across Canada. They both have separate Boards, budgets, responsibilities and websites. ACC National is the umbrella organization that takes care of things like huts, membership lists and dues, and insurance for all of the local Sections. Each local Section focuses on planning activities for their Section members and location. You will need a National ACC membership, and there is a small additional annual fee payable (e.g. ~$20.00 for the addition of the Calgary Section) for each Section you wish to be affiliated with and to participate in their activities. This website is maintained by the Calgary Section of the ACC. Call National to make sure you are a paid up member with Calgary Section affiliation if you would like to participate in Calgary Section trips. Calgary Section trips are posted for Calgary Section members first and foremost. If there is a Section trip that you would like to attend but you are not a member of the Calgary Section, please contact the relevant Committee Chair at https://www.acccalgary.ca/contact/. That person can put you in contact with the Trip Leader. If there is sufficient space after Calgary Section member interest has been exhausted then other Section members or unaffiliated National members will be permitted to participate, pending the Trip Leader approval based on skill level, etc. The final say is always with the Trip Leader.