1

Trip

Leader

This is the designation given to a club member who organizes an event and posts it to the trip calendar. Calgary Section Trip Leaders are responsible for the overall planning and organization of their posted trip. The Trip Leader is a restricted designation that requires vetting by the Board of the Calgary Section. The vetting process does not verify mountain skills, but rather that the individual understands the generally accepted framework of how the club wishes trips to run. To become a Trip Leader, please consult How to Become a Trip Leader

The Trip Leader is a volunteer who is expected to be a competent individual. However, it is the group’s combined effort that ultimately contributes to the overall success of the trip as well as keeping the group safe. There are inherent dangers involved in any mountaineering activity that can never be eliminated. The Trip Leader can take steps in the planning of the trip to help improve safety, but ultimately, risk assessment and subsequent judgement of acceptable levels of risk are up to each individual.

Pre-Trip Responsibilities

1. Research the physical and technical demands of the trip by reading literature and talking to experienced skiers and climbers. Lookup current conditions including weather, avalanche conditions, trail restrictions, route condition, etc.. Include participants in the planning of the event.
2. Prepare optional trip plans if conditions or group dynamics change. Posting a trip to the calendar does not mean the trip must go ahead exactly as posted (or at all if it’s not wise to continue). Be flexible as conditions are not forecast until a few days before and not known until the trip has begun.
3. Have an emergency plan which may include a satellite phone and/or leaving a copy of the trip itinerary with a responsible person.
4. Print, in colour if possible, the Release form, found on this page: https://www.acccalgary.ca/documents-and-waivers/.  Advise the trip participants that they’ll need to read & sign the waiver before the trip begins, and encourage them to read & understand it in advance.  Take this to your carpool location (pen, clipboard and headlamp are handy). There is a spot for each participant to list their emergency contact.
5. Select a reasonable number of participants, ensuring that there are enough to both manage risk without creating an overly slow or hard to manage group.
6. Take people with sufficient ability and equipment to completed the trip within acceptable safety margins for everyone on the trip. At a minimum, make sure that the group has enough skill such that if any one member of the group is injured (including the Leader), that the remaining group can provide first-aid, evacuation, and safely return home themselves.
7. When required, organize hut space, campsites, transportation and ropes or delegate the task. Ropes can be borrowed free of charge from the Calgary section (ropes@acccalgary.ca).  The club has a satellite phone that can also be borrowed free of charge and is kept in the library (librarian@acccalgary.ca).

Trip Responsibilities

1. Have all participants read and signed the Release of Liability/Waiver form (in the presence of a witness) prior to departing on the trip? NO EXCEPTIONS.
2. Keep track of all participants from start to finish. You must return with as many people as you left with unless mutually agreed upon arrangements have been made.
3. Ask a Trip Participant to write an article for the Forum.

Post-Trip Responsibilities

1. Send copies of the signed waivers to the Librarian for filing. It is important that The Alpine Club of Canada retain these forms for a minimum of six years.
2. Return any equipment borrowed from the Calgary Section (ropes, helmets, etc.) in a timely fashion. Be sure to dry out ropes before you return them. Report any problems with or damage to equipment, or any damage that may have occurred on your trip (you will not be charged, but we need to know for safety reasons).
3. Report any accident or negative incident incurred on your activity to the Calgary Section Chairperson and/or the Executive Director of the National Office

2

Trip

Participants

Trip participants are club members who sign-up for a posted event.  Participants must be aware of what they are signing up for and have the knowledge to understand the consequences of participating on the event. Everyone on a trip is responsible in the twin tasks of moving the group safely toward its goal and of building group cohesion. In effect, each individual must share leadership responsibilities. Individual leadership means, for example, being aware of the group and its progress: Is someone lagging behind? Offer encouragement, and look for ways to help. Thinking about the party, its welfare, how you can contribute is in itself preparation-the very best preparation-for leadership.

Trip Participant Responsibilities

1. Participants should find out the requirements and demands of the trip before signing up by researching literature and by discussing the trip with the Trip Leader and other participants. Sign up for trips that will challenge you, but are not beyond your abilities. Gain experience by starting with easier trips and incrementally building experience until you have the skill set to engage in more difficult trips.
2. Be prepared to contribute to group decision making and risk assessment. All participants are expected to keep a watchful eye for any hazards, and communicate any concerns to the group.
3. Take part in route finding. Use the map, route description, gps and/or compass frequently so you are always oriented and know where the party is.
4. Assume responsibility for your own knowledge, skill and preparedness. Ensure that you have the right equipment and that it is in good repair. Personal gear is left up to the participants including food, clothing, sunscreen, personal climbing gear (i.e. harness, belay device), etc. The leader will do their best to organize group gear, but helping the leader in this task will be appreciated including carrying part of the group gear. Always bring a working headlamp and a helmet where appropriate. In avalanche terrain, all participants are required to have a multi-antenna beacon, probe, shovel/hoe and know how to use them.
5. Read, in advance, the release of liability/waiver and be prepared to sign it. Understand the consequences of releasing the ACC and anyone on the trip of negligence where their actions may result in harm to yourself.
6. Don’t be flakey. If you sign-up for a trip, do your best to go. If your plans change, let the Trip Leader know as soon as possible.
7. Share expenses. At a minimum, each carpool passenger should pay the driver for gas. For example, for a 100km journey, with three people in the car, consider using a formula like this: (100 km / 3 people) * reasonable per-kilometre allowance = $ your share of gas. For example, (100/3) x $.54=$18

3

Amateur

Leader

It is important that the group is a strong team and leverages all of the skills available to them. In no case does a Leader make risk related decisions for participants without the participants knowledge and input. Leader’s on club events are not certified in the same way as a Mountain Guide and should not be treated as a Mountain Guide, unless they are in fact, a certified Mountain Guide. While many club members are highly skilled and are excellent leaders, some have only a basic level of skill (we all start somewhere), so adjust your expectations accordingly.

Leadership Tasks 

• Review your list of required personal and group gear with participants before you leave the carpool location (shovel, probe, beacon, rope, harness, headlamp, etc.).
• For any trip in avalanche terrain, test everyone’s transceiver at the start of each day. Consider doing a range check at the beginning of multi-day trips.
• Keep track of all participants. You must return with as many people as you left with unless mutually agreed upon arrangements have been made between all parties. Group spacing requirements vary significantly by hazards and conditions, but please try and promote the safest group spacing.
• Encourage participants to engage in the safe management of the group. Is everyone keeping an eye out for everyone else? Is everyone keeping an eye out for hazards? Does everyone understand which hazards are present and the group spacing required to manage those hazards? Do participants feel comfortable vocalizing to the group any hazards they see?
• Facilitate group decisions such that everyone is aware of the known hazards and has a chance to assess the risk according to their own risk tolerance.

4

Professional

Mountain Guide

Professional Mountain Guides are not necessarily members of the club (though some may be), and they are critical contributors to club activities. Mountain Guides are paid professionals and are hired to run the many courses the club organizes and often subsidizes. Courses provide an opportunity for members to gain a variety of mountain skills and make their future mountain activities safer.

No member may post a trip which they financially profit from. Therefore, no Trip Leader can also play the role of a Mountain Guide on paid course, as this would be a commercial activity. Members who are guides are free to post & participate on trips where they are not acting as a guide in a commercial capacity.  On professionally guided trips, the Trip Leader still maintains their job and needs to complete their roll as outlined above (group gear, waivers, etc).

Working with Guides

• The Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (www.acmg.ca) is the governing body for  hiking, rock, alpine, ski, & mountain guides in Canada.  Most provincial & national parks require guides be certified & have a permit to guide in the park.

5

Club

Board

The Calgary Section’s Board plays a role in trip events in three main ways:

• Screening of Trip Leaders
• Monitoring of Club Events
• Coordinating Courses and Peer Learning 

Screening of Trip Leaders

The Section Board screens Trip Leader applicants, typically delegating this responsibility to the Ski, Climbing, T&L and Section Chair positions. Please read Appendix A for the full policy on becoming a Trip Leader. The Section Board is a volunteer position, and there are no minimum outdoor skill or experience requirements to become a Chair. Therefore, the Board is not vetting for skill, but rather that the applicant knows how to  plan trips within a generally accepted framework.

Monitoring of Club Trips

The Chair positions monitor posted events and retain the right to remove any trip which contradicts section by-laws or is deemed too risky to be a club trip. Although trips are seldom removed from the calendar, it has happened. It is hoped that the removal of a trip from the calendar is done in a professional manner, the reasons clearly communicated and support is provided to rectify any concerns. 

Training and Leadership

The club provides a wide range of courses for trip participants, leaders and leaders. Many of the trips are subsidized with a focus on providing financial support to members who are most likely to contribute back to the club by coordinating trips. However, it is recognized that Trip Leaders started as inexperienced participants, and that training participants is an important part of creating new Trip Leaders. Improving the training and skills of all trip participants will help improve the safety of events. Please read Appendix A on how to obtain club subsides for training purposes.