Calgary Outdoor Club - FAQs

Membership
1. How much does it cost to join?
2. Do I have to become a member to participate in COC events?
3. How do I find you when I've never met you before?
4. What if I don't want to sign the COC waiver?
5. Is a waiver required to attend social events?
6. Do you sell/share my information with any third-parties?
7. Can my children participate?
8. Can I bring my dog?
   Carpool
9. Can I meet at a different spot than the official carpool location?
10. How is your carpool "per km" amount derived?
11. What if another member contacts me asking for a ride somewhere?
    Member Network/Info
12. Why is my age displayed? Isn't that private information?
13. I chose to participate in the Member Network. Why can't I view other members' info?
    Event Notifications, Registration and Waiting Lists
14. How does your event notification system work?
15. What if I can't attend an event that I'm registered for?
16. Can I be bumped off an event list for any reason?
17. I received a "Double Booked" warning/notice. What, exactly, does this mean?
18. Why was someone else from the waiting list taken before me?
19. There is a huge waiting list for the event I want to attend. Should I bother to add my name to the list?
20. What if I have to drop out of an event that I've already paid for?
21. May I attend an event that I'm not registered for?
22. What if I'm not crashing an event but I do run into a club group because I'm out doing the same activity at the same time?
23. What should I expect if I'm on the waiting list for a paid event?
24. My friend/partner is also a member of the club. Can I sign them up for an event?
25. I'm trying to register for an event and the web site says I'm not old enough, even though I am. What's up with that?
26. Why do some of your events open at 1AM for registration?
27. How and when is your event schedule determined/planned?
28. Why are so many of your events posted last-minute?
    Payments
29. How can I pay for an event?
30. Can I drop a payment off at your address?
31. How do I get my Kilkenny VIP Card?
    Event Descriptions
32. How do the COC's difficulty ratings work?
33. What is a Scramble?
34. What is the scope of the COC events (ie. for risk/difficulty)?
35. I want to submit photos but I don't know how to resize them. How do I do that?
    Volunteering
36. How do I volunteer or donate to the club?
37. I have an idea for an event that I may want to organize. Who should I contact?
38. Can anyone organize an event?
39. What does it mean when there's a star or something else by someone's name?
    Complaints
40. What if I have a complaint about a coordinator or a trip?
41. What if I have a complaint about another member of the club?

1. How much does it cost to join?
   It doesn't cost anything to join the Calgary Outdoor Club and there are no yearly membership fees. We do ask for voluntary donations for many of our free events to help us pay for things like web hosting, printing fees, club mailbox, first aid supplies, etc.
   
   
2. Do I have to become a member to participate in COC events?
   No; non-members are welcome to attend as guests of club members, depending on the number of guests allowed overall, and the number of guests allowed per member. Some events allow children as guests, but many are 18+. The "host" member is responsible for bringing waivers for each guest on EVERY event. A special child waiver is responsible for any guests under the age of 18. See our Waiver page for more information.
   
   
3. How do I find you when I've never met you before?
   If you're new to the club and haven't been out to one of our events before, here are some oh-so-handy tips for how to figure out which of the strangers you see are the ones you're actually looking for:
   - At our social events: A designated spot to loiter will be appointed, and the event coordinator will gather everyone in that spot. When possible, they will wear an article of COC-wear and/or have a Calgary Outdoor Club sign nearby.
   - At a carpool or event location: The carpool location will be described in as much detail as possible. Look for a group of people milling around some vehicles, likely toting hiking or other outdoor gear.
   
   
4. What if I don't want to sign the COC waiver?
   If you do not understand, agree to, or sign the COC waiver, you will be unable to participate in COC events. This is for the club's protection and safety, and we appreciate your hassle-free signature.
   
   
5. Is a waiver required to attend social events?
   Effective April 2008, waivers are not required for social events or meetings, and may not be required for certain events in the "Learn" and "Volunteer" categories.
   
   
6. Do you sell/share my information with any third-parties?
   We respect the privacy of our members and do not sell or share your information with any third-parties. It is also up to you whether or not you want to share your member information with the other members of the club in the online members area. Your choices in this regard include:
   - Do not include your information in the member network at all. Members looking at the sign-up list will NOT be able to click on your name to get more information.
   - Include your information in the member network, but do not share your phone number(s), and/or e-mail address, and/or birthdate. NOTE that hiding your birthdate is not the same as hiding your age which is listed in event sign-up sheets. See FAQ: Age Display for more information.
   
   
7. Can my children participate?
   Some, but very few, events may allow for children. You'll need to check the particular event's information online to see if they are permitted. Children (including babies) can attend only:
   - If the event lists "all ages welcome" (or "13+" means teens may join)
   - If the young person is signed up as their parent's guest on the web site
   - If a child waiver is provided for the young person at the beginning of the event.
   Note that if an event is listed as 18+ you may contact the coordinator to ask to get that changed, however, we do not make changes with less than 48 hours notice, and without the consent of everyone who is already signed up on the event.
   There are special REGULATIONS pertaining to children participating in carpool. Please see our Rules page for complete details.
   Wish we had more kid-friendly events? Please see our Coordinator Checklist on how to become a coordinator for the COC. Others probably want more too!
   
   
8. Can I bring my dog?
   Dogs are permitted on some events. This is at the discretion of the particular event's coordinator and whether the area in which the event occurs permits them. There are some specific Rules related to having dogs attend COC events. If you bring your dog on an event, please make sure you're familiar with them.
   Note that if an event is listed as "no dogs" we are not able to change it to "dogs allowed" due to liability issues.
   Wish we had more dog-friendly events? Please see our Coordinator Checklist on how to become a coordinator for the COC. Others probably want more too!
   
   
9. Can I meet at a different spot than the official carpool location?
   Normally, if you want to meet up and drive together to an event, you must meet at the official carpool location. If you are unable to meet at the carpool location, you will be expected to meet at the starting point (ie. trailhead) for the event. There are a few important reasons for this: first of all, we are a transit-friendly club and have many members who meet at carpool via transit. If some of our drivers are meeting at an alternate location, we likely will not have enough vehicles at carpool to get everyone to the event. Additionally, the time and complication involved with arranging alternate meetings for different people could easily get out of hand if people are wanting to meet at various locations instead of at carpool. Some coordinators may choose to make exceptions depending on individual circumstances, so please e-mail your event coordinator if you feel it is necessary to meet somewhere else.
   
   Meeting at event: Note that when you meet a group at the event (rather than at carpool) it is your responsibility to find the group, including being fifteen minutes early for departure time (since it is difficult to estimate our exact arrival time when carpooling).
   
   
10. How is your carpool "per km" amount derived?
    Effective September 26th, 2005, and as a result of a COC member referendum, our carpool amount is derived by $0.08/km for maintenance, plus the gas price in Calgary divided by 9. This is the per km amount, which is multiplied by the total kilometers round-trip to derive the approximate cost for a specific event. At times when the gas prices are changing frequently, the amount is updated once a week or more.
    
    
11. What if another member contacts me asking for a ride somewhere?
    All members are expected to get to the carpool (or other meeting spot) on their own. There is no obligation for you to provide transportation as our meeting spots are easy to find and get to.
    Aggressive solicitation of transportation will not be tolerated. If someone asks you to provide them with transportation you may refer them to this FAQ or to the COC executive.
    
    
12. Why is my age displayed? Isn't that private information?
    Many members appreciate knowing what type of people may be accompanying them on an event and a group of 20 somethings can be a different experience than a group of 50 somethings. The COC feels that age specific event are discriminatory however members are welcome to choose whether they'd feel comfortable among a group of significantly older or younger participants. Regular members will tell you that ages are insignificant, but it's still nice to know. If you are 50+ but don't feel a day over 29, go ahead and lie on your birthdate - we won't tell a soul! You have the choice to hide your actual birthdate from display since that is considered to be private information..if you are telling the truth!
    
    
13. I chose to participate in the Member Network. Why can't I view other members' info?
    Until you have attended 2+ events with the Calgary Outdoor Club you will not have access to view the information of other club members. This is a privacy/security measure which ensures that personal information is not made publicly available (ie. all someone would have to do to gain access to the information is sign up for a free club). To protect our members' privacy we have implemented a policy that the information is only made available to participating members. Note that "Social" events do not count towards your 2+ events.
    
    
14. How does your event notification system work?
    We only send out e-mail notifications for events that are posted with short notice (<6 days in the future) or require pre-payment through the club. Newest events are always posted on the right-hand side of the calendar, so you can always check there for any new events as well (in fact, we recommend checking there regularly if you find that many events are full before you get the notifications).
    Our system is not able to send out all notifications at the exact same time - we have so many people signed up to get them that it would crash our system. So, instead, 100 notifications are sent out at a time, with the newest people in the club getting the notifications first. We have set it up this way to give new folks a fair shot at getting on some events, and hope that if you're getting the notifications later because you've been in the club for a while will encourage you to start coordinating events of your own (which is, of course, the sure-fire way of making sure you get on an event).
    You can change your subscription for notifications by logging on to the web site and going to "Change Preferences" on the left-nav if you are receiving the notifications and don't want them, or want them but aren't getting them. Note that you can also subscribe or unsubscribe from our newsletter service there as well.
    
    
15. What if I can't attend an event that I'm registered for?
    If you are a member, there are a couple of ways you can remove your registration from an event. First, log in to the web site, and then either:
    - Click on the event details and scroll to the bottom for a button to remove yourself
    - Select "My Events" from the left nav and use the section at the bottom to remove yourself
    Note that if you cancel after the registration cut-off, you will not be able to remove your registration via the web site. In that case you must contact the event coordinator to let them know. If you simply do not show up for an event, it may impact your participation on future events. Please review our Cancellation Policy for more information.
    
    
16. Can I be bumped off an event list for any reason?
    Event sign-ups and waiting lists are always on a first-come, first served basis. It is, however, possible for you to get bumped off an event list in the following circumstances:
    - You have not completed the required training to participate in the event ( e.g. AST1 training required to participate in events in Class 2 - Challenging Terrain)
    - You are not physically able to complete the event, or are putting yourself (or others) at risk by attempting the event
    - You arrive without the required equipment to complete the event (ie. a helmet for a biking event)
    - The event hasn't got enough drivers, in which case a person willing to take their vehicle may be given precedence on the event over someone who isn't
    - You have two or more no-shows logged on your account (see our cancellation policy for more information)
    - You have been notified previously that you are not welcome on this coordinator’s events (due to past issues).
    
    
17. I received a "Double Booked" warning/notice. What, exactly, does this mean?
    There are three types of "Double Booked" warnings you may receive from the COC web site.
    - The first two types are "automated" warnings from the web site, simply notifying you that you are registered for more than one event for a particular date. This situation is not always actually a problem, as it is entirely possible to attend more than one event on a day if they do not overlap. The web site is not able to tell if this is the case, or if you are, in fact, actually double-booked (ie. Registered on two or more events that DO overlap, making it impossible for you to attend all of them). This is just a courtesy warning and a request that if you ARE double booked, that you please choose which event you wish to attend and remove yourself from any others. You may get these "automated" warnings when you are moved from a waiting list to an event, or two days before the date of the events.
    - You will receive the third type of warning if you have been identified as being registered for more than one overlapping event by the COC volunteers who monitor double-bookings. Once you receive this type of warning, you will have 48 hours (or three official warnings if it's very short notice) to rectify the situation (ie. Remove yourself from all events except the one you'll be attending) or you will be removed from all of the events. This is a club policy to protect our members and our volunteers... our volunteers must plan events and carpools and it is unfair to them to park your name on more than one event and then take it off at the last minute when you decide which one to attend (or not at all)... our members want to get onto events and if someone is taking up spots on more than one overlapping event, they are preventing another member from attending one of those events.
    
    
18. Why was someone else from the waiting list taken before me?
    Occasionally we have a situation in which we haven't got enough drivers to get all event attendees from the carpool location to the event. In these cases, the coordinator may skip down the list and take someone who is willing/able to drive over someone who indicates "Unable to Drive" or "Prefer not to Drive". Note that if you choose "Willing to Drive" or "Definitely Driving", you will be expected to be willing/able to take your vehicle, plus up to three passengers. See Related FAQ for more information about this and other reasons why someone else may be taken first.
    
    
19. There is a huge waiting list for the event I want to attend. Should I bother to add my name to the list?
    For the most part we try to make every accomodation to get as many people onto an event that want to attend. For hikes or other outdoor activities, the limited numbers are more of a suggestion and some volunteers are willing to add more people to the hike than they initially intended. In some cases, a second group will be added to accomodate a growing waiting list. However, for social events like dinners, paid events or house parties the number of people allowed is not usually flexible. If there is a long waiting list it will depend on the type of event as to whether you will be able to attend. There are almost always last minute drop outs and the volunteer might call you, or they might send out an email to all the wait listers to take an open spot as a first come, first serve basis. Or you might just be out of luck. The best option is to watch your email for any notification from the co-ordinator, or even to call the day of the event to let them know you are still interested. If you do not want to be put on a stand by situation, you have the option to be dropped off the waiting list automatically at a certain number of days before the day of the event. Don't forget that a guaranteed way to get on an event is to co-ordinate one!
    
    
20. What if I have to drop out of an event that I've already paid for?
    If it is still before the cut-off date, you may fill out the Refund Request Form (on your left nav) to receive a full refund. If the cut-off date has passed, you will receive a refund only if someone takes (and pays for) your spot on the event. Please contact the coordinator, and Treasurer, in this case.
     
21. May I attend an event that I'm not registered for?
    No, event crashing is against club policy. Please see "Event Crashing" on our Rules page for complete information.
     
22. What if I'm not crashing an event but I do run into a club group because I'm out doing the same activity at the same time?
    Most of our events do take place in public venues that are open to everyone. Please see "Event Crashing" on our Rules page for complete information about what constitutes "crashing" and what does not.
    
    
23. What should I expect if I'm on the waiting list for a paid event?
    If paid attendees drop out of a paid event after the registration cut-off, the people on the wait list will be contacted. The first person to commit and pay for the spot gets it. Note that this is different from our waiting list "first come first serve" policy for regular events.
    
    
24. My friend/partner is also a member of the club. Can I sign them up for an event?
    Yes, but please use the "Agent" feature on our web site to do so. Your friend/partner should use the "Set Up Agents" link on the left nav and enter you as their agent. Then, when you register for an event, indicate that you're bringing a guest. Select your friend/partner from the list at the top - everyone who has designated you as their "Agent" will appear in the list. Please do not sign them up as a regular "Guest" otherwise they will be asked to sign a non-member waiver, the event will not show up in their event history, and so on.
    
    
25. I'm trying to register for an event and the web site says I'm not old enough, even though I am. What's up with that?
    Sometimes a person receives this message when they are using:
    - A very old version of a browser
    - A non-standard browser
    Or:
    - Have their security settings too high on their browser
    - Have their browser set to refuse cookies
    The solutions to this problem are:
    - Use a different computer
    - Upgrade/change your browser
    - Decrease your security settings and/or allow cookies
    
    
26. Why do some of your events open at 1AM for registration?
    At times a coordinator may want to post an event to the calendar so people know it's coming, but isn't quite ready to let people register for it yet. Maybe they're not positive that they'll do the event, or maybe they're still working on the event details. When this is the case, they can select the date (but not the time) for their registration to open. Computers being what they are, as soon as the time clicks over onto that date (ie. at midnight), registration for that event opens. The rub is that our web server is actually in California, so it is one hour behind us, thus midnight to our web site is actually 1AM local time.
    
    
27. How and when is your event schedule determined/planned?
    Believe it or not, our schedule is not planned or pre-determined in any way. We attempt to recruit enough event coordinators with enough varied interests to make sure we always have lots of great things on the calendar. Our coordinators post what they want when they want (with a few stipulations, of course, regarding safety, group sizes, scope of the club). The COC executive team and administrators have no idea what will be posted or when... like everyone else, we just have to wait and see what our coordinators decide to post.
    
    
28. Why are so many of your events posted last-minute?
    Our coordinators have had some logistic nightmares in the past with events that were posted further out into the future. What would happen is, we would post the event for, say, two weeks or three weeks in advance. A bunch of people would sign up. Then, a bunch more would put their names on the waiting list. Then, more and more would put THEIR names on the waiting list. On the last few days leading up to the event, the original people would start dropping out. By then, the people who are first on the waiting list have long forgotten about the event and made other plans, and the only people who were actually genuinely interested in going on the event were the ones who most recently put their names on the waiting list - so, they were at the very bottom. The problem here is that our "first come/first serve" policy, requires that we start at the top of the list. So, we always had a mad scramble the last few days trying to fill our events with the people who were serious about going, and often had events going out with only a handful of people on them (due to last-minute cancellations and no-shows), even though there were lots of people still on the waiting list. A very sad situation indeed!
    
    We tried a number of different things to alleviate this situation, but when everything came out in the wash, the thing that worked best was to post events with less lead time. This isn't always the happy answer for our members (and coordinators) who like to plan things further in advance, but it was the only thing that worked, and so we have gone with it. We also use the old "Registration Opens at 1AM" trick in some cases to alleviate this as well.
    
    
29. How can I pay for an event?
    You must pay for your events (which require payment) by the cut-off date. Payment must be made to the club Treasurer. See our Payment Info page for more information. The COC only accepts electronic payments which you can make via Online Banking or PayPal. You may, if necessary, make payment via cash or cheque but these must be handed to the club Treasurer on a club event.
    
    
30. Can I drop a payment off at your address?
    No, generally speaking payments MUST be made to the COC electronically, however, the current Treasurer, Rhonda Scheurer/Samantha Mathie, is willing to accept cash and cheque payments provided they are handed to them on a club event. This is a courtesy provided above the officially accepted payment methods of the club and mailing or drop-off payments are not available.
    
    
31. How do I get my Kilkenny VIP Card?
    Active COC Members are eligible for a VIP Card from Kilkenny Pub.
    
    Your VIP Card will get you:
    1. 10% discount seven days a week just for presenting your card
    2. Whenever we have a multiple of 5 members with VIP cards there at a time (ie. 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25 members with their cards), a free gift will be coming to the table. The gift will be in the form of wings and a pitcher of beer (one for each multiple of 5)
    
    To be eligible for a Kilkenny VIP Card, you must have attended two events. There are two ways you can get your Kilkenny Card:
    1) From our Kilkenny Contact, Rob, directly: Fill out the Kilkenny Card Application Form on the left nav. After you've completed the application, you may get your card by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Rob and he will mail your card out to you.
    2) From one of our volunteers who carries spares to give out at the Kilkenny. If you're going to the Kilkenny with the group, Ask the coordinator if they have a spare card.
    
    
32. How do the COC's difficulty ratings work?
    The mission of the COC is to provide events for all skill levels, with the main focus being at a beginner/intermediate skill level. Our events are rated for difficulty with this in mind. Because we are a variety club, and are not hard-core into a specific activity, our events are often rated more difficult than an expert would consider them to be (they are rated for our group, not for the expert, or hard-core community). If you have never participated in an activity before, you should be just fine attending an event that is rated Easy or Easy to Moderate. If your confidence level is higher with an activity, our events rated more difficult than that should still be fine. Make sure that you have an excellent fitness level, and/or extensive experience with an event, before signing up for anything rated Difficult or Advanced. Please see our Difficulty Ratings for detailed information. If you are unsure of your ability to complete event in which you’re interested, please e-mail the event coordinator to discuss before registering.
    
    
33. What is a Scramble?
    - A Scramble is a steep hike, on and off-trail. Slabby, loose, down-sloping terrain. Frequent use of hands for sections. Some exposure. Some route finding. Possible rockfall. Helmets are recommended.
    
    
34. What is the scope of the COC events (ie. for risk/difficulty)?
    Because the COC is a free, volunteer-run organization, there are certain activities that are beyond the scope of what we're able to offer. The scope of the COC includes:
    - Hikes, walks, backpacking, camping, canoeing, rafting, scrambles, inline skating
    - Cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snow shoeing, ice skating
    - Special events run through a tour company (caving, dog sledding, trail rides)
    - Social and variety events
    The scope of the COC does NOT include:
    - Winter activities that take people into a) Class 3 - Complex Terrain or b) avalanche terrain of any class (Simple/Challenging/Complex) when the danger level is High or Extreme.
    - Singles events - these are WAY too dangerous (ok, seriously, they're just outside of our scope. The COC is an "everyone welcome" club that does not discriminate based on marital status)
    - Mountain climbing, rock climbing or ice climbing (unless run through an external organization)
    - Whitewater or river kayaking; any water trips involving Class III or higher rapids
    - Sky diving, hang gliding, paragliding, wind surfing, kite boarding
    Winter activities that take people into avalanche territory require an avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe, and a basic avalanche awareness course for every participant.
    
    
35. I want to submit photos but I don't know how to resize them. How do I do that?
    Thank you for taking the time to submit your photos for our photo albums! Here are some instructions that will hopefully get you going with resizing them so they don't overwhelm our photo historian's e-mail account:
    - Go to the folder your photos are saved in
    - Right click on a photo, select Open With/Microsoft Office Picture Manager (MS Office Picture Manager will open)
    - Select Picture/Resize from the menu bar at the top
    - Select from the bar on the right: make picture fit inside/predefined widch x height/web large (640 x 480px)
    - Click ok
    - Select file/save as from the top menu bar and rename the photo so you know this is the resized photo (e.g. original file name: Calgary Picnic 1, resized file name: Calgary Picnic 1 sm)
    - Send this photo to the photo historians
    *When you close MS Office Picture Manager, you will get a popup that says "There are changes that have not been saved". Select "Don't Save" . This will ensure you keep the original size photo for printing at a print shop AND have a resized photo for the photo historian to post online.
    It's quite easy once you get the hang of it!
    
    
36. How do I volunteer or donate to the club?
    It's easy to help out. We keep our web site updated with our current needs on our Volunteer & Donate page. Let us know how you'd like to help, and we'll get you started. Thanks for your interest!
    
    
37. I have an idea for an event that I may want to organize. Who should I contact?
    Great! We are a club run by the members for the members, so we make it as easy as we can for people to start coordinating events. Please review our Coordinator Checklist and when you're ready to proceed, e-mail our volunteer coordinator, Rhonda and the VC Squad, at volunteer@calgaryoutdoorclub.com to discuss!.
    
    
38. Can anyone organize an event?
    To organize an event, you must be on our Volunteer Team or wish to join our Volunteer Team. Your first three events must be outdoor/sport events - no socials. You may get a volunteer that you know to "co-coordinate" with you (they must attend and help with organization) or you may contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Rhonda and the VC Squad, at volunteer@calgaryoutdoorclub.com to coordinate your own events without a co-coordinator. See our Coordinator Checklist for more information.
    * To organize events in avalanche terrain, please contact Karen Herrington at pres@calgaryoutdoorclub.com.
    
    
39. What does it mean when there's a star or something else by someone's name? An icon of any kind by a person's name means that they are on our Volunteer Team. The default icon is a star, but volunteers can trade their star in for an icon of their choice. If you'd like to try to find out what someone's icon means, check our our forum discussion, although there are no guarantees that someone has revealed their icon in the forum.
    
    
40. What if I have a complaint about a coordinator or a trip?
    Please see our Complaint Policy on our Rules page for information.
    
    
41. What if I have a complaint about another member of the club?
    Please see our Complaint Policy on our Rules page for information.