Vancouver Outdoor Club - FAQs

Membership
1. How much does it cost to join?
2. Do I have to become a member to participate in VROC events?
3. How do I find you when I've never met you before?
4. What if I don't want to accept the VROC waiver?
5. Do you sell/share my information with any third-parties?
6. Can my children participate?
7. Can I bring my dog?
   
   Carpool
8. Can I meet at a different spot than the official carpool location?
9. How is your carpool "per km" amount derived?
10. What if another member contacts me asking for a ride somewhere?
    
    Member Network/Info
11. Why is my age displayed? Isn't that private information?
12. I chose to participate in the Member Network. Why can't I view other members' info?
    
    Event Notifications, Registration and Waiting Lists
13. How does your event notification system work?
14. What if I can't attend an event that I'm registered for?
15. Can I be bumped off an event list for any reason?
16. I received a "Double Booked" warning/notice. What, exactly, does this mean?
17. Why was someone else from the waiting list taken before me?
18. There is a huge waiting list for the event I want to attend. Should I bother to add my name to the list?
19. What if I have to drop out of an event that I've already paid for?
20. May I attend an event that I'm not registered for?
21. 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?
22. What should I expect if I'm on the waiting list for a paid event?
23. My friend/partner is also a member of the club. Can I sign them up for an event?
24. How and when is your event schedule determined/planned?
25. Why are so many of your events posted last-minute?
26. Why are there some spots filled on an event already even though registration hasn't opened yet?
    
    Payments
27. How can I pay for an event?
28. Can I drop a payment off at your address?
    
    Event Descriptions
29. How do the VROC's difficulty ratings work?
30. What is a Scramble?
31. What is the scope of the VROC events (ie. for risk/difficulty)?
32. I want to submit photos but I don't know how to resize them. How do I do that?
    
    Volunteering
33. How do I volunteer or donate to the club?
34. I have an idea for an event that I may want to organize. Who should I contact?
35. Can anyone organize an event?
36. What does it mean when there's a star or something else by someone's name?
    
    Complaints
37. What if I have a complaint about a coordinator or a trip?
38. 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 Vancouver Regional 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.
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2. Do I have to become a member to participate in VROC events?
   Yes; the Vancouver Regional Outdoor Club has only one waiver - the online waiver which members accept when they register for an event. Unlike some of our sister clubs, we do not have paper waivers for guests to attend.
   
   
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 VROC-wear and/or have a Vancouver Regional 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.
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4. What if I don't want to accept the VROC waiver?
   If you do not understand or agree to the VROC waiver, you will be unable to participate in VROC events. This is for the club's protection and safety, and in order to register for (and attend) one of our events, you must accept the waiver.
   
   
5. 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 birth date. NOTE that hiding your birth date is not the same as hiding your age which is listed in event sign-up sheets. See FAQ: Age Display for more information.
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6. Can my children participate?
   No, only adults 18+ can become V-ROC members, and only members may attend events at this time, so unfortunately, it is not possible for children to attend our events.
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7. 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 VROC 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 VROC. Others probably want more too!
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8. 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).
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9. How is your carpool "per km" amount derived?
   Our carpool amount is derived by $0.08/km for maintenance, plus the gas price in Vancouver 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. Please note that the approximate vehicle expense is the total cost that is to be shared by all the vehicle occupents including the driver.
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10. 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 VROC executive.
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11. 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 something's. The VROC feels that age specific events 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 birth date - we won't tell a soul! You have the choice to hide your actual birth date from display since that is considered to be private information..if you are telling the truth!
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12. I chose to participate in the Member Network. Why can't I view other members' info?
    Until you have attended 2+ events with the Vancouver Regional 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.
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13. How does your event notification system work?
    Notifications are sent out for events only if the event coordinator requests a notification when posting their event. 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, it 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.
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14. 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.
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15. 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).
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16. I received a "Double Booked" warning/notice. What, exactly, does this mean?
    The VROC strongly discourages holding spots on events that overlap (ie. you cannot attend both) for whatever reason.  It is not fair to our volunteers (who are trying to manage their events, including ensuring they have enough carpool drivers when applicable) or other members (who are trying to get onto our chronically over-full events). It is, however, true, that we do have events on the same day that do NOT overlap and thus you can attend more than one event on the same day. Please read this FAQ in its entirety for complete information about what we do to manage these conflicting situations.
    
    Let's face it... mistakes happen and sometimes we may book ourselves accidentally into more than one overlapping event. For the times that that may happen, we thought it would be nice if our website could give you a "head's up" that you are registered for more than one event on a date, and "potentially" double booked. To provide you with the most convenient way of managing these situations, we have put in a few "automatic" notifications to warn you when you're registered for more than one event on a date. These e-mails come directly from the web site when you register for more than one event on a specific day, when you are moved from the waiting list for an event resulting in your being registered for more than one event on a specific day, and they also go out during overnight processing a couple of days ahead of time to notify you that you're registered for more than one event on a specific day. These messages are simply FOR YOUR INFORMATION, and a request that if you are actually "double booked" (as opposed to registered for more than one event for a day with the intention of attending each of them because they don't overlap) that you choose the one you'll attend and remove yourself from the others.  If you are simply booked onto multiple events on a date and you intend to attend ALL of them, then do not fear these e-mails. Our web site is smart, but it's not smart enough to actually determine what events do, and do not, overlap, so all the web site does is provide information for you to rectify any actual double-bookings yourself.
    
    In order to protect our volunteers and members, though, we have also put in a mechanism where we can check (with our human brains instead of our smart-but-not-that-smart web site) on double bookings and see if there are individuals who actually are holding spots on more than one overlapping event (ie. they are double booked). When we recognize actual instances of double booking, we will send out up to three warnings for that person to remove themselves from overlapping events. If after three warnings (generally sent over 48 hours), the individual is still double booked, we may waitlist them on all events, or actually remove them from all of the double booked events.  Ultimately, it is absolutely not fair to hold a spot that you cannot use when there are likely many people on the waiting list hoping to get that spot.
    
    If you are ever in a situation where you're double booked, you can easily remove yourself from any events you won't be attending by going directly to those events, or by going to the "My Double Bookings" page on the web site.
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17. 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.
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18. 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 accommodation 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 accommodate 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 coordinator, 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!
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19. 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.
     
20. 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.
     
21. 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.
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22. 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.
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23. 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.
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24. 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 VROC 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.
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25. 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.
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26. Why are there some spots filled on an event already even though registration hasn't opened yet?
    Sometimes a coordinator will be planning an outing with some friends. In those cases, they may pre-load the event with a few friends, but save a few spots for other club members to also attend. The club's perspective on this is that if we discouraged the practice of pre-loading a few spots, then those coordinators simply wouldn't post the outing - they would just gather up their friends and go. We would prefer that a few more spots be available to others to join if possible. This results in more club members being able to enjoy more outings, as opposed to what it may appear on first glance which is that available spots are being "hogged" by the coordinator's friends.
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27. 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 VROC only accepts electronic payments which you can make via Online Banking. You may, if necessary, make payment via cash or cheque but these must be handed to the club Treasurer on a club event.
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28. Can I drop a payment off at your address?
    No, generally speaking payments MUST be made to the VROC electronically, however, the current Treasurer, Rhonda S, 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.
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29. How do the VROC's difficulty ratings work?
    The mission of the VROC 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.
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30. 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 rock fall. Helmets are recommended.
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31. What is the scope of the VROC events (ie. for risk/difficulty)?
    Because the VROC 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 VROC 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 VROC 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 VROC 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.
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32. 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 width 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: Vancouver Picnic 1, resized file name: Vancouver 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.
    If you do not have Microsoft Office Picture Manager there are many programs that can be found by a Google search for "image resizer"
    It's quite easy once you get the hang of it!
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33. 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!
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34. 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, Karin S, at volunteer@vancouveroutdoorclub.com to discuss!.
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35. 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. Please contact our Lead Volunteer Coordinator, Karin S, at volunteer@vancouveroutdoorclub.com to get you started. If you have 'bonded' with a specific volunteer, let the VC Squad know, and as long as that volunteer is willing, we will register them on your event prior to posting on the calendar. See our Coordinator Checklist for more information.
    * To organize events in avalanche terrain, please contact the Safety Committee at safety@Vancouveroutdoorclub.com.
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36. 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.
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37. What if I have a complaint about a coordinator or a trip?
    Please see our Complaint Policy on our Rules page for information.
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38. What if I have a complaint about another member of the club?
    Please see our Complaint Policy on our Rules page for information.
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