Benefits of Membership

Reference - Members' area - Recent trips - Calendar - Search
Photo Gallery - The Packrat (newsletter) - What's New - Home

Summary

	Regular Members	Guest Members
Term	12 month term ending Nov 30th	2 week term, once annually
Fee	$25.00	no fee
Trips	open to all	accompanied by Sponsor member
Social Events	open to all; partners often welcome	subject to Executive discretion
Website	Public area and Members' area	Public area only
Information Phone	available to all
Packrat Newsletter	online version or paper copy	online version only
Courses	open to all, subject to Executive discretion	no
Guests	may bring Guest members on trips	no
Voting Privileges	yes	no
Community Service	open to all	accompanied by Sponsor member
Outdoor Activities Guide	online version or paper copy	online version or Sponsor's paper copy
Children	a parent or legal guardian must complete the Participation of Minor Children form
Meetings and Programs	open to the public
Open Houses	open to the public

Term

Regular Members
Memberships purchased after August 31st are valid until November 30th of the following year.

Guest Members
During the 2 week term (14 consecutive days), guests, accompanied by their Sponsor member, may go on as many day trips as desired.

The Ramblers is an active club with over 400 trips per year. There is no seasonal schedule. Most weekend day trips are posted on the Members’ Area of the website by the preceding Thursday night. Multi-day trips are often announced at least a week ahead of time.

There is usually a good selection of trips to choose from each week. Trips are informal in nature in that all participants are responsible for their own safety. A volunteer Coordinator arranges for a trip to take place, but does not act as a guide.

Trips are open to all members subject to their ability, their preparedness, or on limits placed on the number of participants. Where applicable, participants sign up for trips on a first come, first served basis. If you sign up for a trip in advance you are expected to attend; otherwise notify the Coordinator if you cannot go as planned. You can find out about upcoming trips by visiting the Members' area of this website (most complete & up-to-date) or by attending regular Wednesday meetings. You must be a valid member (Regular, Lifetime, or Guest) in order to participate on trips.

For many trips, members need only show up at the meeting location in order to participate. Please arrive 10 minutes before the stated time of departure in order to arrange carpools. You are not required to show proof of membership. You will, however, be required to sign a trip sheet confirming you have signed the RMRA "Release of Liability, Waiver of All Possible Claims and Assumption of Risk" agreement. Coordinators may accept completed application forms, but are not obligated to. You should check ahead with them to see if they will accept applications. Participants generally carpool to the trailhead, with each passenger expected to compensate the driver on a cost per kilometer for expenses based on a scale related to fuel cost.

See the Outdoor Activities Guide for a detailed description of our activities, associated risks and hazards, our trip rating system, our safety policies, and participant's responsibilities. The club has a Trips List Guide available to members at meetings with over 1500 pre-rated trips. This list is also available for searches on the Members' Area of this website.

Note:
Coordinators have the right to refuse a participant for any reason. Being unprepared with inadequate clothing or equipment is one reason. If you are unsure of your ability or what clothing and equipment to bring, contact the Coordinator prior to the trip day. (see Clothing and Equipment Guide)

Regular Members
New members are encouraged to attend Wednesday meetings where they can talk to Coordinators about trips in more detail; they can also make themselves familiar with the trip information available through the links on the Members’ Area calendar. New members are also encouraged to start out on easier trips in order to get to know our trip rating system.

Guest Members
Guest members must be accompanied by their Sponsor member while participating on trips. As a courtesy to Coordinators, Sponsors should advise them ahead of time if they intend to bring Guest members.

Social Events

Aside from the fact that trips are also social activities, the RMRA provides a number of opportunities to participate in less energetic but no less entertaining functions. The Social Director with help from a committee of volunteers organize several annual events:

Annual Dinner and Dance
A chance to see Ramblers in suits and gowns, with or without hiking boots! Sometimes fun awards may be given out to deserving members. The dinner is usually an excellent buffet that even our hungry horde can't entirely demolish. The dancing is usually to a DJ with a good mix of music. Some Ramblers can even dance! This social highlight of the year takes place in late October soon after the Annual General Meeting.

Potluck Dinners
Ramblers do enjoy their food! Held at the Rosemont Hall, potluck dinners have always been very successful. The idea is to contribute one dish that serves about six helpings. There is no planning, yet the variety is always tremendous. Potlucks can be held anytime, but Christmas and Valentines are popular. Don't miss these opportunities for a great meal and fun.

Stampede Breakfast
This is an annual event held on a Saturday during the Calgary Stampede (in early July). Not to be missed!

Year-end Car Camp
Some years this is held annually at a group campsite (in the Highwood, etc.) during September. Hike Saturday and Sunday, and enjoy a potluck dinner Saturday evening.

Website

Public area
Much of the Rambler website is open to the public. We feel our club has a lot to offer, and we want to give the public the opportunity to know us. Here you can:

find out about our recent trips;
browse our reference material on outdoor activities and topics.

Members' Area
This secure area of the website is available to Regular members only. Here members can:

read the Calendar of Events which lists upcoming trips, meetings, social events, programs, and courses;
join in our Discussion Forums;
read historical issues of our newsletter, The Packrat;
conduct searches on our database of trips.

Regular Members
When your membership application is accepted you will be supplied a username and a password to gain access to the Members' area. We urge you to keep your username and password confidential. In the Members' area you will have the ability to change your personal information, including your password.

Privacy Preferences
Occasionally, members’ names may appear in trip reports or in Packrat newsletters residing on the Public area of the website. Members have a choice as to how their name would appear in these documents: either their full name, or their first name only. Members’ contact information (address, phone numbers, etc.) never appears on the Public area without their express consent. Members may also restrict contact information from being made available to other members. Individuals can change their privacy preferences online.

Packrat newsletter

The club newsletter, The Packrat, is published 6 times a year. All members are invited to submit articles of any kind, subject to the Editor's discretion. You are encouraged to submit travel adventures, unusual trip reports, opinions on club affairs, outdoor oriented articles, recipes, even articles on other members. In addition there are summaries of committee meeting minutes, long term announcements, a President's message, and other club material.

Regular Members
You will be given the choice as to how you would like to receive the Packrat:

postal mail: All Regular members are entitled to a paper copy of the Packrat, however we encourage the use of the online version to keep publication and postage costs to a minimum. There is a delay of a week or two in mailing the Packrat so that as many as possible can be picked up at meetings.
online: An archive of Packrats (in PDF format), including the most current, is available on the Members' area of this website. You have the option of being notified by email when a new Packrat becomes available online.

Courses

Regular Members
Educational and safety courses, such as First Aid, Avalanche Awareness, Map and Compass, etc., are offered from time to time to the membership. All members should take advantage of these courses whether for the first time or as a review. The often used phrase "participants are responsible for their own safety" rings somewhat false if participants do not know how to be responsible for themselves. The Executive often allocates funds to subsidize members for taking courses, especially Coordinators, who are sometimes given priority.

Guests

Regular Members
Do you have friends or relatives visiting from out of town who would like to include a trip to the mountains as part of their holidays? Do you have a neighbor, office co-worker, or friend who you would like to show what you do on weekends? If so, we invite you to bring them along on our day trips.

As your guest, or guests, will be exposed to the same risks and hazards as other participants, we need to have all guests complete the same application process as Regular members do. A side benefit of this is that should your guest decide to become a Regular member, all that they need to do is pay the membership fee - all the rest of the application process is done.

You will be the Sponsor member of your guests, and you must accompany them on any day trips they wish to go on during their 2 week term. Guests Members need not show any proof of membership to the trip Coordinator, but must sign the trip sheet stating they have signed the RMRA "Release of Liability, Waiver of All Possible Claims and Assumption of Risk" agreement.

Guest Members
Guest Members cannot bring other guests.

Community Service

Annual River Cleanup
On the first Sunday in May the City of Calgary sponsors the Annual River Cleanup. The Ramblers have participated in this event since 1973. The Weaselhead Park just west of Glenmore Reservoir has become the Ramblers traditional cleanup area. In past years tons of junk and debris have been taken out. It is quite interesting in what can be found, and you get explore in detail this wild, fascinating part of the city. It feels good to help make our city parks and pathway system clear of accumulated debris for the upcoming summer season.

Kananaskis Country Trail Maintenance
The Ramblers, in conjunction with other outdoor clubs and individuals, help park staff to maintain the trail system in this popular Foothills area west of Calgary. Work parties are organized, usually once a month from May to September, to clear trails of overhanging brush, or to construct simple water management controls. The work is not too heavy, and you get an appreciation into what it takes to keep our trails in good condition.

Outdoor Activities Guide

The RMRA Outdoor Activities Guide is referenced by and is part of the Membership Application form. The Guide contains descriptions of our outdoor activities, risks and hazards associated with the activities, safety policies, our trip rating system, trip participant's and Coordinator's responsibilities, and terms of membership. The Guide must be read prior to completing the application form.

Regular Members
New members are encouraged to pick up a copy of the Guide at meetings. From time to time updates to the Guide are issued. It is the member's responsibility to keep their Guide up-to-date. The online version of the Guide is always the most recent version.

Guest Members
Guest members can read the Guide online, or borrow their Sponsor's copy.

Meetings and Programs

Regular Wednesday Meetings
Meetings are held every Wednesday evening at 7:30 PM at Rosemont Community Hall. At these meetings:

A weather report for the following weekend is given;
A review of upcoming trips is undertaken;
Participants report on trips from the previous week;
Executive and other members have a chance to make announcements; and
Membership Application forms, the Outdoor Activities Guide, the Trips List Guide, the General Information Guide, the Packrat, and other information sheets (Trip Rating System, Clothing and Equipment Guide) are available for pickup.

Prospective and new members are welcome to attend these meetings to find out more about the club, and to talk about upcoming trips.

Programs
From time to time the Programs Director schedules events to precede Wednesday meetings. Often members present slide shows, or invited guests give presentations. These meetings and programs are free and open to the public.

Annual General Meeting
The AGM takes place in mid October. The President, Treasurer, and Trips Director present year-end reports. Club business and the election of the new Executive are conducted according to the by-laws. All Regular members should attend this very important meeting!

Open Houses

Early in the winter and summer seasons the club may expand a regular Wednesday meeting to inform potential members of the possibilities within the club. The evening may include a slide show, demonstrations of equipment, and informal mixing between members and guests. Refreshments and a free membership draw round out the evening.

Reference - Members' area - Recent trips - Search
Photo Gallery - The Packrat (newsletter) - What's New - Home