Please read this before filling out your application. In particular, please be aware of the expectations of participants for this type of trip. We want to share the work around and share the leading responsibilities. Your application must include volunteering for specific tasks. Failure to indicate a willingness to help with the chores or leading will result in your application being returned.

Every year the Calgary Section offers its members the opportunity to spend a week exploring mountaineering objectives with like-minded people and build climbing partnerships that will hopefully last beyond the end of the camp. This year, we are pleased to announce that our destination has been set for the Melville Group in the Battle Range of the Selkirk Mountains of BC. The location is at Houston Lake near the toe of Houston Glacier (82K/14). We will fly-in and fly-out of the camp (people and gear) from a yet to be determined staging area. To minimize costs each participant will be limited to 50 lbs total dunnage.

A vast majority of the landscape is granite and participants will be able to enjoy a variety of objectives from scrambles to technical rock. There are also plenty of snow and ice routes to choose from.

The Camp
The location is at Houston Lake near the toe of Houston Glacier (82K/14, UTM 713431). Information detail updates will be posted here intermittently.

Access
Fly-in access from McMurdo Creek.

Directions to the staging are will be distributed closer to the time of the camp.

Objectives
The level of difficulty in the area varies from easy scrambles to snow and ice routes to technical alpine routes. There is no shortage of peaks, many of the peaks in the immediate area are listed here:

Pequod (2960m/9760'),

Moby Dick (3170m/10,461'),

Proteus (3220m/10,626'),

Harpoon (3120m /10,296'),

Claggart (2790m/9207'),

Billy Budd (2790m/9207'),

Benito Cereno (3060m /10,098'),

Forecastle (2930m/9669'),

Typee (2865m/9454'),

Escalade (2950m/9735'),

White Jacket (3090m/10,197'),

Ahab (3050m/10,065') and

Outrigger (2835m/9355')

Reference Materials

Maps: Westfall River 82K/14, Camborne 82K/13

Guide books: Selkirks South, by David P. Jones

Web: http://bivouac.com/

Dates
There will be three 1-week camps with spaces available for 12 people per week (Sunday to Sunday):

Week 1: July 19 - July 26 This is a Nut Product Free Week

Week 2: July 26 - August 2

Week 3: August 2 - August 9

Costs
We estimate that the camp fees per week this year will be $490 per person. The Section Camp is run on a break-even basis with all costs being shared equally among the participants. The actual cost will not be known until all the bills come in. Additional fees may be required or refunds may be issued depending on what actually gets spent. If you are purchasing something on behalf of the trip please have your purchase approved by your camp manager first and submit your receipts to Trevor Penford. Expenses submitted after September 15 will not be refunded. Section policy is that the camp coordinator and week managers receive a free camp. Full accounting for the entire trip will be provided to all participants once all of the bills are in so that you know where the money went.

Helicopter costs make up to 83% of the budget and are EASILY inflated if you go over your weight limit for your dunnage. Please take care to take only what you need for the week to keep costs reasonable. Camp Managers have the authority to refuse to let you take items that exceed your weight allowance. You have the power to keep helicopter costs low!!!

Refund policy
If you wish to hold a spot on the camp then the full fee is required. If the week is full then you will be put on a waitlist. As cancellations occur people will be moved from the waitlist to the confirmed list. Waitlisted people for whom there is ultimately no room on the trip will be provided a full refund. If you cancel and someone on the waitlist can fill your spot then you will be provided a full refund. Otherwise - there will be no refunds.

Registration
Camp size will be limited to a maximum of 12 people per week. The camp will be exclusive to Calgary Section members until June 17 - after that any unused spaces will be opened up to other Sections. To register send a cheque for $490 (made payable to ACC Calgary Section) together with your application form to:
    ACC Calgary Section Camp
    PO Box 1995
    Calgary, AB
    T2P 2M2
Registration is on a first come first served basis - we will not reserve a place for you until we receive both your cheque and your application form.

Guidelines
"Rules" is a such an ugly word, especially while on holidays, but we do have the following 2 "guidelines" (that will be strictly enforced by our on-staff henchmen) to ensure everyone has a safe and fun week:

1. No soloing. While some people may have the technical ability to safely solo routes, soloing is not permitted at the Section Camp: whether you are going on a simple hike or an alpine route, you must go at least in pairs and you must have a radio with you. Exception: soloing is permitted (and encouraged) when going to the latrine.
No joke - by applying for this camp you agree not to solo.

2. Sign Out. Each team MUST sign out before they leave camp - we need to know where you are going and with how many people in case something happens. Be clear of your destination and your expected return time.

Volunteer Expectations of Participants
The camp is self-guided, self-catered, and self-managed. In short, there is no staff to do the chores. All organizational work and all the tasks necessary to run the camp are done by the participants. Please review the task list and indicate on your application which jobs you are willing to do. In addition, day-to-day camp chores such as dishes, water hauling, tidying the cook tent, trash detail etc. will be assigned on a roster to all participants by the camp manager. Please don’t stop at your assigned tasks - whenever you’re in camp, look around for ways to improve it or camp life in general.

Climbing Expectations of Participants
The camp is self-guided so participants should have the requisite skills (a snow and ice course at minimum) and be prepared to contribute in every way to ensure a successful and safe camp. You must be self-motivated to participate in this camp - it is your responsibility to find a group to climb with. Many of the objectives are serious climbs and no leader is required to take anyone they are not comfortable with. If you lack the requisite experience, a course prior to the camp is recommended. Please come physically fit and prepared for some long days. Many climbers come ill prepared and ‘over-do it’ on the first day and subsequently do not leave camp for the rest of the trip. Please ensure that your boots are broken in and that you have toughened your feet for plastic boots. Finally, all participants should be at least willing to act as trip or rope leaders. If you are new to a leadership role then this is a good time to gain experience and confidence on some less demanding objectives with some of the more experienced leaders in the club by co-leading a trip.

Daily Climbs
All daily climbs must have a designated leader who co-ordinates the trip and makes the final decisions on the climb. The leader must consider anyone who indicates an interest in the trip, however the leader is not obliged to take anyone they are not comfortable with, nor are they obliged to take more people than they are comfortable with. This means that one leader may take 5 people one day, but another leader may only take 3 another day. It’s their choice.
Every night the camp manager will post a sign-up sheet. Every trip that is planned for the next day must be entered on the sheet along with the leader’s name. If you plan to stay in camp for the day, please sign up for the trip marked "Camp". Once finalized, this list will be used as the official sign-out sheet so that the Camp Manager knows where everyone is.

Rescue evacuation
Helicopter evacuation in the event of an accident will be at the victim's own cost, about $1500 plus tax. To repeat, each person will be responsible for their own rescue costs if they need to be evacuated. Some insurance policies require that you pay costs up front and get reimbursed afterwards. For that reason, everyone (regardless of your particular insurance coverage) will be required to sign a rescue waiver and provide a credit card number prior to leaving the staging area. For more information on rescue insurance, see the article on page 6 of the October 2004 Chinook, available online at: http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/calgary/chinook/Chinook-Oct04.pdf

Food
Each person is responsible for their own food however you may wish to connect with others to share cooking duties etc. 64L food storage containers will be provided at the camp and you will be required to share a container with another person. This means your food must not exceed 32L capacity. Dehydrate food where possible to keep the weight down. Stoves, fuel, pots, pans, tables, chairs, dish washing equipment etc. will be provided by the camp. Food should be packed in small cardboard boxes for the flight in and can be transferred to the bins in camp. Coolers will not be allowed on the helicopter.

Gear
A suggested list of gear is contained here on the website. Again, please pack as if you were walking in! There will be no gear storage in the cook tent or drying tent so keep in mind that everything needs to fit into your sleeping tent. Ropes (9 and 10.5 mm) will be provided by the Section as well as fuel at the base camp and misc. camp supplies. For packing, small packs and wine/boxes work best - the baggage compartment of the helicopter can be more efficiently packed with small items and they are easier on the backs of those doing the loading. No packs or boxes are allowed in the passenger compartment with passengers. Be warned that your camp manager has the authority break large duffel bags into small pieces using garbage bags if need be. Each week’s participants will be given colour-coded flagging tape to identify their bags, but please ensure each of your bags is also clearly marked with your name and week number.

Helicopter flight
The pilot will turn off the rotors when he arrives for the first flight. If there are passengers a flight orientation will be given. After that, loading and unloading will be done with the rotors in motion. All ice axes and crampons should be loose to be placed in the ski basket. For those flying in, please wear your helmets and boots, as this will reduce the bulk. Ear plugs are recommended. The camp manager is responsible for logistics at the staging area. Please remember that the pilot has the ultimate authority for anything related to the helicopter - he is the boss!

Radios
Four or five VHF radios will be rented for the camp. All trips are required to carry a radio. We are in a remote area where it is difficult to get back to ‘civilization’. VHF radios will allow us to talk to one another and also communicate with the helicopter during an emergency. If you have your own VHF radio please bring it along.

Satellite Phone
A satellite phone will be available, primarily for weather reports and to contact the helicopter company in the event of an accident. However, it will be available for $2.50 per minute if you need to phone your loved ones or your broker. Also, each evening at 7:00pm the phone will be turned on to accept incoming calls, also at $2.50 per minute. You must bring cash to the camp and 'pay as you go' to the camp manager. The phone number will be emailed to participants as soon as it is known.

Medical
There are no doctors provided by the camp although each week will have a designated first aid person. A well-stocked first aid kit will be kept at the base camp, but please bring your own first aid kit including bandaids and other blister control items.

Cappuccino Bar
In the past items like coffee, tea, hot chocolate and Gatorade have been included in the budget (and as a result included in the cost to each participant). In response to feedback from participants, people will be required to bring their own - this means that you will be bringing in your favourites and you won’t be subsidizing someone else ’s habit.

Friday Night Party
We encourage people to cut loose on the Friday night (pictures from previous years have been burned now that their blackmail value is gone). Similar to the cappuccino bar, it will be BYOB and munchies for the Friday Night Party.

Car Pooling
Your camp manager will be sending out a list of participants so that you can arrange car pooling and food groups with other people on your week.

Outhouse & Shower
Back by popular demand, we will be flying out the poop each week (sorry Orvel). The 2006 camp was the guinea pig for this and after some growing pains, all agreed that it was by far the most environmentally friendly thing to do and not nearly as disgusting as it sounds. Plenty of protective gear will be provided for changing the bucket. A partition and seat assembly will be provided to cover the bucket so you will be able to comfortably read route descriptions while doing your business.

There will be a shower stall in camp with a solar shower bag for hot water.