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Climb and Activity Protocol

OFFICIAL ACTIVITY – DEFINITION and QUALIFICATIONS
  • An official activity is conducted under the imprimatur of the club, carries its name, and may carry the official club banner.
  • The planning of a climb or similar activity is democratic in character. The conduct of the same is command oriented.
  • The designated Expedition Leader (EL) is the final authority in the course of a climb or similar activity. The designated Chief Instructor (CI) is the final authority in a classroom or training activity.
  • In the event of any untoward incident in the course of any official activity, the officers and non-participating members are duty-bound to mobilize and respond to assist the participating members in need. Club resources, including the club’s Medical-Emergency-and-Search-and-Rescue (MESAR) fund may be tapped for the purpose.
PRE-REQUISITES:

To be classified as an official SB activity, the following must exist and be observed:

  • Have the prior approval of any key officer – President, vice- President, Operations Manager.
  • Open to all technically qualified members (i.e., those whose skills ranks or prior trainings qualify them to join the activity).
  • Led by a member qualified as to training and rank.
  • Have at least three confirmed participants, inclusive of the EL.
PRE-ACTIVITY PROTOCOLS
  • The designated EL must conduct at least one mandatory preparatory meeting (pulong-handa).
    • Except when otherwise announced, the no-pre-climb-no-climb rule applies to all probationary members and guests.
    • Regular members may be exempted from the rule at the option of the designated Expedition Leader (EL).
    • Participating Mountaineer (GatBundok) and Senior-Mountaineer (LakayBundok) ranked members are exempted from the mandatory physical presence at pre-climb meetings. They must, however, confirm their intentions with the designated EL.
  • The EL must provide a copy, hard or electronic, of the planned itinerary to the Operations Manager and/or the Climb Monitor.
  • The EL must provide the Operations Manager/Climb Monitor with the names of all intended participants before the scheduled day of the climb.
ON-ACTIVITY PROTOCOL
  • All participants must observe established club ethics.
    • Trail and camp etiquette
    • Care for the natural environment
    • Respect for established communities, particularly those of indigenous peoples.
  • Participants must be assessed and must pay the corresponding climb fees. They must equitably share common costs.
  • At the start of the trek, the EL must re-confirm the list of participants with the Operations Manager/Climb Monitor via electonic means when possible (i.e., CP signals are strong enough to send messages).
  • The EL, or a designated member of the group, must, whenever possible, notify the Operations Manager/ Climb Monitor upon reaching major or agreed upon points in the route (i.e., designated assembly or re-assembly points, water re-supply points, major rest-stops, identified view-points, campsites, embarkation/dis-embarkation points, base/home).
    He or she must also notify the monitoring parties in case of any development, or change in plans, or situation that affects or may affect the group or any member of the group (e.g., local weather conditions, security problems, sickness or injury, etc.)
  • The EL must monitor all participants and require them to report via phone (LL or CP) upon reaching home or base. The activity and the reporting is officially ended upon confirmation of safe-arrival of the last participant and reporting of the same to the monitoring parties.
  • The EL has the option to conduct an on-the-spot, preliminary post climb assessment as needed.
POST-ACTIVITY PROTOCOL
  • The official, public (i.e., open to non-participants) post-climb assessment meeting (pulong-tasa) must be held on the weekend immediately following the last day of the activity.
    • Attendance of participating probationaries and guests are required.
  • The EL must submit to the club secretary or designated officer a hard-copy report of the activity, to include: Names of participants, actual itinerary, relevant technical information (elevations, grid locations, temperatures), helpful observations, contacts, costings.
  • Fee collections must be remitted to the club treasurer or designated officer.
Historical note:
  • When the club was new, cell phones and electronic devices were banned from climb activities. These were treated as interfering with and anathema to the nature-related activity. However, with the proliferation of highly portable cellular phones, and the recognition of its usefulness in monitoring situations, the ban on cell phones was allowed to die a natural death, it was simply no longer enforced. The club still bans portable, non-personal (i.e., may be heard by the public) music devices.
General notes:
  • Training activities, except those that involve out-of-town, outside- Metro-Manila venues, do not require preparatory or assessment meetings.
  • Out-of-town activities are not limited to climbs. Therefore, the references to climbs and pre- or post-climb meetings are generic in character.