UPDATE [May 26^th, 1pm]: due to the persistent rain forecast for Saturday (in Squamish), I've decided to postpone our field day by one week... to Saturday June 4^th.

Basic Outdoor Top-Roping is a full-day "hands on" course scheduled for Saturday (May 28), and includes a Wednesday (May 25) preparation meeting to review knots and discuss safety issues.  The "prep" meeting will begin at 7:00pm at the south end of John Hendry (Trout Lake) Park... please bring 1.5m & 5m of 7mm static cord.  Though no experience is necessary, the course content will be geared for those who may have done some indoor gym climbing and want to try outdoor rock climbing.  Note, successful completion of this course can be used as a prerequisite for the BCMC Essential Rock Climbing course offered later on in June.

Course Topics: 
Safety, basic equipment, basic climbing skills and techniques, the elements of top-roping (tying in, belaying, lowering, ground anchors, rope management, climber's knots and so on). The program will not cover setting up top-rope anchors, rappelling, or belaying from above. Our focus will be technique on rock and the challenge it presents.

Required Equipment:
• climber's harness & rock shoes and a helmet (climber's strongly preferred, but a good cycling helmet will suffice),
• a belay device plus one large pear/Münter-biner (no figure 8s for belaying please), 
• two locking carabiners (Ds or ovals),
The course organizers or the BCMC will provide other required equipment. On the course's full-day outing, you will need to bring lunch, water, suitable clothing and sunscreen.

Instructors and Assistants:
The course volunteer instructor will be BCMC member Paul Olynek, who has taught this and similar courses in the past.  In addition, a few BCMC members who have completed an Essential Rock Climbing course, or equivalent, may be invited to assist (if interested in volunteering, please contact Paul).  

Course Registration

The participant fee of $25 includes an indoor evening session and one outdoor weekend (Sat or Sun) session.  There will be two instructors, plus a few assistants, and we're planning for a maximum of 12 participants. 

The registration process to attend this course will be:
a) you'll be placed on the Request List while we review your answers to our "Join" questions.
b) next, you're moved to the Waiting List where you'll pay online via the "Pay Now" button.^[1] 
c) After that, you'll be added to each session's Confirmed List  and sent email notifications.
   [1] If you plan to pay by personal cheque, please contact the course organizer ASAP.

Emergency Contact: If you haven't done so, please add it to your BCMC account by clicking on "My Account" in the top-right corner of our club website, then select "Edit Emergency Contact" under "Manage My Account" in the left column.

Waiver and Medical: Every participant must have read and agree to ("signed") the club's online Waiver.  In addition, those with potential medical issues, that might affect their course participation, need to contact the course organizer ASAP after registering for this course.

Changes - Cancellations: This course is weather-dependent and may be rescheduled in case of suspected poor weather.  If the course is rescheduled to another weekend that does not fit into your personal schedule then a full refund will be issued.  IMPORTANT: cancellation fees may apply in case of a cancellation by a participant; please review the BCMC Course Refund Policy for detailed information.