"Rules" is a such an ugly word, especially while on holidays, but we do have the following 3 "guidelines" (that will be strictly enforced by our on-staff henchmen) to ensure everyone has a safe and fun week:

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.

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. Some 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 or at least provide some kind of support to the leader (ie, carry the rope, gather the equipment in the morning, etc). 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.

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 on the same climb. 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.

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 – the last thing we want to be doing is postponing a rescue while we try to figure out what your insurance policy says.

Each person is responsible for their own food however you may wish to connect with others to share cooking duties etc. Dehydrate food where possible. 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.

A suggested list of gear is contained on this website. Again, please pack as if you were walking in! We will need to organize the gear such that we have enough climbing ropes, racks, group climbing gear, safety gear etc. 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 to break large duffel bags into small pieces using garbage bags if need be. We will use colour-coded flagging tape to identify our bags, but please ensure each of your bags is also clearly marked with your name.

The pilot will turn off the rotors when he arrives for the first flight and will give all passengers a flight orientation. 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 bulky items like boots, as this will reduce the bulk. Ear plugs are recommended. A “Luggage Cop” will be assigned to try to keep things organized. This person will be responsible for ensuring the right bags get loaded and the right bags stay behind – this is crucial if there are others coming in/out of fairy meadow on either side of our week. Please remember that the pilot has the ultimate authority for anything related to the helicopter – he is the boss!

Several 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.

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. You must bring cash to the camp and ‘pay as you go’ to the camp manager for calls.

Please bring your own first aid kit including personal medications, band-aids and other blister control items.

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 favorites and you won’t be subsidizing someone else’s habit.

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.

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.