How do I get involved?

We hold meetings every regular Tuesday of the school year at 7:30pm (there are sometimes unofficial summer meetings as well). At these meetings we’ll go over announcements for the week, stories from the previous week’s trips, and announce upcoming trips. Attending the meetings is one of the best ways to get to know people in the club and have any of your questions answered. Those present will also get first dibs on trip signups.

If you are unable to make the meetings, don’t worry. All of the trips and announcements for that week will be promptly posted here on the website following the meeting. You can also subscribe to our email listserv, an important tool that we use to contact everyone – including spur of the moment trips announcement – so stay tuned!

There are no obligations! You can join at any time, participate in any way you like, and go on as many or as few trips as you want.

Membership & Fees

Membership is open to anyone and everyone regardless of affiliation with ESF or SU, and entitles you to free use of all club gear on all club sponsored trips! As a member, you are also able to vote on issues that require approval of the general membership, and can get club discounts rates at various vendors including Eastern Mountain Sports.

Dues are $10/$15 a semester/year for undergraduate students and $15/$20 a semester/year for all others. Semester memberships last until the start the of the next semester and year memberships last until the start of the next school year. To buy a membership, you will first need to create a profile on our website and then contact our Treasurer or come to our regular E-Room open hours to pay the dues in cash or with a check. You do not need to buy your membership until after your first trip (excluding overnight trips or longer).

We do not charge any additional fees per trip; we simply ask that you help your drivers pay for gas to ensure that those with cars will continue to be willing to take us where we need to go.

How do trips work?

Most trips are first announced at the weekly general meeting; others are announced on the listserv. You can either sign-up for trips at the meeting, or simply contact the leader of the trips you are interested in. Note: if there’s more poeple signed up for a trip than the stated limit will allow, sign up anyways as spaces open up regularly. If you have any questions or concerns about a trip, feel free to ask your leader.

Once you are signed up for a trip, check to see if you need to borrow any equipment. Each trip will have a specified E-Room night during regular open hours, or some other specified time for you to be able to borrow any gear you will need. If you can’t make your trip’s E-Room night, you will most likely be able to work something out with your leader. IMPORTANT: Gear is loaned out for one week. It is absolutely crucial that any borrowed items be promptly returned so that others may use the equipment for other trips. If for some reason you are unable to get the gear back in time, make sure to work something out with your leaders and/or our E-Room staff. Otherwise, make sure that the gear is clean before you return it, especially if you’ve been caving!

We are able to provide instruction in any skills you may need. If you are unfamiliar with or unsure of the skills or gear you may need for your trip, be sure to talk with your leader. Some trips, such as those that go vertical caving or whitewater kayaking, may have a prerequisite basic skills seminar in the form of a half-hour vertical school at the E-Room or a paddling clinic before you can join the trip.

For transportation on trips, we carpool in personal vehicles. As mentioned before, the availability and willingness of people with cars to drive is very important to our ability to get out, so be sure to help your drivers pay for gas!

So come and join us for some awesome getaways, good times, and breath of fresh air!