Trip Participation
Trips are cooperative adventures shared by members and their guests. The entire group is collectively responsible for the trip, and each participant is individually responsible for judging their own qualifications, skill level, and safety on the rivers being run. The trip coordinator (TC) may refuse to allow a participant on a trip, but the responsibility for judging one’s own qualifications lies solely with each trip member. The TC also may restrict trip participants to RMCC members only.
Register in advance! Trips can fill up. Organizers need time for planning.
To join RMCC on any trip, you must be a member, or the guest of a member, and sign the Rocky Mountain Canoe Club & American Canoe Association Waivers. Click here to join…
River Permits
Many of the week long spring and summer trips are on Permit Only rivers and the permit request process usually begins in January or February. RMCC often has a Permit Party in early January to strategize rivers and dates for the coming year.
The remainder of this webpage gives information that both TCs and participants should find useful regarding some of the responsibilities and items to consider for RMCC trips and events. The first section deals with the process to support the use of ACA Insurance, and the second helps TCs and participants prepare for a trip and know what to expect.
ACA Insurance Process and Documents
Since 2008, all RMCC web-posted, water-related events and trips use ACA Insurance to help protect the RMCC and its members and guests from litigation. ACA insurance is only liability coverage. The ACA General Liability Insurance Policy pays amounts that insured persons and organizations become obligated to pay (including fees for defending insured persons and organizations) for bodily injury, property damage, and/or personal advertising injury, subject to the policy’s terms, conditions, limits, exclusions and limitations. It does not provide evacuation, medical, or any other kind of personal injury coverage and does not cover transportation to the boating/event site, e.g., automobile accidents.
To be covered by this insurance, TCs as well as all participants, must understand and follow the ACA process as defined in these documents: ACA Risk Management Requirements and Guidance for Trip Coordinators of RMCC Trips
The following safety plan has been filed with the ACA and can be applied to any RMCC trip or event. More difficult rivers or unusual situations may require additional safety planning or actions: RMCC Standard Safety Plan.
The document RMCC Boating Requirements and Recommendations, briefly summarizes ACA and RMCC requirements and recommendations regarding skills, practices and equipment for different class waters.
Waivers
Most RMCC water-based events require both RMCC and ACA waivers. The exception is pool sessions, as they have lifeguards and other insurance. The event trip coordinator will let participants know if waivers are needed for their event and will collect any paper waivers.
Neither Google Group advertised “pick-up trips” nor jointly sponsored events require waivers:
- Pick-up trips are considered private trips, not RMCC trips.
- During jointly sponsored events, like our Joint Club Paddle or Demo Day, only ACA members are counted as RMCC participants and protected under our ACA insurance. Non-ACA members may, however, opt to pay the $10 event fee and sign an ACA waiver to be covered by our ACA insurance.
RMCC Waivers
RMCC water-based events require the RMCC waiver. All current RMCC members will have a waiver on file and do not need to supply one for each event. Guests will need to complete the RMCC waiver.
| RMCC online waiver | https://rockymountaincanoeclub.net/rmcc-waiver-membership/ |
| RMCC PDF waiver (paper) | https://rockymountaincanoeclub.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/RMCC-Waiver-2020-1.pdf |
ACA Waivers
RMCC events sanctioned by the ACA require ACA waivers for each participant. ACA waivers can be signed online or on paper. Each participant who has not signed an online waiver must sign a paper waiver and give it to the trip coordinator before the trip begins. ACA members have the option to sign an online annual waiver that covers all ACA events for the year. Non-ACA members and ACA members with expired waivers must sign an ACA waiver for each trip. Non-ACA members must also pay a $10 ACA fee to the trip coordinator to become an ‘event member’ for each trip.
| Current ACA Members | Non-ACA Members | |
| ACA Fee | $40 per annual membership | $10 per event |
| ACA Waiver | One waiver per event, or one online annual waiver per year | One waiver per event |
| Link for online waiver | https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/w/612e4bfd92e80/web/ | https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/w/612e51630b072/web/ |
| Link for PDF waiver (paper) | https://americancanoe.org/insurance/for-clubs/#tab_2 | https://americancanoe.org/insurance/for-clubs/#tab_2 |
Information to help prepare for Trips
While the following documents cover the basic situations that may be encountered and can help with trip preparation, there will be exceptions and additional needs that can vary based on weather, river section, and other factors:
Trip Coordinator Guidance (for running trips)
TC Instructions for ACA Trips and Events
Sample Email from TC to Participants
Debbie Hinde’s Trip Organization and Planning
Jeff Oxenford’s Trip Coordinator Put-in Checklist
Dave Allured’s Ultimate Pre-trip Email
Boat Inspections and Permits for Western States
Contact the Trip Coordinator if you have questions about a specific trip/event.
Contact an RMCC officer for questions about items in these documents.