July 2007 Monthly meeting minutes

1-t-shirt and 1- Great Falls Guide were sold.
MONEY COLLECTED FOR PIZZA AND REFRESHMENTS BROKE EVEN FOR THE 3RD TIME IN RECENT HISTORY.
18 Club Members were in attendance.

Dave Raboy, chair presided. 7.11.2007
PATC Mandatory membership for club sections a non-issue. Thanks to Vincent Penoso for representing the Mountaineering Section and presenting the case against such a move to make all members of each section, members of the parent organization. However, the PATC council meeting produced a recommendation, that in lieu of full membership of the sections, status quo be maintained for required PATC memberships as follows: section chairs, expedition members and trip leaders, with specific language addressed in respective section by-laws and or constitutions.
· GEAR PURCHASES: In following the Mountaineering Section's Mission Statement to promote rock , ice and mountaineering, it is important to buy essential gear to eliminate barriers to newbys from climbing ice, rock or mountaineering.
o New gear will not include leader racks, lead ropes or lead gear.
o We have loads of rock climbing gear that includes TR setups, harnesses, shoes, chalk, helmets and are pretty much equipped to handle TR at Carderock and Newby days.
o With the explosion of interest in the ICE climbing, we hope to have requisite ice climbing inventory at a future time and room to cram all this stuff. The barriers to ICE climbing are high. The price of tools, crampons, winter apparel and suitable ice climbing boots is considerable. The downside locally is that there are no places to rent ice climbing boots for greenhorns.
o The Club will ask for a POOL of ICE CLIMBING BOOTS, TOOLS and CRAMPONS, (but especially BOOTS) for people to lend during the ice climbing season, which cannot start soon enough.
o When this potential inventory has been realized , we will then Spend $500 on buying used ice boots from the climbing school in North Conway. (we had better move on this during the off season); motion to spend $500 on 4 prs of used boots will be voted and passed in September.
· ICE CLIMBING: There are many ice climbing areas where we can climb and there are many unexplored ice trips available to us. White Oak Canyon, Blue ridge, The Narrows, Pennsylvania, Daks, NH, Greenland.
· EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: What does it do? When does it meet? Why does it meet? Why doesn't it meet? Who is on the EXCOM? Many answers can be found by reading the by-laws. The EXCOM is the small governing body that makes administrative decisions that serve to maintain the operation and forward momentum of the Mountaineering Section to realize the club's mission statement.
o the business issues and concerns of activities that we don't have time to talk about at the seemingly brief monthly meetings, can be addressed and resolved at these mythical EXCOM meetings; which include but not limited to changes to the bylaws, club business, administrative issues, most of which do not involve the consensus of the membership but are reportable to the membership.
o If there are any EXCOM matters you feel you'd like to address, please write info@potomacmountainclub.org or discuss them on the LIST.
· EXPEDITION POLICY: The club has had teams that have gone to PERU,Alaska, The Sierras, Katahdin and The Alps. We want to introduce an ad hoc approach to expeditions without deadlines for submission and such a formal process for doing so.
· FUNDING: the club sponsors a few trips a year.
o Annual trips are Little Stoneyman, Seneca Rocks 4th of July, ADK, Gunks. We are proposing to increase the number of trips like this and then justify an increase in dues only if we cannot meet a budget expectation. The dues have been $15 a year ($1.25/month).
o Proposing a week long trip for ice climbing in the DAKS this WINTER.
· DUES: we would not raise the yearly dues without justification. this is a typical topic one would see at an EXCOM meeting.
· LITTLE STONEYMAN online guide
o online guide book in PDF format
o team has been climbing there for the last 8 weeks and have lead, named and rated many climbs
· Jeff Karrels will be joining the Information Technology Division of the Mountaineering Section to help maintain the club's website.
· GREAT FALLS CLEANUP: Access Fund not sponsoring this event this year. Friends of Great Falls and Mountaineering Section, American Alpine Club and other climbing groups will coordinate interest in this annual event.
· SLIDE SHOW: Kerin Arkin and James Hilger gave separate and mostly successful slide show presentations despite minor technical difficulties. i should probably have the instruction manual for the projector posted on the site for review prior to the meetings, to lessen the chance of a SNAFU. We have to pride ourselves with the smuggy realization that we have a great club and remarkable individuals that travel to, climb, paddle, pick, drink and live for the mountains of this planet. We have a great bunch of peoples.
· Oh and a warm return welcome to hard woman rough-neck, our wonder woman of the year: Kathleen Steinle, who just returned from back to back adventures to ALASKA and PERU.... Welcome Baaaaaack!!!!!!!