Why we have rules, and enforce them

The club has a number of up-front rules that apply to participants in its events, and particularly ski events.

There have been enough questions raised about this practice to require this document. The hope is that this will clarify why it is reasonable for us to have rules and enforce those rules.

• Rules are intended to help ensure the enjoyment and safety of all ski event participants.

  • For example, we have rules regarding how many people can attend a backcountry ski tour; requiring that we travel as a group on that ski tour; etc.

• Not specifying the rules up-front requires that the (volunteer) organizer devote significant attention and expend effort to enforcing or negotiating those rules on a repeated basis during a ski event.

• Creating exceptions to rules for individual participants is bad for both the club and other participants.

  • "But why? why not have an exception just for me?"

    • There are two possible ways to grant such a request:

      • We make the exception universal, allowing everyone to take advantage of it whenever they choose — result: this effectively renders the rule, one that is created for the enjoyment and/or safety of everyone, non-existent

      • We allow only one party to not be bound by the rule, which leads other participants to ask why that party is granted an exception and others not — result: it undermines the integrity of the club and its volunteers, and puts the latter in a position of constantly having to decide who to grant exceptions to and who to not grant them to

  • For these reasons, applying the rules universally, and without exception for selected individuals, is our approach

Participants who willfully or repeatedly violate the club’s rules, and/or encourage others to do so, and/or undermine the role of club volunteers, will be removed from the group.