Thursday, June 11, 2009

Section Spring AGM Meeting - May 13, 2009


According to reports received, 17 members were present for the Section Spring AGM Meeting, held in Saskatoon at Amigo's. A few items to report from that meeting:

At the time of the meeting, there was discussion about the upcoming move for the Section's website. By now, of course, the move has happened and we're considering changes and updates to the appearance and functionality of the website. We hope to have a few of those changes ready in the not-too-distant future. One item being discussed is how to post information from Section meetings. For the time being, we will probably just write up a summary as a blog post, like this one.


Our developing photo archive is found on Picasa. Contact us if you have Section-related photos that would be of interest.

Activities, both past and upcoming, were discussed. Given the popularity of the Ice-Climbing weekend, there was talk about offering a second event. This idea will be explored as there are a number of practical considerations that need to be worked out. The XC Ski evenings were impacted by the unfavourable weather this past winter, but there are plans to tempt fate once again and organize similar events this coming winter. Social nights were poorly attended and, given the cost of room rental, etc., there seems little point in trying to continue with them. Climbing night hasn't been well attended either, but it has no cost implications for the Club so they will probably be continued. A backcountry ski trip at Roger's Pass had to be canceled because of avalanche hazards. The Summer Mountaineering Camp is going ahead and appears to be fully booked. Since the meeting, the per-person costs have been determined and the final participant list is being organized.

There was a report about the two Banff Mountain Film Festival screenings held a few months ago. The previous blog entry noted the success of both events.

The Urban Adventure Race is going ahead - information has been posted on the Section website for some time now.

The Prairie Pitch Adventure Race will be organized by J2 Adventures for this coming fall. There will be a discussion later in the year to consider what should happen after that.

Watch for information about an upcoming photo competition.

Section membership is holding pretty steady at somewhat just over 100. Executive members were asked to consider ways to attract more members and how to get new members involved.

Finally, some executive members are investigating leadership development options and looking into resources and information from the National Club.

As always, the Section exec is happy to receive comments and/or suggestions from other members. We hope to have our new e-mail lists and contact e-mail addresses available soon, once we get them set up at our new webhost's locations. Watch for information about this.



Film Festival Results

The Sask Section hosted two screenings of the Best of the Banff Mountain Film Festival this year. Both were successful.

In January, the location was Saskatoon's TCU Place. According to the report discussed at the last Section meeting, attendance was nearly 800. Plans for the next Film Festival, probably next January, will be starting up soon.

At the end of April, the Regina people hosted another show. The venue there is much smaller, although it IS free! The theatre at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum was filled to capacity at just over 300. The same location will be used for next year's showing, although there is a search for a larger venue to meet the apparent growth in demand.

Good to hear that both events were successful and looking forward to next year's shows. Thanks to all the many volunteers and sponsors who, once again, made this event possible.