Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any membership fees?
No. Anyone is welcome to come along to our meetings, or one of our events without having to “join” the club in a traditional sense. If you enjoy yourself, keep coming back.
So are there any fees involved?
We have a newsletter which outlines the upcoming activities, and this can be mailed to you once a month(ish) for a subscription fee of $10 per year. Of course you can follow the schedule of events on this website too. If an event is out of town, we usually carpool with the gas costs being split between the occupants of the vehicle. Other than that, you’ll only have expenses involved in the actual activity, camp site fees, parking charges, etc. as appropriate.
What is the age range of the club?
Our most Frequently Asked Question. We have no upper or lower age limits. Occasionally folks bring kids along, while some of our active members are well into retirement. However, most of our active members are probably between 35 and 60.
What are the skill levels?
Again, we cater to all tastes. Some of our members enjoy extreme endurance activities while others only show up when there’s food and alcohol involved, with a full spectrum in between. If you have any doubt about your abilities for a particular activity, the event coordinator will give you an honest appraisal.
Where and when are the meetings held?
Our meetings are held at the Pyle Adult Recreation Center, on the southwest corner of Rural and Southern in Tempe (next to Tempe Public Library). The reception desk can tell you which room we are in. We hold the meetings on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month, with the exception of November and December when they are generally only on the 3rd Wednesday. Everyone is welcome.
I’m interested in learning to canoe/kayak but don’t have a boat.
Don’t worry, we have several members that have boats to spare and are more than willing to share their knowledge to get new people interested in the sport. Just let the event coordinator know in advance and we can usually arrange something.
How about learning to rock climb?
Each year we also offer a FREE climbing class. Our basic class in the fall is intended for those who have never climbed before or others needing a refresher in the basic skills of traditional roped Alpine climbing. Sometimes we also have a lead class in the spring, which introduces graduates of the basic class to the art and pseudo-science of leading fifth class rock climbs.
What the heck is WEGES?
WEGES is an occasional feature on our activity list and stands for Wednesday Evening Gourmet Eating Society. Every now and again, someone picks a restaurant and we all go and pig out. Sometimes it's on a Thursday when it would be a ThEGES, should it be on a Monday it would be a MEGES. But it's usually on a Wednesday.
I e-mailed the webmaster days ago and he still hasn’t replied yet. What’s up with that?
Our webmaster usually checks the e-mail daily. But sometimes he doesn't have the answer and has to speak with the person who knows and then get back to you. If you’re in a rush you might want to try calling Wayne at (480) 704-1682; he’s faster.
I wrote requesting advice on where to hike/climb/camp/canoe/raft on my upcoming visit to Arizona and didn't get a reply. Why not?
We're sorry, but we were being inundated with requests of this type and simply don't have the local knowledge, the expertise, or the time to give individually tailored advice for each one of these queries. Our links page gives several good resources and if you come across others, feel free to let us know and we'll add them.
Your "Upcoming Activities" page says to contact the activity coordinator for details, but there's no telephone number.
Yep, for privacy reasons we don't post phone numbers on the web, but we try to give you an e-mail address for questions. You can also contact Ed, who can be reached at (480) 921-3821. He can arrange for an activity coordinator to contact you. Perhaps the best way to find out about an event is to come to an SOC meeting.