How the Club Works

New members in particular may wonder how the Eagle Ski Club works, who the key officials are and how they can get involved.

The ESC is a national club operated entirely by volunteers; it has no headquarters and no paid employees. It is run by its officers and committee, who are elected each year at the AGM (normally held in November or December). Key posts include the Touring Secretary (who chairs the Touring Committee and is responsible for the touring programme), the Secretary (who handles most administration) and the Treasurer. The Membership Secretary is the main point of contact for new members, change of address details etc. But there are up to 40 further officers, committee and sub-committee members, who do specific jobs such as organising the weekend meets programme or managing the website. Sub-committee members are generally appointed by the chairman and ratified by the club committee. You can find all their names on the Administration page.

The committee usually meets twice a year, once shortly before the AGM, and once at a weekend in May or June; other than this it does its business by email and using the website Committee Forum. There is a similar pattern for the Touring Committee, which meets at the Leaders Meet each year.

Weekend and Scottish Meets are co-ordinated by the Weekend Meets Secretary or Scottish Meets Secretary as appropriate with meet suggestions coming from existing or new weekend leaders as well as from the two meets secretaries

Tour leaders make their proposals to the Touring Secretary, who will go through a similar process, often consulting with the Touring Committee about the proposals and grading. It is rare that there are too many proposals for member-led tours, but sometimes the Touring Secretary will suggest changes to ensure that we retain a spread of dates, areas and styles. Guides can also make proposals to the Touring Secretary, who will select those trips that are most likely to appeal to members and keep the balance of the programme. The Touring Programme is fixed by the summer of the previous year, and planning starts almost a year earlier than that.

The Editor is responsible for the Yearbook, which is the journal of the Club’s activities and complements the website as a way of communicating with members and promoting the Club. Contributors should read the Yearbook Guidelines before submitting reports and photographs to the Editor.

We don’t want volunteers to be out of pocket as a result of helping the club. So committee members may claim expenses for travelling to meetings, and the club pays both accommodation and a dinner for leaders attending the Leaders’ Meet, as a way of saying thank-you. Tour co-ordinators (who co-ordinate a guided tour) can claim direct expenses, while tour leaders get a fixed expenses allowance. Guides and other professionals will charge members directly.

You can find email addresses and contact details for all officers on the Administration page. Members who are interested in becoming involved in any aspect of running the Club should speak with any committee member or email the President directly; those who are interested in leading tours (or attending a tour leaders’ course) should contact the Touring Secretary.