OUTSLOPES Adventures

OUTSLOPES Adventures are trips organized by OUTSLOPES Staff, and are generally trips that involve overnight travel.

OUTSLOPES Adventures trips do have a fixed itinerary to bring and keep group members together throughout the trip, however you are under no obligation to stay with the group.  You may venture off on your own to explore other points of personal interest in the area.

OUTSLOPES Adventures are simply organized group trips, they are not formal tours.  OUTSLOPES is neither a travel agency nor a tour operator, we are a LGBT Ski & Snowboard Lifestyle Experience company.  We help you get the most out of your trip experience once there.

We provide information about where we will be and when, but it's your own responsibility to get there.  We will, as much as possible provide information about exclusive member packages and discounts we've negotiated with various travel and accommodations partners, but it's up to you if you want to take advantage of them, or book your own way on your own.

Different trips have different membership level requirements.  As an OUTSLOPES member, you can participate in any of these trips that your membership level permits.

Find a trip

Navigating our online calendar of trips & events, find a trip or activity that interests you.

Registering for a trip

You must pre-register for any trip you want to participate in.  Space may sometimes be limited, so trip-crashing is NOT permitted.

Register for the trip on our website.  Some trips have pre-purchase options as well.

As long as you are a member in good standing of the level required for that trip, registration to participate in the trip is free.

You will be responsible for your own costs associated with the trip (ie, travel, lift ticket, rentals, etc).

Pre-Purchase Registration Options

Some trips do have pre-purchase options (such as OUTSLOPES rate lift tickets and shuttle services) which you can choose to purchase.  These are not mandatory, but offered as a service to you, our members.  If you have a season pass to that hill, found a special on lift tickets elsewhere, or just want to buy your pass on the day at the hill, that's entirely up to you.

Additional Questions

During trip registration you will be asked a few additional questions, such as

• Do you have your own equipment, or will you be renting
• Will you be driving yourself? Do You have an extra seat? Will you be needing a ride?
• Where are you coming from? (helps trip-leaders connect people who are in the same area)
• Emergency Contact (who do we contact if something happens during the trip?)

It should be noted that in the event you are requesting a ride, your registration cannot be confirmed for the event until the trip leader can confirm there's a car-pooling seat available for you.  This is based solely on how many people register for any given trip who have vehicles with open seats.  If a shuttle is offered for a particular trip, that may be your best option, as your seat would then be guaranteed, and your registration confirmed.

Because these trips are organized and run by the local member clubs/chapters, the information you provide will be shared with that club's leaders.

Book Your Travel

You are responsible for your own travel arrangements

Road Trip

Many of the places we travel may be within driving distance, and you may choose to just drive to get to the resort.  If you choose to do this, consider carpooling, and making any available seats in your vehicle available to other members who may want to attend.  Members traveling together are expected to share in the costs of travel (i.e. give the driver some gas money), which in addition to being environmentally friendly, can also help reduce your costs.

OUTSLOPES Bus

Sometimes we may offer a bus trip, if we have a larger number of members from a particular region going to a resort that is within driving distance.  The bus can be a very fun way to head out on a trip together as a group, and get the weekend socializing started early.

Flights & Ground Transfers

Some trips will be too far to drive, or you may just not be interested in driving that far.  In these situations, on the event page we will list what the nearest destination airport is.  We may also make some information about ground transportation options once you land available.  You are responsible for booking your own flights and ground transportation once you arrive.  If you decide to just rent a car, consider joining up with other members traveling around the same time as you and share the cost.

You are responsible for your own accommodations

On the event page when we tell you where we're staying, this is where the trip leader is staying.  We do our best to negotiate exclusive member discounts at the same accommodation property, and for ease of on-site coordination, it's easiest if you stay in the same place.  But you are under no obligation to.  Maybe you've been to the resort before and have a favourite hotel, or you have a time-share in the area you want to utilize, or you've just hit the web and found another property that interests you more.  You can book wherever you wish, and however you wish.

Book With Confidence

We highly recommend booking directly with the property, service provider or with a legitimate and licensed travel broker.  If traveling from Ontario, Canada, you can search for TICO (Travel Industry Council of Ontario) registered travel agency here.

Protect yourself

We highly recommend anytime you travel anywhere that you purchase travel insurance.  Generally there are two types of travel insurance;

• Trip Interruption/Cancellation; provides assistance in the event you run into travel issues, including canceled flights, missing luggage, booking errors by service providers, etc.  Some major credit cards already include this coverage as a cardholder benefit when you purchase your travel using that card.  Check your cardholder benefits to see if and how you're covered.
• Travel Medical; obviously we hope nothing happens while you're on a trip, but the sports of skiing/snowboarding do come with an increased risk of accident and injury, not to mention more typical things like getting sick.  Most personal/corporate health plans may not cover you while traveling, and many provincial/state medical plans may have restricted coverage, or not cover you at all when traveling out of province/state or country.  Don't get caught with an out-of-control hospital bill, insure yourself.

Pre-Trip Communication

Everyone participating in a trip will get an email from the Trip Leader that will re-confirm all of the details of the trip, including where to meet and when upon arrival at the hill, and communicate and changes to the trip from those originally planned and posted on our site.

This will also include the final pre-itinerary.  Please note, changes made be made on-site, and will be communicated via either word-of-mouth or email blast to participants.

Pack Smart / Travel Smart

Plan ahead.  Check weather forecasts, but also remember, weather, especially in mountain regions, can vary greatly from top to bottom, and also can change quickly from what's forecasted.  Bring options, and pack to dress in layers.

If you're traveling as part of a carpool; check with whoever you are traveling with about how much baggage space they have available for you.

If you're traveling by plane/train/bus; check with the transportation company about baggage allowances and costs.  Even though oversized, most Canadian airlines, and VIA rail consider ski equipment as a standard piece of baggage.  Consider packing other things (jacket, snow pants, sweatshirts, etc) in with your skis or snowboard to maximize space.  This can also help protect your equipment from rough handling by baggage staff in transit.  But be aware of weight limits.

If you're traveling cross border, be aware of restrictions of what you are and aren't allowed to bring into the country.  Things like many foods have sever limitations.  If you plan to cook your own meals while you travel, consider planning a grocery store stop into your travel plans AFTER you are across the border.  Also keep in mind food safety.  If it's a long trip, perishable items, and items that require refrigeration should be purchased closer to your destination to maintain food safety.  Even in a cooler, on long trips food can get too warm to be safe.

Remember your travel documents.  You always need to have government issued photo ID with you.  Also make sure you pack and bring any information you need for your travel arrangements, and your travel insurance information.  If you're crossing a border, make sure you have your passport, and any necessary VISAs or permits you require for entering the country.  If you think that you may have any issues with smooth clearance at a border, plan ahead, if possible apply for pre-clearance, let your travel partners know about potential delays, or consider traveling on your own so you don't hold others up.

Check your cellphone plans.  Especially if you're traveling out of country, be aware of roaming charges.  Most cellphone companies offer fantastic roaming packages when purchased in advance.  These come in handy when on a trip for a variety of reasons.  If you like being social on Facebook or Twitter, using tracking apps like SkiTracks or Tracer, or simply for apps like Google Maps for helping you get there.  These all use data, and while away from main hotel locations, wifi likely won't be available.  While in your hotel, make sure to check in advance about the availability of wifi, and any costs there may be to access it.

Trip Itinerary

You will be sent an itinerary for the trip before you arrive.  This will detail all the planed activities and times for the trip, including group ski meetup times and locations, as well as times and locations for other activities like dinners, and evening social activities.

On the trip

BE COURTEOUS - BE ON-TIME

Before the trip, if you're traveling with others, don't keep them waiting.  Everyone is excited to get on the road and arrive at the destination.  BE READY ON-TIME.

During the trip, double check meetup times and locations.  Make sure you allow enough time to gear-up or get dressed, and arrive on-time to meet everyone else.

OUT on the Slopes

It's time to get out on the slopes and enjoy a morning of skiing or riding.

Most members choose to stick with the group and enjoy a social day while out on the slopes.  Using the time in lift lines and riding the lifts to visit and connect with friends new or old.

But you can ski or ride with whomever you want, or wander off for some self-exploration for a while.

Aprés

It's a skiing tradition, to meet back up at the end of a day out on the slopes for some social time.

Aprés for OUTSLOPES Trips are generally fairly unstructured.  Check your itinerary to see if there is a formally organized apres event that day, or make plans with the rest of the group about where you want to meet up at the end of the day.

We try to make these plans earlier in the day so that then as members get tired and hit the end of their own personal day, they start to migrate to this meetup space.

On your last day of a trip, or if you're staying off-site, please remember we have a few rules for enjoying apres:ng aprés:

• If you're driving - be responsible: DO NOT DRINK
• Enjoy responsibly, don't drink to excess and become obnoxious.  You have to share a ride home with someone, and everyone else doesn't deserve to put up with you being a dick.
• Don't hold the rest of your car-pool up.
• If you're on one of our shuttles, be to the pickup point ON-TIME.  Our shuttles don't wait.

Whenever possible, we highly encourage booking your accommodations on site so that you can fully participate in and enjoy the social events associated with a trip without concern about making arrangements to get back to your room safely.

Share your story...

During of after your trip, please share your experience with your social circles on facebook, twitter, or in person, etc.  Don't forget to tag us so we can share in your memories.