Club T-shirts and gilets are now available. Great quality and good looking, with the new club logo on the front and club name on the back. Available to members – please order soon. More details and pictures on the News pages – see here.
The club constitution was updated and agreed at the AGM in Oct 2023. See this link.
Club Equipment
We have a number of skis and boots and poles of all sizes for use by club members. These are mostly metal-edged touring skis with leather boots and 75mm touring bindings. A small charge may be made for the hire of these items, which are currently kept by Carl at Kingston Park (near the Falcons Rugby Ground). An up to date list of club equipment may be downloaded here.
We also have a store of roller skis (with SNS combi boots) which are kept by Allie Wilson in Forest Hall. The skis are suitable for classic and skate skiing. Again a small charge may be made for hire.
Please note that helmets must be worn for all club roller skiing (any formal or informal group involving club members). This brings us into line with policy adopted by the Nordic Committee of Snowsport England.
Snowsport England
A significant part of your membership subscription goes to Snowsport England (the governing body for our sport) to whom we are affiliated. The club is represented on their Nordic Committee and benefits from coaching schemes and events that are organised for the benefit of UK cross-country ski clubs (weekend roller ski coaching, on-snow coaching weeks in Norway, indoor-snowdome telemark festivals, etc).
Insurance and Personal Responsibility
Club members are advised that they should have their own insurance cover for club holidays and also that they are responsible for their own participation in all skiing and non-skiing activities. Members who lead day trips in the UK or hut touring in Norway or any other events are volunteers and do not necessarily have formal qualifications for those activities.
As part of our SSE affiliation, the club benefits from public liability insurance which protects the club and its officers against claims from personal injury or damage to property on skiing-related trips and club business. It does not cover us against non-skiing activities (bike rides, canoeing trips, etc).
Safeguarding
The club firmly supports the Snowsport England Policy on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults (see these links here and here). Anyone who wants to raise safeguarding issues of any sort should contact the Club Welfare Officer (CWO), Alison Aldred.
Click on the Contacts Page for details of the CWO and other key committee members.
Health and Safety
Tyneside Loipers takes the health and safety of members seriously and aims to create an environment that is as safe as reasonably practicable. Members are encouraged to undertake first aid training, which the club may support financially.
Club members must
- appreciate that snow sports are activities with a danger of personal injury or death and be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions
- take reasonable care for their health and safety and that of others who may be affected by what they do or not do
- take personal responsibility for self reliance in this mountain environment and an appropriate standard of snow sports competence for the activities being undertaken.
Data Protection (GDPR)
A member database is kept by the Membership Secretary and from time to time he/she may circulate a list of members with their approximate location, contact phone numbers and email addresses. Contact details are shared only for the purpose of coordinating club activities. Members whose details appear on the list will have signed to the effect on their original membership application that they are willing to share that information. (If you wish not to share your contact details with other members, that is an option on the membership form.) No membership contact details will be shared with any third party or commercial organisation without the express consent of the members.
Email correspondence to the membership as a whole will be delivered via an email sharing site (currently google groups) which effectively hides members’ individual email addresses. Such emails will include updates on club activities, Snowsport England events and other relevant business. Emails between individual members are at their own discretion.
Club Coaches
We currently have 3 Snowsport England qualified coaches who will provide instruction on snow and on roller skis to members and prospective members of Loipers. The club is committed to supporting its coaches and will pay for the costs of revalidation and annual registration with Snowsport England. More details here.