Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best way I can get started doing outdoors stuff?

UTS OAC runs a variety of trips for all skill and experience levels. If you are unsure where to start, skills trips allow you to experience some outdoor activities under the watchful eye of an experienced trip leader. You can also attend a club social night held every Monday night (6-9 pm) at The Ledge Climbing Centre located within the University of Sydney. Senior members will be available to help guide you into what you want to experience.

I am a complete beginner, can I still join?

UTSOAC welcomes people from all backgrounds in outdoor activities. We provide comprehensive skills trips to teach you the very basics of technical activities such as outdoor rock climbing/ abseiling. These require no previous experience! Furthermore, more advanced skills trips are also available for you to build on these skills and expand your knowledge and experience!

What sort of activities do you run?

We run a variety of activities that are outdoor-related. These can include small activities such as half-day hikes up to multi-day trips. The skills required for each trip will be outlined in the post and the club does provide basic training for you to attend more technical trips.

Do I have to pay to join trips?

NO! All trips run by the club are free to join for members. However, additional costs may be associated with some trips (e.g. food and equipment hire if the club cannot provide). These additional costs are rare and will be outlined by the trip leaders in their activity post!

What are some activities currently being run?

Trips are frequently being posted on our official website. You can view the current/past trips available to our members! Feel free to reach out about certain trips you might be interested in!

What is the membership card for and where can I get one?

The membership card acts as proof of membership with UTS OAC if you need to access one of our many discounts at an outdoor store or climbing/bouldering gym. If you need a new membership card, come along to one of our Monday club nights at The Ledge and ask the bloke at the reception. If you are unable to make it to one of these nights, email the member’s officer at members@utsoac.org.au.

How can I cancel/refund my membership?

If you wish to cancel your membership, simply log in to your account on the website. Under the Membership section, there will be a tab allowing you to cancel your membership. If you wish to refund your membership, our refund policies are also found in the same section as to where you cancel your membership. Once you have confirmed you are eligible, email our secretary via the Contact Us tab on the website. They will be in touch to process the refund for you.  

What are some of my membership benefits?

OAC offers quite a few different benefits to our current members such as discount entry to climbing gyms, discounts at affiliated outdoor stores. You can navigate to the membership benefit under About > Member’s Benefits at the OAC website.

I’m quite experienced in etc etc; do I need to do any beginner courses?

Anyone with experience knows that you can’t take everyone’s word at face value. There are a lot of risks involved in our activities and trust needs to be earned and established. The best advice is to join trips and chat to Trip Leaders or execs in Ledge Monday night. If you’re as good as you say you are, we’ll know!

Who has the right to select participants?

Trip leaders have full discretion to select and reject participants based on their experiences, meeting trip requirements or equivalence that are posted on the trip details, and other principles, such as ‘first come, first serve’ basis.