AAC(UK) Member Survey Report, October 2023

We all get invited to complete surveys, don’t we? And most of us don’t have time, and just zap them. I know do. I guess that’s why the percentage of members completing our October 2023 survey looks small at first sight. It was just over 5%. Of those who completed the survey, the majority are older members, many of whom are very active. But there is also plenty of feedback from members who are new to the club, or have young families, and members who are into expeditions and more serious mountain activities.

The AAC(UK) is an unusual club because many skiers, walkers and climbers are happy to join for the benefits we offer, but they like to organise their own mountain trips rather than go on ours. That’s absolutely fine. It means that a very small number of members join our tours and meets, and an even smaller number book the grant-assisted training courses. They have experienced the trips and learnt new skills with us, and so they are worth listening to. Their responses offered many positive opinions about the way we run these things, plus some criticisms, as well as quite a lot of imaginative suggestions.

What were we hoping to find out from the survey? First of all, we’re a members’ club and proud of it. We want our members to know we’re interested in their views. Those views are useful to us in planning future activities, and of course the wider strategy of the club in all sorts of ways. As well as our excellent office and wonderful tour leaders, we’re organised by a willing group of management volunteers – over 40 of us – and it’s very useful for us to be guided by members’ opinions on all aspects of the organisation.

We think the results are varied and useful, so here’s a summary

In designing the survey, we really wanted members’ freestyle comments – and the response was huge – so thank you very much! Read on for an overview of what they said.

Overall results

Most respondents are pretty happy with the club, especially the rescue and repatriation insurance, the huts discount and the training offered. Almost all agreed that it’s good to encourage environmentally friendly travel. Most have joined in club activities; nearly half have attended the AGM/Autumn Gathering. There’s a demand for hutting tours, partly because they’re good quality. Tours, meets and training sessions all scored 4.2/5. More local involvement was mentioned quite a lot, and the club will be looking again at how we could publicise more effectively the local groups we already have, and seek regional organisers among our members. If you fancy volunteering to be that person in your area, don’t hesitate! People are fond of the quarterly newsletter, as they were in the 2011 and 2015 surveys, and like to look at the lists of club organised trips. Support for the Hut Fund is 92%; the Expedition Fund is lower at 61%.

Activities: tours, meets, walks, mountain biking, AGM/Autumn Gathering

We wanted to know what prevents members going on all the activities which interest them. By far the biggest reason was that most of our organised trips are in Austria, Europe and the UK, and geographically that isn’t convenient for a good proportion of our members. It’s a tricky one, because our volunteer leaders organise these activities where they choose to go. This year we have tried to advertise earlier and we’ll continue to do so. The day walks are often in the south-east, the two reasons being that there’s a concentration of members in that area, and walks very often start and finish at a railway station easily reached from London. By the way, dogs can come along on some walks; you just need to check with the organiser. Some comments mentioned that places on tours are quickly filled up; it’s important to keep checking the website and monthly e-news for new events. Occasionally an event is cancelled, which is disappointing for all concerned. We always try to find a solution, and we do understand it’s a blow when something exciting is called off.

Asked what other activities would be good to offer, respondents came up with almost anything you can imagine. By far the most popular requests were for alpinism/mountaineering/ ice climbing/ski mountaineering/avalanche awareness. This contrasted with a good number of appeals for gentle hut touring, valley-based walking and gentle ski touring, demonstrating the rich variety in our membership.

More unusually, activities such as photography, mountain medicine and helping to repair paths in Austria were put forward. The Activities Team are finding the suggestions thought-provoking and stimulating. It was also heart-warming to see the many general comments congratulating the Club on being well-run, with friendly members and a good range of activities. Participants particularly enjoyed the Autumn Gathering, the family Bergfest and the lectures on Zoom. Several also approved of the club’s efforts to encourage sustainable travel, and suggested we try harder in that area.

Training courses

Grant-assisted training is very much appreciated, especially Übungsleiter leadership courses, but there were some comments about skills courses, which our training team will be looking at. Some asked for a structured programme they could follow, taking in everything from beginners’ skills to full leadership courses. Many respondents feel they don’t need training because hey’ve already got the skills they need, and perhaps don’t wish to lead groups. That’s all perfectly valid. One member suggested training should only be for under-18 year olds, but I must say we wouldn’t consider age restrictions for training or anything else (except for safeguarding). Members are in fact very grateful that our grants for training are for anyone of any age. A few respondents admitted that they’re reluctant to book training (possibly tours and meets too) because they are a bit shy to turn up on their own. That is precisely the reason I became a volunteer with the club, and I can only say that the friendliness on all the meets and courses I’ve attended has been lovely. Interestingly, shyness came up much more in the 2015 survey. But maybe there’s more we could still do to reassure, and we’re giving it some thought.

In terms of reasons why members don’t go on courses, it’s not so easy to offer training all over the UK, as some requested. We use external training providers who are often located in Scotland and Snowdonia, but we are aware that it can be time-consuming to get there, and we take the point that teachers can only go on courses in school holidays. Some said that a chronological calendar of training would help them have a quick look at what’s on when they’re free. Advertising targeted at those who’ve been on courses before, or on a specific training pathway, is another idea. There’s something around our expectation that people who go on courses should offer to lead their own tours in future – and that’s putting some people off. I’d say that, if it’s a leadership course, it’s a reasonable expectation, but possibly the communications could be improved. Again, it’s food for thought by our training team.

We don’t offer courses in absolutely everything (yet!) and members suggested we should think about training in crevasse rescue, ice climbing, Klettersteig and DoE mountain leadership. More unusual ideas were: breathing techniques for cold-water swimming, canyoning, an Alpenvereinaktiv e-course, and environmental stewardship in the mountains and elsewhere. All very interesting for future discussions.

Website and other communications

I was surprised to read that some members don’t look at the website at all, even finding it too difficult to access. But generally, its usefulness attracted positive comments. At the same time, a number of respondents criticised log-in as being a bit clunky, and navigation as needing more clarity. It’s helpful to hear this. I thought the website was pretty good, but we volunteers get used to our own terminology, and it might not be so obvious to everybody. A popular idea is to have some sort of forum on the website for finding other members locally, and selling one’s equipment and maps. Comments about communication channels other than the website included every possible view about social media. Some members would like a greater variety of social media interaction, and of course others don’t use it at all. The Newsletter also attracts polarised views; with an equal number in favour of keeping the paper version, and going digital only. A reminder here – you can opt in to digital-only any time you like under myData after logging in on the website. There were other interesting ideas, eg: Photo competitions judged by a membership vote. Most comments were constructive, and some kindly thanked the volunteers for the hours they put in. And some gave me a laugh – in answer to the final question “Anything else to say”, a member wrote “None, I’m exhausted”. I know how you feel after reading every one of 1128 comments.

Thanks to all

Those who engaged with the survey have contributed information to a meeting of volunteers we held at the end of April to discuss the club’s strategy. With the survey results in our heads, and input from the Activities Team, we came up with a number of ideas to explore for the short term as well as the next five years. We’ll be looking at running more UK tours and meets, and expanding local involvement to areas outside the south-east. Advertising our activities earlier is important, and making sure we attract more potential leaders and support them well. The website will also be under the telescope, as members are saying it could be easier to use. Look out for the September newsletter for an update on how we’re getting on with all this. In the meantime, have a great summer.

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