How to sign up for the 2024 winter weekend Yosemite trip

This page will be updated to 2025 closer to when we start trip signups.

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We already have people intending to sign up who have been on the trip before and who are experienced enough to lead the major hike, and others signed up who can teach people to ice skate. Some of these people will be camping, some already have hotel room type reservations.

 

 

Signups for the  Yosemite trip
have things you must do before you come to sign up.

 

 

You always need to bring a valid government-issued photo ID
to prove who you are and to prove how old you are
(which could be a drivers license or a clear photo on your cell phone of your passport)
and proof you are a De Anza student to be able to sign up for an event.
(For proof of enrollment you can show us, on your smart-enough phone, your enrollment – winter quarter – at the Portal.)

 

You can’t just show up for an off-campus event and expect to participate without having signed up in advance in person and having paid in advance, in part because the college has a release everyone who goes off campus must sign before they go off-campus.

The college release needs to be completed for each person for every off-campus event. It covers what should be done in a medical emergency, Rules of Conduct, and an acknowledgement that the college is not providing transportation. You sign, for example, “it is my responsibility to arrange for transportation to and from the activity.” It has to be signed by the student (or by the parent/guardian of a student under 18 years old), then the faculty or staff member leading the trip is responsible for getting it turned in to the administration before the trip.

You will need to write in your eight-digit De Anza College student identification number Campuswide ID (CWID),
(and we have found that some people coming to sign up for events do not remember their ID Number).

In the release you will give info about your health coverage and in the event of a medical emergency, who to notify.
(And we have found that some people coming to sign up for events do not know their type / brand of health insurance).
Take a look at a sample of the required-by-the-college release.

You can’t sign up on-line, by email or at this website, each student must appear in person to sign trip agreements/releases and show proof they are a currently enrolled student.

Your friend or even your spouse can’t sign the required paperwork.

Especially important to note if you are under 18 years old the college requires that a parent/guardian will need to sign all the documents along with you, in person and must be present on the event overnight with you.

There are no waitlists for club events.

 

 

Step One

If you carefully read the trip webpage

and the trip agreement.

before you come to sign up, it will go much faster and you will better be able to pass the trip pre-test.

(Most people who read the trip agreement and trip webpage before they come to sign up get perfect or near-perfect scores.)

Sample questions from the test.

 

Step Two

snow camp oversized rain jacket: To sign up for the trip you
must show us your waterproof hooded rain jacket and pants.

because on previous trips the faculty advisor has had to dress people in plastic leaf bags.

Really.

rain gear: models show real rain jackets and plastic garbage bag gear
 

We will not accept a rain poncho.

We will not accept thin, easily torn temporary rain gear like they sell at airports for emergencies.

Your snowboarding gear could be snow-proof, but not actually waterproof out in the rain.

If you can sew, you can Improve your inexpensive rain gear and turn a less expensive set into one with more features.

Read more details about the right gear at snow or rain camp must-haves

Step Three

Deciding if your budget can afford a hotel room, cabin or a campsite is important.

Some club people got four campsites in a row in Upper Pines campground, for the 2024 trip weekend, that they are willing to share.

If you choose to camp, we would like to see your tent, and have you pitch it, to be sure it will be adequate. Some people have told us past years they had a great tent but brought one that was not and ended up sleeping in their car.

There are crucial things wrong with each of these tents.

If you do not recognize why they are bad tents (or why the tents were set up poorly)
please read Don’t buy a cheap tent.

 

If you don’t want to camp (if you just don’t want to camp, or do not have enough experience camping in the winter, or don’t have the right gear)
you can book
a heated-or-not wood floored canvas roofed/sided tent cabin,
wood walled cabin

or a hotel room with a bathroom

– see lots of details about these at
Things to do in advance of the Yosemite trip

And check out the page with advice about staying in a Curry Village wood floored, canvas sided/roofed tent cabin, in case weather comes in and you decide to move out of the campground or you are considering choosing a tent-cabin (heated or not) for the trip instead of camping.

Step Four

You must bring your money order payment when you come to sign up.

(You can come to one of the signups meetings and get questions answered and/or take the pretest and show us your waterproof rain gear, but you can’t sign up unless you have your trip payment with you.)

see: how to get a money order to pay for an Outdoor Club trip

money order

 

Step Five

The sign ups dates / places for the 2025 Yosemite National park weekend trip will be:

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

announced here closer to when we start signups.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

 

People on this trip can hike to the top of Yosemite Falls

and/or take a short walk to this view of Yosemite falls
(photo below taken in February from the far left hand portion of the lower Yosemite Falls walkways/trails.)

 waterfall in three sections