Insurance question
- Thread starter tomferry
- Start date
JoshW
Active member
ILT said:
I've never had to show that I've got BCA membership at any site I've been to though, so wouldn't be worrying at all.
And if you mean the BCA travel/exped insurance, you should have received something in writing almost immediately to your email, so would consider calling them back to chase that.
I have faced a similar issue recently with BCA and will like to know how much it takes you to get a membership? Let me know, Thanks
Bob Mehew
Well-known member
The membership administrator is a part time filled post so it could take a week or more to be processed. Also if you joined via a club, then usualy, cards go via the club. So you may wish to ask whoever in the club who dealt with your application. HTH
cap n chris
Well-known member
Thanks man, I have joined via the club, going to ask someone in the club
cap n chris
Well-known member
Pondering this a little, recently; I wonder whether the non-selling status is purely to sidestep the regulatory strictures of the insurance industry in order to keep things simple and affordable on the one hand or whether, on the other hand, it's a ploy to straitjacket all club cavers into a zero-choice option. Maybe both. Either way I remain eternally bewildered how BCA/NCA masterfully negotiated a policy for its members who do not have to undergo any of the BCA/NCA competencies/training/assessment(s) in order to be an insurable prospect. Now that truly was a manoeuvre of biblical awesomeness.
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aricooperdavis
Moderator
Is this not standard across the outdoor industry - the BMC and BCU have the same arrangement I think?
They do, but you don't have to join & they still have 10 times more menbers than BCA (although that's only recent for British canoeing, which was about 6 times up to 2017). BMC does cover indoor & outdoor climbing, plus hillwalking / mountaineering though. A government survey also shows they have many more participants (this includes instructor led sessions):
activelives.sportengland.org
Active Lives | Home
& our survey shows (for age 16+, juniors have different activity options):
10 million hillwalkers (very few of whom are members, although somewhat surprisingly 5% said they were in a club) & 1.5 million climbers / boulderers (doesn't show club membership). 2 million canoeists (inc. Kayakers) with about 10% in clubs, increasing to 12.5% since covid. Surfing 6 years ago only 600,000, rose to c.1 million & last year 1.5 million, with 5% in clubs, up to almost 7.5% last year (that's a massive increase, but difficult to say where stand up paddle boarding fits in this, as both are governing bodies for it, and I think they have their own separate one as well, but survey doesn't differentiate). Anyway, caving "only" had 120,000 to 160,000, which halved during covid (remember this includes activity centres, but not showcaves, although their adventure caving probably counts - but still 10% or less of others)
10 million hillwalkers (very few of whom are members, although somewhat surprisingly 5% said they were in a club) & 1.5 million climbers / boulderers (doesn't show club membership). 2 million canoeists (inc. Kayakers) with about 10% in clubs, increasing to 12.5% since covid. Surfing 6 years ago only 600,000, rose to c.1 million & last year 1.5 million, with 5% in clubs, up to almost 7.5% last year (that's a massive increase, but difficult to say where stand up paddle boarding fits in this, as both are governing bodies for it, and I think they have their own separate one as well, but survey doesn't differentiate). Anyway, caving "only" had 120,000 to 160,000, which halved during covid (remember this includes activity centres, but not showcaves, although their adventure caving probably counts - but still 10% or less of others)
andrewmcleod
Well-known member
You don't have to join the BCA either? Admittedly there the fraction of caves you need BCA membership for is larger than the fraction of crags you need BMC membership for, but in both cases joining a club requires you to be a member of the respective association. The arrangement is basically identical, although the numbers are different.
A much smaller percentage of regular climbers are in clubs than cavers though (probably nearer 50% for latter).
Previous post is further complicated by the British Surfing Association, which had 10,000 members, going into liquidation in 2010. So there now appears to be Surfing England (with 5,000) & English Surfing Federation (no idea), neither of which were recognised as NGB in official list from 2017, when they were supposed to merge, plus Irish surf association (for N.I.), Scottish & Welsh S.F.s, which were all recognised. There is also the British Stand up paddle association. So, if you think caving is bad...
Previous post is further complicated by the British Surfing Association, which had 10,000 members, going into liquidation in 2010. So there now appears to be Surfing England (with 5,000) & English Surfing Federation (no idea), neither of which were recognised as NGB in official list from 2017, when they were supposed to merge, plus Irish surf association (for N.I.), Scottish & Welsh S.F.s, which were all recognised. There is also the British Stand up paddle association. So, if you think caving is bad...
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aricooperdavis
Moderator
Which suggests that the BCA might actually be usefully improving access to caves for cavers. Who'd have thought it...
MarkS
Moderator
I don't recall having to send competency certificates etc. to insurance companies when booking insurance for other activities such as skiing, via ferrata, canyoning, climbing etc. Should caving be different?
BMC for club members is also half the price of individual (you don't get separate copies of the magazine), although under 27s only pay a bit more, and British Canoeing - they dropped the Union - club is also much cheaper (but you don't get individual waterways licence. or cover outside of club organised activities). However, both are more than twice as expensive as BCA for full membership (although they also have more discounts available)
