Brian Nystrom wrote:
[...]
Most of the other clubs in our area have eschewed membership in the ACA
PAC program and just go it alone. They rely on the principles of the
"Common Adventure Model" for liability protection. To date AFAIK, none
of the clubs or their members have been sued for anything that has
happened at any of their club functions, trips, etc., primarily because
their safety record is exemplary, as is ours. With the cost of insurance
going through the roof, I suspect that CAM is the wave of the future.
[...]

So is this "Common Adventure Model" a legal concept or document or
what? Thanks.

wrote:
Brian Nystrom wrote:
[...]
Most of the other clubs in our area have eschewed membership in the ACA
PAC program and just go it alone. They rely on the principles of the
"Common Adventure Model" for liability protection. To date AFAIK, none
of the clubs or their members have been sued for anything that has
happened at any of their club functions, trips, etc., primarily because
their safety record is exemplary, as is ours. With the cost of insurance
going through the roof, I suspect that CAM is the wave of the future.
[...]

So is this "Common Adventure Model" a legal concept or document or
what? Thanks.

It's a legal concept, among other things. Essentially, it describes
activities where people get together to share an experience and its
implicit risks. There is no specific leader and no specific duty of
care, hence little liability. The article at the following link goes
into it in much more detail than I can:

http://www.isu.edu/outdoor/CADefine.htm