The North Face Winter Leadership Training Course

2008 TNF Participants on Kemmel Mtn.	Photo: © REINHOLD MAYERHOFER

The North Face has been a supportive sponsor of the Leadership Courses since their inception and we thank them for their assistance.

Amateur Leaders are the backbone of the Alpine Club – providing beginner, intermediate, and advanced trips to other members, allowing Sections to boast broad and varied trip schedules.

With the support of The North Face, each year we run a training course for amateur leaders from across the country in recognition of the tireless work these volunteers do and their need for high quality training.  The main goal of the course is to help members who are already leading trips become better, stronger, and safer leaders for the Sections and for National Camps

The course will cover a broad range of hard and soft leadership skills with the focus on the following:

• planning and management of ski trips and traverses;
• snow safety and terrain evaluation;
• route planning, selection and finding;
• decision making in avalanche terrain;
• glacier travel and navigation;
• crevasse rescue systems;
• group dynamics, interaction and management; and
• emergency situation management.

*Please note the course does not cover technical climbing/skiing skills or first aid.

Photo: © Cyril Shokoples

This will be an intensive, thought-provoking course with lots of learning for everybody! 

Conditions permitting, the majority of the daylight hours will be spent actively in the field, building skills and techniques.  In the evenings – after dinner and a bit of relaxation – informal presentations and group discussions of the above topics will be held.  Based on skills and experience in previous mountaineering adventures and trip leadership, it is hoped that everyone will be able to participate in and contribute to these discussions.

You will find a more detailed course outline and objectives on Cyril Shokoples’ website after November 1, 2008:

http://www.rescuedynamics.ca/courses/lead/TNF/ACCTNF.htm

The TNF ACC Leadership Course will be returning to GAH’s Vista Lodge in the Esplanade Range on the eastern edge of the Selkirk mountains.  Vista Lodge, offers comfortable accommodations after long field days on varied, interesting terrain (with the bonus of unbeatable powder and ski runs up to 760m/2500’ vertical).

Photo: © Peter Miur

Seven nights accommodation at Vista Lodge are included in your course fee. Please note that you are responsible for your own accommodation arrangements on Friday, January 9th in Golden. We encourage you to stay in Golden that night to avoid delays on flight day.

Recommended accommodations in Golden includes the Kicking Horse River Lodge.  Phone:  1-877-547-5266.  www.khrl.com 

Sumptuous meals will be prepared by our experienced backcountry cook at the lodge. If you have any food intolerances or preferences, please include that information with your application and we will do what we can to accommodate you.

Application Process

There are two types of spots on the course: Section and National. The majority of the spots go to Section applicants to train their own leaders. National spots go to applicants who are training to be National Camp Managers.

For Section Placement you must submit each of the following:

• Completed application form – one copy to your Section and one copy to National at
• Letters of reference from two of your skiing partners who can attest to your skills.  References (including name, relationship, and email address) should send their letters directly to
• Your Section Executive should send their endorsement of your application directly to . Note that if your Section chooses to endorse more than one person, we will ask the Section to prioritize the applicants from the perspective of the general good of the Section.

** All of the above must be submitted electronically to National before midnight on November 1.  Please ensure that your application is complete, and that your letters of reference have been submitted. Incomplete applications will likely be rejected.

For National Placement you must submit each of the following:

• Completed application form –one copy should be sent electronically to National at
• Letters of reference from two of your skiing partners who can attest to your skills.  References (including name, relationship, and email address) should send their letters directly to
• Endorsement of your application by one of the following should be sent directly to

• Director, Club Services
• An ACMG Mountain Guide who works on ACC Camps
• A current National camp manager or amateur leader

** All of the above must be submitted electronically to National before midnight on November 1.  Please ensure that your application is complete, and that your letters of reference have been submitted. Incomplete applications will likely be rejected.

If you have been selected for one of the spots at the TNF ACC Leadership Course, you must complete and return The Alpine Club of Canada's Waiver of Liability form as a condition of registration. This form will be sent out to candidates who have been selected.  Participants will not be allowed to attend the course if the completed form is not received prior to the commencement of camp.

Selection Criteria
This leadership course is designed for those members who already have considerable skiing and/or ski mountaineering experience, and have taken some related courses. The TNF-ACC courses are to provide training for our active section trip leaders, GMC amateur rope leaders and national camp managers. It should be emphasized that this course is not designed to replace local section leadership and training initiatives; rather, it is a fine-tuning for participants and a focused learning/sharing program.

The following criteria are used when assessing applications. There is no "order of importance" within the criteria.

• applicants must submit a complete application, including all requested references and either Section or National endorsement
• applicants must have the appropriate and adequate technical skills and abilities
• applicants must  be active, contributing members of the ACC, and show a willingness to commit to leading trips once they've taken the course

Within these guidelines, the committee strives to create equality amongst the numbers of participants from different Sections. For the winter course, preference will be given to applicants who have taken the AST Level 2 or an Advanced Recreational Avalanche Course.

Level of Difficulty The focus of the courses is to provide training for our active section trip leaders, GMC amateur rope leaders and national camp managers. Applicants need to have organized and led ACC trips and have considerable pertinent skills, especially those relevant to mountain activities.  Participants should be fit, strong and have confidence in their own skills. We can’t stress enough the need for a good level of fitness - participants must be prepared to spend long, consecutive days in the field, building skills and techniques. In the evenings, there will be presentations and group discussions on various leadership topics. For those individuals who live at lower elevations (less than 1000m/3300’), we recommend that you arrive in the mountains a few days before the camp to do some skiing on your own. You will be living at and above 1900m/6300’ for the week.
Application / Information package: PDF document Word Document Photo: ©		2009 Planned Itinerary* January 10 – meet in Golden at the Kicking Horse River Lodge at (Time TBD); fly into Vista Lodge January 11 - 16 – the course will go over many topics, including planning and management of ski trips and traverses; snow safety and terrain evaluation; route planning, selection and finding; decision making in avalanche terrain; glacier travel and navigation; crevasse rescue systems; group dynamics, interaction and management; and emergency situation management. January 17 – Return to Golden *Subject to change

Staff:

For the 7th year, Cyril Shokoples, Peter Amann and Brad Harrison will be your guides for the week.

The camp staff will guide and instruct each segment of the program with daily field activities, and coordinate them with evening presentations and group discussions. In addition, The North Face might provide a representative, who, if he/she is able to attend, will be contributing during the week.

All meals will be prepared by your TNF Chef (who will also mentor and inspire!). All participants will assist with routine meal and housekeeping chores and duties as needed.

ACMG Mountain Guide Cyril Shokoples		ACMG Mountain Guide Peter Amann
Cyril began his career as an outdoor professional 30 years ago. His professional mountain guiding began a quarter century ago and he is an internationally certified mountain guide. He is a past president of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and has received distinguished service awards from the North West Mountaineering Club, The Alpine Club of Canada and the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. He was the coordinator of Prehospital Care programs at the Alberta Vocational College where he trained Emergency Medical Technicians and developed the Parks Emergency Responder course for national park wardens. He still delivers that course all across Canada and teaches Wilderness Emergency Care to mountain guides. Cyril trains the Canadian Forces Search and Rescue Technicians in Mountain Rescue and is one of the primary instructors on the ACC summer and winter TNF national leadership courses.		Peter has worked as a Mountain Guide in many ranges throughout western Canada. He routinely works in many of the camps for the Alpine Club of Canada, including 19 years in the General Mountaineering camps and has been one of the instructors for the North Face winter leadership course for 6 years. Peter works with training the Canadian Military's Search and Rescue Technicians, and had worked as the Avalanche Forecaster at Marmot Basin for 18 years.  Peter has taught both Rock and Mountaineering courses for 24 years, and guides many private ski touring and climbing parties.  Peter presently works as lead guide for Robson Helimagic  out of Valemount in the winter, teaches AST Avalanche courses and guides ski touring in the winter months.
Camp Manager Brad Harrison
Born and raised in Invermere a long 50 years ago, Brad was conveniently dropped into the backcountry. His father, Bill, was a pioneer in the Columbia Valley, guiding and outfitting for the likes of Conrad Kain and Dr. Walcott from the 1920’s well into the 1970’s. Following in his Father’s footsteps, Brad took to the mountains. He was an owner/operator/guide for over 20 years of Golden Alpine Holidays, one of Canada’s premier backcountry lodges. Brad is an active, professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association and President of the Backcountry Lodges of British Columbia Association. He has been the manager of the Alpine Club’s annual General Mountaineering Camp since 1985. Brad was recently honored by being one of 13 mountaineers included in an Artist/Mountaineer exhibit held at the Whyte Museum in Banff as part of the Alpine Club of Canada’s 100 year anniversary celebration

Other great winter trips offered by the Alpine Club of Canada:

	Banff Mountain Film Festival - Ice Climbing - CAMP FULL November 10 - November 13, 2008		LIttle Yoho Valley Ski Camp March 28 - April 4, 2009
	Wapta Traverse - Week 1 March 7 - March 14, 2009		Wapta Traverse - Week 2 - CAMP FULL April 4 - April 11, 2009
	Fairy Meadow Ski Extravaganza March 14 - March 21, 2009		Argentine Glacier Ski Camp April 17 - April 25, 2009
	First Summits Winter Mountaineering February 26 - March 2, 2009
	Special Winter Adventures
	The North Face Leadership Course January 10 - January 17, 2009