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The Alpine Club of Canada
The Alpine Club of Canada

Summer Leadership Course

2024 ACC Summer Leadership Course

Our flagship program for current and aspiring Section trip leaders. Apply now for the opportunity to receive a week of heavily subsidized leadership training based out of our ever-popular GMC. 

Mountain leadership development is part of The Alpine Club of Canada’s mandate. Hundreds of volunteers give of their time at both the Section and National levels to ensure other ACC members have a safe and enjoyable time in the mountains. To support the leadership development needs of these tireless and invaluable volunteers, The North Face and The Alpine Club of Canada offer a Mountain Leadership Course for activity organizers from all ACC sections. These courses takes place annually in the summer, and bi–annually in the winter. The principal objective of these courses is to empower ACC volunteers by enhancing their leadership skill sets. Through alpine environments and technical travel, these leadership courses emphasize the ‘human-factor’ in leaders’ decision-making and the creation of inclusive, enjoyable experiences, applicable to ACC activities across Canada. 

Teaching Leadership Skills

The focus of this course will be to identify and exercise key leadership skills in a summer mountaineering environment. Through adventure, planning, and practice, the objective is to develop each individual’s capabilities, covering a broad range of leadership skills, with emphasis on the following: 

      • Pre and Post trip habits 
      • Situational leadership and group decision making
      • Conflict Management
      • Stewardship
      • Glacier Travel
      • Multi pitch ascending / descending systems
      • Companion rope rescue system 
      • Managing 4th class terrain 

Please note the course does not cover basic climbing skills or first aid. Conditions permitting, the majority of the daylight hours will be spent actively in the field, building skills for technical travel and skills for group management to improve safety, quality, and overall group experience. 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 adventures and trip leadership, it is expected that participants will be able to share contributions to these discussions with related examples of both hard and leadership skills. Participants should be ready to plan, lead and co-ordinate all aspects of trips in the field. This will be an intensive, thought-provoking course with lots of learning for everybody! 

Remillard Group GMC 

The 2024 Summer Mountain Leadership Course will take place during the 5th week of the 2024 Remillard Group GMC, in the Northern Selkirks of British Columbia. For full information on the camp and logistics click here. 

 

The North Face supports our Leadership Program and we thank them for their assistance.
ACC Summer Leadership Program by The North Face
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BOOKING INFORMATION

 

Date:
AUGUST 3RD-10TH, 2024

Price: $1,895 + TAX

APPLY NOW
GEAR LIST
INFOPACK
TRIP WAIVERS AND LIABILITY
CANCELLATION POLICY
Before registering, please review our Waivers and Liability page.

MORE INFORMATION

Please try to register online before calling. If you are having issues please try to have your emergency contact information and course questionnaire filled out before calling.

EMAIL US

OR Call: (403)-678-3200 ext 213

CAMP ITINERARY

  • August 3rd: Rendezvous at the GMC meeting area, drive or shuttle to staging area and fly into the General Mountaineering Camp. Meet with the Camp Manager upon arrival for orientation.
  • August 3rd-9th: Climbing and leadership training at the GMC under the supervision of your instructors.
  • August 10th: After debrief, fly out from the camp.

GEAR, FOOD & LODGING
INCLUDED

  • Helicopter transport to and from the GMC basecamp
  • Shared-tent accommodation at the GMC basecamp
  • All meals starting with supper on Day 1 and ending with lunch on Day 8
  • Guiding and instruction throughout the week
  • All group technical gear

PARTICIPANTS MUST PROVIDE

  • Transportation to and from the staging area (carpooling will be encouraged)
  • Breakfast and lunch on Day 1
  • Supper and accommodation on Day 8
  • Personal gear (see equipment list)

HOW TO APPLY

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

The focus of the Summer Leadership Course is to provide mentorship and training in both technical and leadership skills for our section trip organizers. Participants should be:  

      • Fit enough to participate in a full day of travel (8-10hrs) at a casual pace.  
      • Comfortable with the idea of navigating off trail in alpine and treeline terrain.  
      • Confident in their movement skills in a mountaineering environment which may include travel on steep snow, low angled ice, and rock climbing to a 5.7 standard.

It is recommended for those individuals who live in lower elevations to arrive early to acclimate to the higher elevations, as camp will be at 2000m. 

Application Steps

Application Opens: January 19th, 2024
Application Deadline: There are still a few spots open on the course, applications will be reviewed in order of submission. If you are interested in applying please do so as soon as possible.

A complete application for the Mountain Leadership Course will include the submission of the following three components no later than 11:59 PM (MST) on May 27th, 2024:

  1. Completed application form (online). By submitting this form, one copy will automatically be sent to the National Office, and one copy will automatically be sent to your Section Executive with a request for endorsement. 
  2. Short letter of reference from one climbing partner who can attest to your skills and experience. Must be an ACMG guide, Camp Manager or Section Volunteer Leader. References (including name, relationship, and email address) should send their letters directly to adventures@alpineclubofcanada.ca.
  3. Section endorsement – once your Section Executive completes their endorsement of your application, a notification will be sent automatically to the National Office. The requests for endorsements should be made to all sections by April 15th, 2024 to allow adequate time for response.

Please ensure that your application is complete, and that your letter of reference and section endorsement have been submitted. Incomplete applications may not be considered.

If you have been selected for one of the spots on the Mountain Leadership Course, you will be notified no later than May 27th, 2024. Payment for this course will be required at your earliest convenience. This form will be sent out to candidates who have been selected. Participants will not be allowed to attend the course if the completed forms are not received prior to the commencement of camp.

SELECTION CRITERIA

This leadership course is designed for those members who already have some climbing experience, and may have taken some related courses. The objective of the Mountain Leadership Course is to provide leadership training for our section activity organizers. It should be emphasized that this course is designed to compliment, not replace, technical or leadership training courses offered at the local level; rather, it is an exceptional opportunity for participants from across the country to share a focused learning program.

The following criteria are used when assessing applications:

  • Applicants must submit a complete application, including requested reference and section endorsement;
  • Applicants must have the appropriate basic technical skills and abilities to participate safely in the course and travel through the terrain under professional ACMG guidance;
  • Applicants should be active, contributing members of the ACC, and express a commitment to organizing section activities once they’ve completed the Mountain Leadership Course.

Within these guidelines, the committee strives to balance participants’ representation of different ACC section4J