Progress as a Mountain Leader and Learn the Leadership Skills to Give Back to your Local Section

The ACC's winter leadership camp gives Section trip leaders advanced, heavily subsidized, training to become better mountain leaders and give back to their Sections. This year we're making the camp bigger and better than ever before, with three full ACMG guides, an exclusive booking at the ACC's renowned Fairy Meadow Hut, chef-prepared food, five more participant spaces, and a revamped training program.

Situated in the Adamant Range of the Selkirk Mountains, this destination was named “THE backcountry ski destination in Canada” by none other than legendary backcountry skier Chic Scott and was recently ranked the fourth best ski hut in all of North America by this blog. There's no better place to take your skills and leadership to the next level. The only catch? Given the additional cost, these camps will now only take place once every two years (albeit with an increased capacity). So whether you're an existing or aspiring Section trip leader, now is the time to apply and learn the skills to give back more to your mountain community.
Camp Objectives

The course will cover a broad range of hard and soft leadership skills with the focus on the following:
• Planning and management of ski touring trips on non-glaciated terrain
• Avalanche terrain evaluation
• Snowpack and stability evaluation and tests
• Use of bulletins, forecasts, the ATES scale, the Avaluator 2 and a formal process in decision making
• Route finding, track setting and decision making in avalanche terrain
• Navigation using terrain, map, compass and GPS
• Route planning, route cards and route selection
• Risk theory, group dynamics, group management
• Emergency situation management including avalanche rescue



Day by Day Adventure Itinerary 
  •  
  • Day 1: Meet in Golden, BC, at the the Big Bend Cafe at 9am, where you will be introduced to your group and your guides. Travel to the nearby staging area at Sorcerer Lodge Heliport where you will fly into the Fairy Meadow Hut by private helicopter (on a clear day, the views over the Adamants are stunning).
  • Day 2 - 7: Conditions permitting, the majority of the daylight hours will be spent in the field actively building skills and techniques. During the evenings – after dinner and a bit of relaxation – informal presentations and group discussions will be held.
  • Day 8: Pack up, take some final pictures of the breathtaking views and travel back to Golden by helicopter 
Is this Camp For Me?
TNF Winter  Leadership Program: Intermediate - Advanced
The focus of the courses is to provide training for current and future volunteer ACC section trip leaders. Applicants are expected to be planning and committed to leading ACC section activities in the future and have a basic level of technical skill relevant to their learning objectives. Participants are expected to be fit, strong and have confidence travelling on skis in the mountains. 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. 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.

 
Food, Accommodation and Guiding

Food
Food will be provided and prepared by a camp chef

Accommodation
The Fair Meadow Hut 


Guiding

Our Lead Ski Guide Doug Latimer oversees all our avalanche training programs. Doug has almost 20 years of experience in teaching AST and other winter instructional courses, as well as ski guiding. He also recently authored his very own avalanche e-book which is included in your course fee. We are extremely excited to have him on board for a third season after rave reviews for the past two years.

The ACC hires guides certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG). Visit the ACMG website to learn more about what they do!

Rentals

If you don't have everything on the gear list and aren't ready to invest in your own, there are many awesome local businesses that rent out all of the equipment you will need.  Be sure to reserve your rentals ahead of time to make sure everything you need is available for you when you need it.

  • Coming from the Bow Valley? Check out GearUp in Canmore. ACC members get 10% off all gear rentals!
  • Coming from Calgary? We recommend renting your gear from MEC, the University of Calgary Outdoors Center, or the Norseman.
  • Coming from the Revelstoke? Give Revelstoke Powder Rentals a try.

 

Your Guides

DOUG LATIMER

Doug has 20+ years of guiding experience behind him as an ACMG ski guide and an ACMG apprentice rock guide. As well as his private guiding he has spent a number of years working for the UoC where he taught a range of instructional programs in avalanche training, crevasse rescue and backcountry ski and ski mountaineering. He also somehow finds time to run a multimedia production company! On top of all that, we are lucky to have Doug as our lead winter guide, where he shares his fantastic enthusiasm and extensive knowledge throughout our winter programs.

Adventure Map

Details

Field Days

  • January 21-28 2023
  •  $1495 + Tax

 Application Deadline: October 30 

- Date by which final decisions will be made: Nov 16

-Date by which we can let participants know whether they have been accepted: November 17


Applications are CLOSED   Info Package  The info Package is currently being revised a updated one for 2023 will be available End of November. Section Endorsement Template  

Registration and Cancelation Policy Trip Waivers and Liability Page

Before registering, please review our Waivers and Liability page as well as the Cancelation policies.

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  

(403)-678-3200 ext 312
Cancellation Policy  
We sell Tugo® Travel Insurance suitable for both ACC Adventures and personal trips: 

Travel Insurance

 

Included WITH YOUR CAMP FEE

  • Professional instruction by three fully-certified ACMG ski guides
  • Course learning materials and pre-course assignments
  • Exclusive accommodation at Bill Putnam (Fairy Meadow) Hut for the week
  • Helicopter transportation to and from the hut
  • All meals, beginning with dinner on Day 1 and ending with lunch on Day 8 prepared by a camp chef
  • All group gear (ropes, emergency equipment etc.)

Participants Must Provide

  • Transportation to/from Sorcerer Lodge Heliport in Golden (carpooling lists will be provided ahead of time)
  • Breakfast and lunch on day 1, dinner on day 8
  • Personal gear (see gear list)

Organizing Fantastic ACC Adventures For Over 100 Years

  • Local Knowledge: Based out of Canmore, AB, we know the Rockies region and the best local caterers, guides and porters
  • Dedicated resources: Full-time office staff, ACMG guides and group equipment on-hand to ensure your trip runs smoothly
  • Not-for-profit: Any money we make on camps and courses is reinvested into providing services for our members and the mountain community