Semester FAQs
Why Choose Yamnuska Prerequisites Certification Offered Who Takes the Semester & Why Where Do Graduates End Up? Tax Deductions? Our Instructors Safety Group Size Educational Philosophy Group Life About Mountain Guiding Student Conduct
Why choose Yamnuska?
1. Experience and Commitment.
Yamnuska has been in operation for
over 30 years.
In addition to Semester programs Yamnuska operates a wide range of mountain
instruction programs and the net accumulated experience from this is applied
to the semester program. Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is the largest
employer of certified guides for mountaineering and climbing in North
America. We know this business inside out and when it comes to training we
understand exactly what you will need to know.
We are absolutely committed to making our Semester program the best it can be. We know that our greatest strength is in quality practical mountain skill instruction and we base the Semester program on this strength.
2. Great Instructors.
The instructors teaching the Semester program are career mountain guides. They have undergone rigorous training and certification by the internationally recognized Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and other IFMGA affiliated overseas guides' associations. They are selected for their strong instructional ability. Our instructors enjoy the opportunity to work with students throughout the Semester, which is long enough for them to see their students achieve serious competency in mountaineering.
3. Low instructor - student ratios.
On the climbing and mountaineering sections the instructor to student ratio is 1:6. On the rock and ice sections there will be multi-pitch climbing days where the ratio drops to as low as 1:2. Most similar programs work on a 1:6 ratio. This will further enhance learning quality and help students achieve higher skill levels.
4. Focus on practical training, minimal classroom time.
Whilst some classroom time is necessary we keep this to a minimum. We believe that mountain skills are best taught on the mountains. All too often classroom time can be used as a means to pad out the curriculum and to keep instructor costs down. Your time is valuable, you are making a significant investment and we want to respect that by spending your time in the best possible places ... the mountains!
5. Locations.
We are blessed with some of the best mountain terrain for instruction in the world. The Canadian Rockies and New Zealand's Southern Alps are perfect for longer training programs. There is plenty of terrain suitable for beginner instruction as well as lots of more challenging intermediate and advanced terrain. Yamnuska has permits to operate in Canada's mountain National Parks (Banff, Glacier, Kootenay, Jasper and Yoho) as well as in the mountain provincial parks of Alberta and British Columbia (Kananaskis, Assiniboine, Bugaboos). In New Zealand we partner with Alpine Guides (Aoraki) Ltd., that country's senior mountain school based at Mount Cook National Park.
6. Value for money.
Whilst the cost of this program is significant and represents a large investment on the part of our students, we believe that it offers great value. When considering cost it is important to make sure that any items not included in another program (food and accommodation?) are added in. Question how much time is spent in the field and what technical gear is included. Consider too, the quality of instructors, are they career professionals or were they recruited from among recent graduates? The latter cost a lot less but cannot deliver the same quality of training.
Prerequisites
You need to be physically and medically fit to participate. You must also have a true desire and commitment to learn. Highly motivated individuals who are willing to take responsibility for their own learning will get the greatest benefit from this course. Enrolling on this course involves a serious commitment to the program.
Minimum age for unrestricted participation in the semester is nineteen years old. Eighteen year olds can participate though certain restrictions may apply, contact us for details.
No previous climbing or mountain experience is necessary.
Basic downhill ski experience is essential. You must be fully competent in the following skills:
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Snow plow turn,
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Traversing,
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Snow plow stop,
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Sideslip,
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Straight running
If you do not already have these ski skills you will need to spend at least a week at a downhill ski area before you come and you will need to take ski lessons to learn these skills properly. You must learn these skills on downhill skis. Beginner skiers on telemark skis will not be accepted. Please contact us if you have any concerns about your ski experience.
Semesters are NOT designed for troubled youth or those seeking rehabilitation. (Click here for note on student conduct).
What Certification Will I Get?
Upon successful completion of the semester will receive a 'Yamnuska Mountain Skills Certificate', 'Avalanche Safety Training 2' certificate as endorsed by the Canadian Avalanche Association, a 'Wilderness First Responder' advanced first aid certificate valid for three years and an Oxygen therapy card from Wilderness Medical Associates.
Who Takes the Semester And Why?
Semester students come from all walks of life and for a variety of reasons. The common factor is a taste for adventure and a desire to do things well. We have seen doctors, engineers, tree planters, recent university grads, recent high school grads and even a few folks who have retired early and are looking for new directions.
People usually join the Semester for one of two main reasons. Either to gain advanced competence in mountain skills for their own personal reasons or because they want to become professional guides. They may be in search of a personal challenge and planning to change their direction in life. They may be straight out of high school or may be changing paths in mid life.
Where Do Semester Graduates End Up?
After
the course it's up to you and the sky is the limit! Whilst many take the
semester to fulfill personal objectives it has also been the doorway for
many to enter careers in the mountains. Graduates of the semester have gone
on to diploma and degree programs at Thompson Rivers University. They have
gained employment at outdoor schools, National Parks, Provincial Parks,
camps and adventure companies and personal challenge programs. Several have
gone on to become certified guides and indeed several of our staff at
Yamnuska are graduates of the course. The demand for outdoor professionals
increases every year and a semester at Yamnuska is recognized by many as an
ideal place to start.
What about tax deductions and student loans?
Yamnuska is accredited by Revenue Canada as an educational institution, making course fees tax deductible. These courses are not, however, eligible for student loans.
Our Staff
The lead guide on the Semester program varies throughout the course. While all of our guides are excellent in all areas of mountaineering instruction, we try to provide semester groups with the best guide for each section. This means you will be learning from a variety of excellent instructors who are highly motivated and fully committed to providing you with the best instruction in their particular area of expertise.
Program leaders are selected from a list of gifted instructors and guides who include:
Jesse De Montigny, Sarah Hueniken, Steve Holeczi, Conrad Janzen, & Grant Meekins.
Yamnuska guides and instructors are leaders in their field. All are members of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) or equivalent overseas guide associations and many are internationally certified mountain guides (IFMGA). As well they hold high levels of certification in first aid and avalanche training. No other outdoor company offering similar programs in North America requires such high standards for their staff. Semester staff are chosen for their interest in this program and for their ability to convey knowledge and skill.
Instructors and students are supported by our efficient infrastructure staff who work behind the scenes to supply gear, food and all other logistical needs.
Safety
There is an intrinsic level of risk inherent in all these activities. Paramount to Yamnuska's conduct of the Semester program is the safety of participants and instructors. This requires a delicate balance when teaching leadership … between empowerment of students and maintenance of safety. We expect participants to work with instructors to minimize this inherent risk.
Educational Philosophy
Instruction is mainly practical and carried out in the field. Skills are demonstrated and explained, they are then practiced and finally they are used in real situations. This progressive approach allows you to build confidence and competence before moving on. Participants are provided with reasonable challenges rather than threats. Integral to the semester is an evolving awareness of one's own limits, both in skills and judgment, so that those limits can be pushed and extended in a reasonable and safe manner.
Group Size
Group size is tailored to allow for appropriate instructional ratios. The maximum ratio for climbing related sections is 1:6 thus groups may comprise 6 or 12 students. We are always examining different ways of structuring the program to best achieve results.
What is group life like?
This program is often the most intense and rewarding life experience encountered by students and the group bonds formed are often long lasting.
The quality of the experience is enhanced by the focus and commitment of the students. Groups function best when there is constant attention to open communication and feedback by all participants. Your positive input will be expected. Our experience shows that participants who come to the course with a positive outlook towards working and living with a group and who are also willing to put effort into creating and maintaining a functioning group will get the most out of this aspect of the course.
Becoming a Guide?
Some participants are interested in becoming
mountain guides. Becoming a high mountain guide is a long and difficult
process taking many years. The Association of Canadian Mountain Guides
(ACMG) and the American Mountain Guides Assn operate certification courses.
These courses are entirely practical and very difficult. Before even being
accepted on an exam the candidate must be an expert recreationalist, with
very extensive personal experience in whichever aspect of the profession is
being examined (ski guide, rock guide, alpine guide). The gifted Semester
graduate will typically take several years after graduation to amass the
skills needed to take a guide exam. Yamnuska has several guides who have
followed this path.
Becoming a hiking guide is somewhat easier and some Semester graduates have
successfully passed ACMG hiking guide certification within a year or two of
graduation. Several work for Yamnuska.
Another option after completing the Semester is taking the Adventure Guide Program at Thompson Rivers University. This exciting program combines further advanced skills training with an education in the business aspects of guiding. Graduates often progress quickly on to ACMG training and become valued guides soon after. A Yamnuska Semester graduate with a favorable Yamnuska reference stands an excellent chance of acceptance. Many have gone this route.
In planning a career as a guide it is important to know that only certification by the ACMG is accepted for work in the National Parks of the Canadian Rockies, many provincial parks and by the the Govt. of Canada for government contracts. Some community colleges offer "mountain guide training" but those qualifications on their own are not enough to gain work as a mountain guide, graduates from those programs must also still amass the considerable necessary personal experience to gain admittance to the ACMG certification program. Time spent in the classroom could perhaps be better spent in the mountains if ACMG certification is the objective.
Contact Yamnuska with questions about guide training, semester programs and college guide training programs.
Student Conduct
Yamnuska Mountain Skill Semesters are intended for self-motivated individuals seeking to gain mountain skills and knowledge. It is not a program for rehabilitation for troubled youth or those with behavioral issues or substance abuse problems. Drug abuse, inappropriate alcohol use, criminal behavior, behavior that jeopardizes safety or the good conduct of the program are all grounds for expulsion without refund. Yamnuska Mountain Adventures accepts no responsibility for the supervision of student behavior.
Click below for more specific information (agendas, gear, registration etc) on:
CANADA - NEW ZEALAND SEMESTERS
