Resources

Steps for signing up to be an instructor

Please ensure that you've completed the following steps to "officially" sign up.

• • Please fill out this sign-up form. The instructor email list is populated from this.

• Renew your membership.

  • Sign an online waiver for the class. The link to sign the waiver is accessible in your profile after logging in to the new WAC website ('My Membership' -> 'Sign a WAC Waiver').

    • If you've already signed one this calendar year (e.g. for the BC class), you don't need to sign it again.

  • If you are a returning instructor, sign up and attend a returning instructor clinic if you haven't done so. The Instructor training for the Basic Climbing Class happens in late February - mid March. The information and sign-up are emailed to the instructor email list. If you missed it and still want to volunteer, please reach out to the cochairs - wac-basic-chairs@googlegroups.com

  • Instructors are required to attend two training/refresher clinics in order to participate in field trips for the year. Before attending, please practice your knots well so you can pass the knots test the first time around (it's easier for you and us!).

  • Instructors are encouraged to attend any and all of the virtual/ZOOM based instructor clinics

  • If you cannot attend a clinic, please contact the co-chairs to arrange an alternate training time. wac-basic-chairs@googlegroups.com

• If you are a new instructor, you are required to attend both days of the New Instructor Training in late February.

  • Retesting for knots occurs after class on Tuesdays upstairs. The final opportunity to retest is April 1. You must pass this test before you can instruct on any trips or classes.

WAC "How to Teach" Docs

• How to teach belaying

• How to teach rappelling

• How to run the z-pulley sessions

• How to teach Thread and Lower

WAC Risk Management

• WAC Risk Management - Helps us stay safe

  • Incident report forms (and the reports from previous years) can be found here

Video Resources

• The universal lead belay standard, Another one on how to belay a lead climber

• Swapping leads on a multi-pitch trad route

  • Mike Barter's videos on climbing instruction - Humorous (if a bit unnecessarily long) videos on climbing tips

• British Mountaineering Council's skills videos

Best Practices

• Freedom of the Hills 9 Best Practices Forum

  • American Alpine Institute Blog - Climbing tips and conditions reports by AAI

  • Climbing Magazine's Skills - More climbing hints, tips, and best practices

Wilderness First Aid Training

Please consider getting first aid certified! Having these skills makes you not only a better instructor, but a better climbing partner. Financial assistance is available for instructors to get trained.

• NOLS - https://www.nols.edu/en/courses/wilderness-medicine/

• Remote Medical - https://www.remotemedical.com/training/wilderness-first-aid-wfa/

• Wilderness Medicine Training Center - http://www.wildmedcenter.com/course-schedule.html

• Red Cross (for CPR) - http://www.redcross.org/take-a-class

Avalanche Education

We especially need folks who are avy-savvy for Snow 1 & 2, alpine climbs, and for Mount Baker.

• Classes by local providers (list maintained by Northwest Avalanche Center)

Trip Ideas

Some decent ideas for summer climbs can be found at the Mountaineers Basic Climb Guide.

Some decent ideas for winter summits can be found here.

Google Group

Visit the group at http://groups.google.com/group/wac-basic-instructors. All current-year instructors should be able to access this.

We are working on streamlining our email communications to you, but if you find that you are still receiving too much email, you can go to your Google Group settings and change the frequency of emails to "Digest," where you will only receive at most one email per day.