Climb Leader Development Process

What is the Leadership Development program?

• A primarily experiential program

• Allows the participant ample opportunity to participate in a leadership capacity while in a safe and supportive setting

• Leadership Development part:  (Italics For C-level leader goal)

  • Teach & be evaluated during 3 different field sessions (for which you are qualified via ICS, AR, and/or SSI (specifics, here))

  • Assist & be evaluated during 3 different climbs 

  • Assist in a leadership role & be evaluated for BCEP or FM101 (or possibly, IAC - Introduction to Alpine Climbing)

  • Keep up certifications for CPR, WFA + MFA skillbuilder, Crevasse Rescue, Avy, and go to a Leader Update session 

  • Note: the more questions and information you seek from the climb leaders you're working with, the more you'll get out of the program

• And then the Provisional part:

  • Run 3 different climbs and be evaluated

• Expected time to complete: roughly, 3 years or less  (Yes, we have had people complete it within a year, and some well over 3 years)

Here’s how to apply to Leadership Development:

• Send mail to LeadershipDevelopment@Mazamas.org with:

  • A letter saying why you are interested in joining the program.  Think about the following questions:

• • • What leads you to apply to this program?

    • What do you hope to get out of the program?

    • What aspects of being a climb leader interest you?

    • Are there opportunities that climb leaders can give others in which you’re particularly interested?

• • A climb resume that includes:  (ICS application materials are fine)

• • • Your climbing education inside or outside of the Mazamas, including first aid instruction as you need to have WFA + MFA or WFR or higher to join

    • Climbs that you’ve done (date, mountain, route, leader, Mazama climb?, successful?, your role) [ you need to have climbed at least 16 alpine routes, 8 of which should have been with the Mazamas for a C or E-level climb leader, and 12 alpine routes, 6 of which should have been with the Mazamas for an A-level climb leader] Multiple climbs of the same route are fine.  Summits of 2 mountains on the same day generally are counted as 1 climb.

    • Information on any volunteering that you’ve done (related to outdoor type activities and/or with the Mazamas)

• Have 3 climb leaders and/or MEA Mentors send in letters of recommendations for you to join LD to LeadershipDevelopment@Mazamas.org (make sure that they know about the goal: A, C, E-Level) (Here's a guide for them.)

Note, even if you don't meet ALL of the criteria, primarily, all of the climbs before entering LD, it's ok to apply, and if accepted, we'll just add those still-needed climbs to your checklist before becoming a provisional climb leader.

Here is the checklist form we use to track your progress through LD.

Frequently Asked Questions on Leader Development Process (let leoadershipdevelopment@mazamas.org know if you have more!)

Google Drive folder for Leadership Development

Roster For Leadership Development Participants, Provisional and Full Climb Leaders (access to this file is provided when you join LD).  To see current provisional and full climb leaders, please go to mazamas.org/climbleaders.

Evaluation forms for LD candidates and class instructors.  This directory in the Mazama climb leader's drive  points to these same files.

Note that the leadership development program is mainly an experiential program - you learn by being involved with the process - and if you ask questions, you will get more out of it than if you were to passively just go through the motions.  The Leader Update meetings are where we usually set aside time to go through communications issues, and of course, communication (beyond technical experience) is where most issues that people have during climbs originate (uncommunicated expectations/goals/plans). 

On Mentorship:  This is an experiential program, so you'll actually be in control of the mentoring which you receive - as in - feel free to ask a climb leader if they would be willing to mentor you (if you'd like that official role), and on any climbs or instructional sessions (or a hike or whatever), feel free to pepper climb leaders with questions about how and/or why they made the decisions that they did.  Make sure that you let them know that you're asking because you're honestly interested, being in LD, NOT because you're questioning their decisions!!! (Climb leaders are human and can mistake a question as a challenge rather than merely a question).  If you'd like to be hooked up with someone specifically to be a mentor, but are having trouble connecting, talk to the leadership development manager 1:1 to discuss what you're looking for and what sort of person you'd like.  We can even go through the list of current leaders and see who would be best to ask if they'd be willing to serve in that capacity  (most would be willing, if asked, but we've had a difficult time getting people to say "sure, sign me up!" if asking in the abstract).  While we know that folks entering LD have interest in the mentoring aspect, we don't have a smooth actual mentorship program running (It's been attempted several times, but needs someone to shepherd it to actually work - volunteers, anyone?).