Leadership Training Committee

1. OBJECTIVES.

The Leadership Training Program (LTP) is a series of lectures and field exercises conducted under the jurisdiction of the Leadership Training Committee (LTC) which provides trainees with the knowledge and skill essential to sound leadership of Angeles Chapter outings. The LTP prepares graduates for certification by the Angeles Chapter Safety Committee at one of four categories, or levels, which are designated 0, I, M and E. These categories are defined in Chapter 2. In summary they are:

0- Applies to uncomplicated outings such as hikes on trails or equivalent, with minimal navigation skills.

I- Adds navigation skills for outings involving significant crosscountry travel.

M- Adds the skills for leading 3rd class rock and uncomplicated snow climbs

E- Adds the skills for 4th class rock, more difficult snow climbs, and more advanced navigation.

2. PREREQUISITES

A summary of prerequisites for enrollment in the LTP includes:

1. Current Sierra Club membership

2. Participation in five Sierra Club trips

3. Backpacking skill (for categories I, M and E)

4. Mountaineering skill equivalent to that expected of an SPS Mountaineers List member (for categories M and E).

3. ENROLLMENT

The LTP is typically initiated by attendance at the weekend seminar, which is held in mid-April and mid-October at locations and dates stated in the Angeles Chapter Schedule and/or LTP calendar and the Southern Sierran. Attendance at only one seminar is required.

Application

Enrollment is accomplished by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope (sase) to the LTC Registrar, listed in the Angeles Chapter Schedule, with a request for an enrollment form. This form should be completed and returned to the registrar at least two weeks before the seminar. The Registrar will communicate with those whose prerequisites are questioned.

Fee

The fee for the LTP, which is paid at the time of enrollment, is currently $20 including a copy of the Leader's Reference Book (LRB). The fee also includes a leader recognition patch which is issued by the Safety Committee with the leader's certificate. Extra patches may be obtained from the Safety Committee Chair for a price of $3 each.

Pre-Seminar Examination

Candidates are expected to have a minimum level of familiarity with the information contained within the LRB prior to attending the seminar. An open book pre-seminar exam will be sent to candidates prior to the seminar. The exam is to be completed and brought to the first day of the seminar.

LTP Categories

Candidates are asked to specify the category of leader rating they wish to obtain; 0, I, M, or E. The choice depends primarily on what type of outings you plan to lead. Candidates expecting to lead M trips should enroll for M. Candidates with mountaineering experience who intend to lead E-level trips may enroll at the E-level. There is no requirement to hold a particular rating before attempting a higher one, although many people prefer to do so.

Multiple Categories

Enrollees may obtain several certifications in the succession 0, I, M, E. For example; a person may intend to qualify at the M level eventually but wish to obtain an 0 certification as soon as possible. Obtaining several certifications can be done with payment of only one LTP fee (and receipt of only one free patch). Enrollees intending this path should attend the lectures and take a wilderness first aid course. Those with only 0 level experience trips, will require additional trips to comply with the M level prerequisite.

Calendar

The LTC publishes a LTP calendar each September that gives dates for field checkouts and other events of interest to LTP enrollees. It also contains a list of LTC official examiners. The calendar may be obtained by sending a sase to the Registrar, LTC Chair, or Administration Chair.

Leaders Reference Book

The Leaders Reference Book (LRB) is normally included as part of Seminar registration. The LRB is also available to rated leaders and previous LTP enrollees by mail. Please contact the LTC Registrar for current prices.

4. LTP CONTENT

Summary of Graduation Requirements

Graduation from the LTP requires that the enrollee complete the steps identified in Figure 1 - 1 below.

Detailed requirements for each step are given in the LRB chapter as noted.

O

I

M

E

LTC Lectures
- Chapt. 1

One day

One day

One day

One day

First Aid
- Chapt. 5

Standard
First Aid/CPR

Wilderness
First Aid/CPR

Wilderness
First Aid/CPR

Wilderness
First Aid/CPR

Technical Checkouts

-Navigation: Chapt. 6

-Rock: Chapt. 7

-Snow: Chapt. 8

I/M level Nav

I/M level Nav

M level Rock

M level Snow

E level Nav

E level Rock

E level Snow

Enviromental
Awareness
- Chapt. 1

Two days

Two days

Two days

Final Exam
- Chapt. 1

Required

Required

Leader Experience
Trips - Chapt. 1
One
Two
Two
Three

Figure 1-1: Summary of LTP Graduation Requirements

Occasionally, the detailed requirements and climbing skills for graduation are changed to improve the LTP. Such changes apply to enrollees who have not yet completed the requirement but are not retroactive to those who have completed the requirement. Enrollees are not notified automatically of such changes but they are notified of the requirements upon application for a checkoff outing. When in doubt, inquiry can be made to an LTC member.

Examiners and Checkoff

The LTC Chair appoints a chairperson (chair) for each of the three technical disciplines of navigation, rock and snow. Each Technical Chair appoints a number of examiners who are authorized to "checkoff'" enrollees as having satisfied the applicable technical requirements at the pertinent level. All of the examiners are authorized for the M level with, usually, a more restricted set for the E level. Examiners are appointed for a one year term and they are usually re-appointed if they actively participate. The current list is published in the LTP calendar and is available from the LTC Registrar, and the LTC Chair.

Upon "checking off" an enrollee, an examiner is responsible for promptly notifying the Technical Chair, who notifies the LTC Administration Chair, of the enrollee's accomplishment. The examiner is also charged with giving the enrollee a written notice of satisfactory completion. The enrollee should keep this notice as insurance against some breakdown in internal LTC communications.

Examiners have the authority to perform a checkoff at times or places that they deem proper. They may also grant a checkoff based upon direct personal knowledge of the enrollee's skill. The preferred method of obtaining checkoff, however, is for enrollees to attend a scheduled checkoff outing that is sponsored by either the LTC or by some other group, section or committee. Some of these outings have both practice and checkoff sessions but the enrollee must declare a specific objective for that day. In other words, practice in the morning immediately followed by checkoff is usually not permitted.

5. LEADER EXPERIENCE TRIPS

Provisional Leader

An enrollee who has completed the lectures, five participant experience trips(of appropriate outing level), first aid and the applicable technical checkoffs is a "provisional leader" who is authorized by the Safety Committee to lead the experience trips that are required for graduation. In submitting leader experience trips, the provisional leader informs the outings chair of the sponsoring group, section or committee, of their provisional status. The outings chair in turn submits the write-up to the Schedule for publication. The provisional leader must be listed as the leader and must personally do the various outing leadership tasks including trip planning, trip write-up, screening participants and route finding at the head of the group. The leader must complete the trip with the group.

A significant body of experience on trips of the "M" and "E" level as a participant with many different leaders is essential for developing your own sense of leadership as well as honing your mountain skills at that difficulty level. New aspiring leaders should seek out and participate on as many trips at the desired difficulty level (or higher) as possible prior to leading their own provisional trips. (WTC NOTE: experience on non-WTC trips is highly encouraged. WTC outings are by nature a student / instructor event, and the normal participant I leader relationship does not exist in the same style as on other outings.)

0 Category Requirement

Lead one trip that is rated 0. The trip must be a unique trip planned by the leader candidate, not a regularly occurring event such as a evening hike to the usual destination. The trip must be listed in the Angeles Chapter Schedule or in a periodic newsletter of an Angeles Chapter group, section, or committee. The trip write-up must include the name of the provisional leader.

I Category Requirement

Lead two trips that are rated 1. Both trips must include a significant amount of off trail wilderness travel and be of a nature that requires significant I-level navigation capability. (Travel over snow is considered off trail). One trip must be an overnight backpack; the other may be a fill day trip or a trip of two successive days with overnight car camping. At least one trip must be listed in the Angeles Chapter Schedule, the other may be listed in a periodic newsletter of an Angeles Chapter, group, section or committee.

M Category Requirement

Lead two trips that are rated M. One trip must be a snow climb of at least 400 ft elevation change on snow with average slope between 25 and 34 degrees using ice axe. The other experience trip must include class 3 rock climbing of more than a summit block. One of the three trips must involve substantial cross-country travel requiring significant M-level navigation capability. (Travel over snow is considered off trail). One trip must be an overnight backpack; the other may be a backpack, a fill day trip, or a trip of two successive days with car camping. At least one trip must be listed in the Angeles Chapter Schedule, the other may be listed in a periodic newsletter of an Angeles Chapter, group, section or committee.

E Category Requirement

Lead three trips that are rated E. One trip must be a snow climb of at least 800 ft elevation change on hard snow with average slope between 34 and 45 degrees using ice axe and crampons. One trip must include class 4 rock climbing. The third trip may be either of the above. One of the three trips must involve substantial cross-country travel requiring significant advanced E-level navigation skill. (Travel over snow is considered off trail). Two trips must be overnight backpacks; the other may be a fill day trip, or a trip of two successive days with car camping. At least two trips must be listed in the Angeles Chapter Schedule. The other may be listed in a periodic newsletter of an Angeles Chapter, group, section or committee.

Trip Selection

The LTC Chair and the LTC Administration Chair are authorized to approve leader experience trips. To avoid the disappointment of trip rejection, enrollees should obtain prior approval for trips that are near the minimum requirements. Enrollees are urged to lead experience trips other than certain well-known, easy, over-used routes. The LTC believes that high quality trips produce high quality experiences which contribute to high quality leaders. Provisional trips should be selected that provided a challenge to the leader and represent a solid example of the trip classification. Trips that minimally meet the rating classification will not be accepted. Going `off-route" to make a peak slightly harder to get it to a harder rating is not acceptable. (Scrambling on 3rd class next to a scree slope does not make a peak 3rd class and qualify it as an "M") The trip rating assumes that the leader will be using his/her skills as a route finder and leader to pick the best route to the peak. Lack of good skills would result in harder ground "off-route." The climb selected must require route finding and navigation.

For "I", "M", and "E" the trips must include a significant amount of off trail wilderness travel and be of a nature that requires significant navigation capability.". This means that hiking a trail to within a few hundred feet of a peak, looking up and seeing summit, and walking up to the peak does not meet this test. You must navigate and route find. Navigation is a large scale activity involving map & compass as well as terrain inspection to stay "on route." Route finding involves (especially at the M & E levels) making small scale judgments as to the best route over specific terrain. You will be judged on both your navigation and your route finding ability. Good route finding skills are honed by experience in the type of terrain experienced on the particular trip. On harder trips excellent route finding is essential to complete the objective and get the group safely back to camp before dark. A less than ideal route selection may mean a bivouac or a late night out.

Trips must be selected, planned and lead by the provisional leader. This includes doing a proper write-up for publication in the chapter schedule. Do not copy standard trips to over-used places. Research and plan your own trip. If you need help, consult with the outings chair of the Group, Section, or Committee that will be sponsoring the outing for help in evaluating your suggested trip.

Trip Sponsorship

Leader experience trips are conducted in accord with Angeles Chapter safety policy and they are sponsored by an established group, section or committee. This implies that they are reviewed by the outings chair of the group, section, or committee for conformance to chapter policy and for suitability of the leader and evaluator to lead the proposed trip. Early contact with the Outings Chair is essential for making things go easily. Let the outings chair know that you are planning a provisional lead, and that you want their experience in evaluating if your proposed trip is well timed and meets the rating standards for the trip classification. If after talking to the G/S/C Outings Chair, you still have doubts about if your trip will meet the criteria for provisional trips, send a copy of the trip announcement to the LTC Chair or the Chapter Safety Chair for approval prior to the schedule deadline. The Outings Chair can also assist in selecting an evaluating leader for your assistant (see below).

If you plan to climb a peak on one of the climbing section "peak lists" as a provisional lead, please coordinate with the appropriate climbing section. If you plan on having your trip sponsored by a different group or committee, consider joint sponsorship with the climbing section (HPS, DPS, SPS.) The Outing Chair of the climbing section is likely to be the most knowledgeable about the peak and route planned and can be most helpful.

Trip Evaluation

The assistant or evaluating leader, who is a rated leader at the level of the proposed trip, has the function of observing and evaluating the performance of the provisional leader, and should be selected with this purpose in mind. The evaluating leader has the authority to assume command at any time, i.e., to take over leadership of the group, if the evaluating leader feels that the safety or well being of the group is being jeopardized by actions of the provisional leader. The outing chair can assist in selecting a good evaluating leader for your trip. You should not choose someone with whom you are closely associated (i.e., spouse, significant other, longtime hiking companion, etc.) Rather choose a leader of experience who will give an impartial evaluation of your leadership, and will provided helpful comments for your growth as a leader. Provisional leaders are not expected to exhibit the same; leadership maturity, poise, group management skills that one expects from seasoned leaders. Commentary offered by the evaluating leader is an important part of the provisional trip experience. Growth in these leadership areas also comes from observing other experienced leaders while a participant on their trips and applying these observations to your own trips.

Someone who has just received a leader rating is inappropriate to use as an evaluating leader. The leader should be someone who has lead a significant number of trips at the difficulty level, and has a body of experience as a leader that will help support your decisions, and finally act as a safety back up if needed.

On The Trip

Follow the outings rules for the Group, Section, or Committee sponsoring the outing. Use their sign in sheet and follow their format. Check with the sponsoring G/S/C Outing Chair for the appropriate forms and procedures. Do not use generic forms if the sponsor has special forms. Trips must have participants to count as a trip. You, the assistant and a close friend do not make a trip. You need to advertise the trip to make it attractive, to then screen the participants (many of whom you will not know) to determine if they are suitable for the trip. On the trip, you must deal with the situations that arise with people you do not know.

Experience Trip Reports

After the trip, the provisional leader fills out a Leader Experience Trip Report, the evaluating leader fills out the Provisional Leader Evaluation Report. Both of the completed forms are then sent, either separately or together, to the LTC Administration Chair. In any case, the evaluator discusses their observations in a helpful manner with the provisional leader.

Notes on WTC Experience Trips

WTC students are not trained for trips at the "M" level, and thus "M" level provisional trips should not be led as WTC experience trips. In addition, the group leader/ student relationship carries over into the experience trip making this not a true evaluation for the provisional leader. WTC leaders should pay special attention to the note regarding avoiding repeating the same over-used locations for trips.

Restricted Outings

All "E" level provisional outings and many "M"' level provisional outings fall into the category of "Sierra Club Restricted Outings." Any outing requiring the use of ice axe, crampons, or the use of a rope is by definition a "restricted" outing. These outings are open to Sierra Club members only, and have special approval requirements. At this time only the SPS and DPS have received authorization to lead restricted outings for the Angeles Chapter. Requirements for these outings are controlled by the national club and their insurance carrier. Since the requirements for these outings are subject to change, contact the Outings Chair of the appropriate section to get the current details if you plan on leading a restricted outing for your provisional lead. See Chapter 2 for additional information regarding Sierra Club insurance.

6. ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

Requirement

The environmental awareness requirement for I, M and E categories is intended to enrich the leader's knowledge and appreciation of the natural environment so that this may be passed on to trip participants. The requirement may be fulfilled in a number of ways, including:

Nature Knowledge Workshop:

This is a spring weekend camp in the Barton Flats area. Professional naturalists are instructors. Many sessions are held on various aspects during the days and evenings.

Field Ecology Workshop:

There are four or more of these weekend workshops held by the Natural Science Section: Desert, Chaparral, Ocean and Shore, Mountain, and Alpine. Leaders learn in the field with professional naturalists. These are family-type events in outdoor environments.

College, university, or university extension course:

A course similar in scope to one of the above is satisfactory. Lower division courses such as introductory biology or geology do not qualify.

Approval

The LTC Chair, or LTC Administration Chair are authorized to approve the enrollee's method of satisfying this requirement. One of them should be consulted in advance in questionable cases.

Environmental Awareness Report

A statement of how the environmental awareness requirement has been met is sent to the Administration Chair by the enrollee.

7. FINAL EXAMINATION

Enrollees in the M and E categories are required to complete a final examination after becoming provisional leaders and before leading provisional leads. The exam is requested from the Administration Chair. After completion, it is submitted for evaluation in accordance with instructions received from the Administration Chair.

8. LEADER CERTIFICATION

Administrative Records

The Administration Chair maintains a status record of each enrollee. The record form is currently the reverse side ofthe enrollment form. Data pertaining to completion of requirements is entered on the status record as it is received from the enrollee, examiners and evaluators.

Progress Required

Candidates are free to set their own pace toward completion of the various graduation requirements, but are expected to make reasonable progress. An enrollee who makes no progress in any 18 month period may be dropped from the program. Such an enrollee may be re-enrolled by the LTC Chair but, depending upon the time elapsed and other circumstances, may be asked to repeat some of the steps.

Candidate Timetable

A candidate at the 0 level, with a current 1st Aid card, can take the seminar one month, list the experience trip in a newsletter the next, and lead the experience trip as soon as the newsletter is published, and be done in just two or three months. Mountaineering oriented ratings take longer, but can be completed in under a year. A sample timetable for obtaining an M rating is given in Figure 1-2 below:

Calendar Month Activity Calendar Month Activity

October

LTP Seminar

April

First Aid

November

Navigation Checkout

May

CPR

December

Rock Checkout

June

Nature Knowledge Workshop

January

Snow Practice

July

Experience Trip 1

February

Snow Checkout

August

Experience Trip 2

March

Submit Trip Writeups

Committee Members *Mountaineering Leadership Course Application* Activity Schedule Training Program *LTP Application* Outings Sections/ Committees Angeles Chapter Schedule LTC Forms ANNOUNCEMENTS! (updated 12/17/2001)

Committee Members

Mountaineering Leadership
Course Application

Activity Schedule

Training Program

LTP Application

Outings Sections/
Committees

Angeles Chapter
Schedule

LTC Forms

ANNOUNCEMENTS!
(updated 12/17/2001)