Carl Marrs
Calling all qualified Mountaineers volunteers for the raddest, most fun volunteer opportunity EVER! The Mountaineers Adventure Club (MAC) for teens ages 14-18 takes a ten-day long climbing/hiking/backpacking/car camping trip each summer, alternating between the North Cascades and Squamish. This summer we're heading to Squamish from Friday, June 29-Sunday, July 8. We need your help for as many of those das as you're available!
Who can volunteer?
Basic/crag/trad/multi-pitch climbing course graduates, intermediate climbing course students/graduates, and of course climb leaders are all welcome as volunteers.
All volunteers will need to be Qualified Youth Leaders. All volunteers will need a current passport and ID for entrance into Canada. Attendance at the entire trip is NOT required. You can let us know your availability and we will work with you to find the dates that work best.
Volunteer Roles
We need climb leaders to manage crag climbing days with the support of rope leads and parent chaperones, climb leaders to lead multi-pitch climbs, and rope leads of all stripes to support climb leaders at crags and on multi-pitch climbs. We will climb both sport and trad routes.
As a volunteer, you can expect to lead 5.5-5.9 (or above if you are comfortable) on bolts and/or gear and/or be stationed at crags or lead multi-pitch routes, all depending on your area of expertise and comfort level in these various areas.
Some MAC students will be getting mileage on top ropes, others will be leading their first sport routes or going on one of their first few multi-pitch climbs as followers, getting in some mock trad leads on TR, and a few are ready to get easy trad leads under their belts. MAC spends time both on skill building focused climbing and fun focused climbing, and climb leaders should be able to switch efficiently between these modes based on the needs of the group.
We are also looking for hike and backpack leaders, since we will be running hikes/backpacks in parallel to the climbs. These folks would be expected to take groups of MAC students on hikes and/or backpacks in the area surrounding Squamish.
Logistics
The Mountaineers has a group site at the Brennan Park Recreation Center reserved for the duration of the trip. Volunteers are welcome to stay in the group site with MAC and other volunteers starting as early as 1 full day before their volunteering and ending as late as 1 full day after their volunteering (so you can climb on your own and enjoy the peace of mind knowing you’ll have a campsite!). Volunteers will be reimbursed at $0.24/mile driven for this trip, meaning getting to and from Squamish will cost you nothing! We appreciate volunteers who are willing to transport students within Squamish. Dinners will be provided free of charge by MAC, prepared special for you by the MAC students. Volunteers eat first!
Sign up!
Join the fun and hang out with the next generation of Mountaineers in everybody’s favorite Canadian climbing spot! Contact Carl Marrs, the Associate Program Manager for Mountaineers Youth Clubs, at carlm@mountaineers.org if you are interested in volunteering.
