Special Post-Conference Workshop (Two Days)
Title: Climbing Wall Instructor Certification Program Provider Course (Pilot)
Dates: May 5th — 6th (please note date)
Location: Boulder Rock Club, Boulder, CO
Start Time: 8 a.m. May 5th
End Time: 5 p.m.
Cost: $195.00
Presenter: John Bicknell, Owner, Boulder Rock Club and Colorado Mountain School
Presenter's Contact Information
Email: jbicknell@totalclimbing.com
Website: www.totalclimbing.com
Presenter's Bio:
John Bicknell is the owner of The Colorado Mountain School and The Boulder Rock Club (Total Climbing). Unlike most business owners, John spends nearly all his time on rock, ice and snow and is an AMGA Certified Rock and Alpine Guide. John devotes considerable time and energy to leadership in the field and serves as the Board President of the American Mountain Guides Association. John has also been trained as a first responder; Outward Bound Instructor, Course Director and Lead Technical Trainer; and is an expert in avalanche safety. A father of three, John enjoys working with climbers of all ages and abilities.
Before climbing, John played college baseball at Harvard and three years of pro ball. He then earned a Master’s degree from the University of California Santa Barbara and worked as an earthquake geologist, but found himself increasingly drawn to outdoor adventure. By 1991 he was climbing and guiding full-time. He and his wife, Patty, eventually bought the BRC and CMS. He’s guided in Alaska, Nepal, Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and throughout the lower 48. He’s also climbed in Africa, Canada, France and Switzerland. Wherever he is, all forms of climbing interest him: "Rock, ice, alpine, plastic -- I love it all."
Prerequisites to joining Provider Pool:
1. 21 years of age.
2. Current first aid and CPR (American Red Cross Basic - 5.5 to 6.5 hours).
3. A résumé showing a minimum of 200 hours of work experience as a climbing instructor, showing expertise in indoor climbing settings.
4. Climbing ability: 5.8 top rope and 5.7 lead on artificial structures.
5. Current AMGA Member (pending - not required for this course).
6. Current CWA/AMGA Certified Climbing Wall Instructor, AMGA Single Pitch Instructor, AMGA Rock Instructor, or AMGA Rock Guide, or exceptional and wide-ranging indoor climbing teaching experience.*
7. Two written recommendations (pending - not required for this course).
*If the candidate skips the CWI Certification Course, then the candidate must satisfactorily assist a CWI provider prior to becoming a provider.
Workshop Description:
This training will provide an overview for the AMGA/CWA Climbing Wall Instructor (CWI) Certification Program for prospective instructor pool members. It is intended that as the program evolves, this training will also serve as continuing education option for Instructor Pool members. The provider training will not be stand-alone; prior to teaching a Climbing Wall Instructor Certification course, prospective instructor pool members must also co-teach/observe a complete Climbing Wall Instructor course.
This training will review Program and Instructor Pool policies, the CWA Industry Practices, the student manual and curricula, and general course flow. A significant portion of the training will be spent in scenarios to develop provider skills in consistent nationwide delivery of course content, fair student evaluation, providing effective student feedback, risk management and student safety during the course, and in developing instructor pool consensus in pass/fail standards.
Training Goals
1. To educate Instructor Pool members in the Climbing Wall Instructor Certification Program and to prepare Instructor Pool members to be effective advocates for the program.
2. To help Instructor Pool members understand the program's policies and procedures.
3. To train Instructor Pool members to administer and deliver courses within the CWI Certification Program and to familiarize candidates with program materials.
4. To train Instructor Pool members in the CWA Industry Practices.
5. To train Instructor Pool members in the Program curricula.
6. To train Instructor Pool members in evaluating and applying course standards, use of the evaluation instrument, and how to assess climbing wall students consistently and fairly.
7. To communicate the risk management and safety measures to be employed during the course.
8. To ensure that the Climbing Wall Program is delivered with consistency and the highest quality possible.
9. To provide a forum for Instructor Pool members to have questions answered and discuss program issues.
Training Format
Two day, sixteen hour course. Some lecture, but emphasis on group discussion of program and curricula. Second day primarily review of course flow and scenarios to help prospective Instructor Pool members be able to provide a consistent course, consistent feedback to students, and agree to a consistent standard of examination.
Workshop Outline:
I. Overview of CWI Certification Program
Rationale for Program
Nature of AMGA/CWA partnership
Place of CWI Program within framework of US Climbing Instructor Training
Discussion of Program Choices, e.g. Climbing Wall Instructor vs. Climbing Wall Manager
II. Maintaining the Program
Program policies and procedures
Instructor Pool policies
Training trainers - creating an open instructor pool while maintaining consistency and standards.
Trainer/Course review - quality control issues.
Adequate facilities - quality control issues.
III. The CWA Industry Practices
The purpose and limitations of the Industry Practices
The topics covered by the Industry Practices
Review of practices pertinent to the CWI Certification Program
Client Orientation, Training, and Assessment
Personal Protective Equipment
Climbing and Facility Operations
Annexes
IV. The Curricula - CWI Certification Program Student Manual
Manual Review
Course Topics and Goals
Course Prerequisites - discussion: dealing with disabilities
Understanding practical risk management
Indoor vs. outdoor climbing
Climbing movement
Facility review and equipment use
Belay skills
Orientation and instruction
Bouldering and spotting
Rescue and emergency procedures
Incident response and documentation
General Discussion - what to include and leave out
V. Sample Course Flow
Pre-course assignments. Written quiz and lesson plan assignments.
Goal - to help students arrive on course prepared to present and teach.
Night 1
Intros
Professionalism and the role of the Climbing Wall Instructor
Risk Management Theory
Effective teaching and learning
Assess course pre-requisites
Review pre-assigned work
Goal - get prerequisites out of way; introduce key components of professional climbing instructors.
Day 1
Equipment management: selection, care, use, inspection
Facility management: facility tour, care, inspection, warning signage and waivers, duty to notify.
Patron orientation/training
Review, demonstration, students teach:
Bouldering and spotting
Basic movement skills
Top rope climbing and belaying
Auto belay device management
Evaluation of student skills
Goal - address primary components of curricula for Indoor top rope Instructors
Day 2
Rescue and emergency procedures
Incident response
Review, demonstration, students teach:
Lead climbing and belaying
Review, demonstration, students< practice:
Technical Rescue (belay escape, simple snatch of stuck climber)
Interviews, evaluations, course debrief
Goal - introduce more advanced topics suitable for lead Indoor Climbing Instructors.
VI. Scenarios and Exercises
Sample CWI candidates teaching a bouldering session. Demonstration of trainer review and feedback.
Developing consensus on standards. Risk management concerns.
Review of belay techniques using a tube or plate device and an auto-locking device to develop Instructor Pool
consistency. Discussion: What techniques are common in a climbing gym, but not preferred?
Defeating the cam in auto locking belay devices, how and under what circumstances. What to include and exclude?
Sample CWI candidates teaching indoor top rope class. Trainer review and feedback. Pass/fail standards.
Risk management concerns - when to intervene?
Sample CWI candidates teaching indoor lead climbing class. Trainer review and feedback. Pass/fail standards.
Risk management concerns - when to intervene?
VII. Technical Rescue
Review of belay escape and snatch to develop Instructor Pool consistency. Discussion: what to include and exclude?
Review of essential safety measures to employ when teaching belay escape and snatch to develop
Instructor Pool consistency.
Scenario to develop pass/fail standards and risk management consensus.
VIII. Training Review and Debrief