WTMC runs instruction courses throughout the year, with an emphasis on learning new skills and helping you be safe in the outdoors. A few things to note:
- For liability reasons, instruction courses are restricted to club members only.
- Instructions courses are run by experienced club members or contracted to external provider, depending on instructor availability and level of risk. Actual content and duration will be confirmed before the course.
SIGNING UP
Sign up for courses via the links below or the trip schedule or contact the chief guide.
HELPING OUT
If you are interested in helping with training, either to coordinate or run a course, please check the Volunteering page or email the Chief Guide to discuss. Courses are more likely to occur if we have volunteers to help organise them!
| Tramping Skills | Indicative content | Online resources |
|---|---|---|
| Leadership (Read more) | Leading club trips: Organisation and group management – know how to navigate admin processes to organise a club trip (e.g. sign up, payment and transport and food) – understand the safety processes in place for club trips – be equipped to plan a tramp, including basic map reading and weather forecast – be equipped to manage a group and deal with issues on the track | MSC Trip Planning MSC Tramping Skills |
| Bushcraft (Read more) | Basic tramping skills to stay safe on the track and in the bush; – clothing, equipment, food – shelters – weather, basic navigation – river and water safety – emergency procedures – hazards, tramping skills | MSC Supplies MSC Weather MSC Comms MSC Gas and Fire MSC Emergency MSC Environmental Care |
| Navigation | Navigation skills to travel on track and off track: – map and compass features – being aware of track features and landscape to support navigation – orientating the map using a compass – setting a bearing from a map and following its direction off-track – capturing a bearing to an object, triangulate tofind out where you are | MSC Navigation |
| River Safety | How to assess whether a river or stream is safe to cross Choosing not to cross How to identify safe crossing points Practice techniques to safely cross a river | MSC River Safety |
| Outdoor First Aid | Basic first aid skills, with tramping specific scenarios | MSC Basic First Aid |
| Packrafting | Introduction to packrafting, suitable for beginners EXTERNAL COURSE: Please liaise with the provider directly for any queries | |
| Enhance Your Skills | Other skills |
| Alpine Skills | Short Description | Indicative duration | Online resources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowcraft (Read more) | Beginners alpine skills, necessary to join Alp 1 club trips – Clothing, equipment, food, hydration – Shelter. – Weather and reading the alpine terrain. – Trip planning, navigation and route selection. – Moving on snow and ice without and without ice axe and/or crampons. – Alpine hazards. – Leadership, decision making and risk management. | (3 evenings + Long weekend) | Refresh your basic snowcraft skills by watching these short videos: Cutting steps Cutting a stance position Self-belay Self-arrest (1 of 2) Self-arrest (2 of 2) Using crampons (1 of 2) Using crampons (2 of 2) Walking in snow |
| Avalanche Awareness | Skills to stay safe in avalanche terrain, including: – Identifying avalanche terrain – Gathering snowpack and weather information – Companion rescue | (Day course) | Free online avalanche course Avalanche course providers MSC Avalanche Safety NZ Avalanche Advisory |
| Alpine Leadership | To lead club alpine trips Alpine risk identification and management | (Weekend) |