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| Backpacking & Whitewater Skills
Leadership & Guide Training Course |
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This course takes place in the wilds of the Yukon Territory. Swiftwater rescue training, raft guide certifications, exciting remote rivers and amazing backpacking make this course the quintessential Yukon experience.
We start off the trip with three days of Swiftwater rescue training on the Blanchard and Tatshenshini rivers. We'll camp by the river and have an intensive three days of training, which include technical swimming skills and rope work. This river has abundant Class III rapids and is a great place to learn these skills.
The Instructors and Guides of IWLS are experts who continue to raise the industry standards in all aspects of outdoor leadership. Their experience comes
from over 15 years of teaching and leading expeditions around the globe.
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Backpacking
The 10-day backpacking portion of the course takes us from the Watson River to Primrose Lake, the starting point for our descent of the Primrose River. This expansive wilderness area, the peaks of the Stikine Highlands reach up to 7,000 feet, offers incredible backpacking and scenery. This magnificent journey traverses a wilderness ecosystem that is home to Dall sheep, black bear, wolves, bald eagles and grizzly bears.
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The Primrose River
The exciting Primrose River flows through a series of rugged river canyons interspersed with magnificent lakes in the spectacular Stikine Highlands wilderness of Canada's Yukon Territory. The shear beauty of the land, plus the challenge of the white water, make this expedition a unique adventure and learning experience.
The rapids of the Primrose are generally Class II with numerous sections of III and easy IV. There are some sections of class V and a few waterfalls that require a portage. We'll learn and practice raft-guiding skills, descend this beautiful river and end up in Kusawa Lake.
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Below is a partial list of skills that will be focused on
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Cultural history
Routefinding/navigation
Swift water rescue
Hauling systems
Paddle raft guiding skills
Bear safety
River crossing Skills
River safety
Minimum impact camping
Backpacking
Survival techniques
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This course includes the Wilderness Education Association's basic 18-point curriculum. The Wilderness Education Association has been training and certifying
outdoor leaders for nearly 25 years, teaching students to safely and effectively lead groups
in the outdoors without harming the environment.
The International Wilderness Leadership Schools' educational model nurtures leadership development and creates an awareness of the guiding mentality
that is essential for leading safe, fun adventures in the mountains. Through a
combination of lesson plans, collaborative learning, and experiential education,
we will also develop a strong experience base in the following areas:
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Leadership Skills
Decision Making
Group Processing Skills
Judgment
Risk Management
Group Management
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- No experience is necessary for enrollment in this course.
- University credit is available for this and other IWLS courses.
- This course can be combined with our other 24-day programs for a
semester of outdoor leadership, experiential education, and outdoor
recreation for credit!
Upon Completion of this Course participants may qualify for the following certifications:
- Raft guiding certification
- Swift water rescue, Rescue III international
- Certified outdoor Leader, Wilderness Education Association
- IWLS certificate of completion
*Certification requires the demonstration of specific skills to a level acceptable by the WEA. This course provides all means to gaining the necessary skills, but also requires a minimum medical certification of Wilderness First Aid and assessment of leadership skills to a certifiable level.
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