[pct-l] Training in So. Cal.

[Lonetrail at aol.com (Lonetrail@xxxxxxx)]

Christine 

There were fun moments but to pay $200.00 to slide down on your 
belly.Tic,Tic. Let see you went through BMTC in 1976 . BMTC was a shoot off Washington 
Mountaineering Cub I believe you used their third edition as a study guide.  After 
a problem with insurance coverage about 10 years ago the Sierra Club 
eliminated the use of the ice axe for students, only the instructor was allowed to 
demonstrate there use. It was this way when I went through WTC.This change 
resulted in many of the experience instructors to leave. Our group back East had 
White Water kayaks which we had to donate to AYH because of the change of 
insurance coverage.
I only made my post not to criticize S. CA. WTC but to let the other 99 
percent of our viewers to know there are other means to gain knowledge. You are 
absolutely right on getting backpacking lite knowledge on line through our 
pct-list ..

Lonetrail


> In 1976 I took the Sierra Club's L.A. Chapter "BMTC", the "Basic
> Mountaineering Training Course" which included all the aspects of the
> current "WTC".  The BEST PART of the course, the absolute BEST, for me, was
> the day spent doing self-arrest drills (climb the snowslope, start sliding
> down either feet-first, headfirst, belly down, belly up, etc at the
> instructor's direction, then arresting when instructor yells
> "ARREST!!!!!!"), and the follow-up field trip snow-camping in the Palisades,
> where we did more snow travel & ice axe practice.  It's a great class for
> the opportunity for supervised experience - then get your ultralight
> backpacking advice on line, here on the pct-list or backpacking-lite.
> 
> Christine "Ceanothus" Kudija
> 
> "Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, you can.  Boldness has a genius,
> magic and power to it."
>                                       Goethe
>