LEAD Educator Program

A program for top climbing and mountaineering volunteers. Learn how to become a LEAD certified Climbing Educator.

Leadership Education & Development Certifications

A program for top climbing & mountaineering educators

The Mountaineers has been working alongside other mountain clubs in the United States to develop a set of volunteer climbing certifications known as the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program. These certifications are backed by a set of standards that have been built by volunteers from The Mountaineers, Mazamas, Colorado Mountain Club, and American Alpine Club, collectively called the Mountain Education Alliance. This group of organizations has a common goal of advancing recreational climbing in the United States.

Designed to acknowledge our top volunteers for their excellence in leadership and education, these certifications are recognized at the national level, and in the Spring of 2020 will become an internationally recognized certification backed by the UIAA. Each Mountain Education Alliance member is developing its own certification process to meet the varying needs of their organization.

In the fall of 2019, we formed a task force of volunteers from The Mountaineers who worked to develop a certification program. We have certifications in 5 disciplines available at this time.

Each of these certifications represents someone who is not just a great leader, but also an outstanding mentor and trainer. The people who hold these certifications will be recognized nationally and internationally as leaders in volunteer-led climbing education.

Please Note: LEAD Certification is not a requirement to be a Mountaineers leader, and does not preclude current leaders from running trips as normal.

Want to Become a LEAD Certified Educator?

Becoming certified is a multi-step process. This certification recognizes the highest level of recreational mountain leaders in the United States. If you are interested in becoming certified, please review the steps below.

Learn and Apply

Choose the certification(s) you would like to apply for
Read the standard and understand what it means to be an Educator in the discipline
Ensure you meet the requirements to be LEAD Certified
Submit an application (listed below)
Contact references and have them fill out the reference forms (listed below)

At this stage, our review team will look at your application and references to ensure all materials are accounted for. They will then review your application to ensure you meet the qualifications. You will be contacted by our team for additional information and a notice to participate in the LEAD assessment process. Applicants who do not meet requirements, have incomplete applications, or who need additional experience may not be invited to the next step.

Attend THE LEAD Assessment

Assessments vary in duration and agenda depending on the certification. For each assessment, Candidates will be asked to demonstrate the following:

Teaching and leadership skills
Risk management strategies
Technical skills
Additional testing as required by the review team

Single pitch rock disciplines (Top-Rope, Sport, Traditional) will take place at rock crags such as Vantage or Tieton. Scramble disciplines (Summer and Winter Mountain Educator) will take place on a scramble outing that closely resembles a mentored lead.

Upon completion of the assessments, the review team will score and review your readiness to be certified. You will be given feedback, including areas of strength and areas to work on, as well as your certification status. Possible outcomes include:

Granting LEAD Educator Certification
Granting LEAD Educator Certification pending a requirement/retest
Denying LEAD Educator Certification

Maintaining LEAD Educator Status

Those who are granted LEAD Educator Certifications must facilitate at least 5 outings during any consecutive 2-year period to maintain certification.

Reapplying for Certification

Those who are denied a LEAD Educator Certification may reapply after 3 months.

Ready to Apply?

Review Our Upcoming Programming

Take a look at our Upcoming LEAD Programming. When you apply, you'll want to indicate what date(s) you have preference for.

Submit Your Application & References

1. Submit your application

Be sure to highlight your experience as it relates to the standard(s) in which you are applying for. Fill out all information within the application, plus the following references:

2. Group Management & Leadership Reference Form

Email this link to your mentor or a Mountaineers Leader who is qualified to assess your skills in group management and leadership.
When possible, the person completing this form should have been on a trip with you in the past three years.

3. Teaching & Mentoring Reference Form

Email this link to an instructor or Climb/Scramble leader who has observed you instructing or mentoring, and can speak to your teaching competencies.
When possible, the person completing this form should have been on a trip with you in the past three years.
Examples include observations during field trips, lectures, and outings.

Note: Applicants must have a minimum of 3 different people providing references and a maximum of 5 people (not including Participant References)

4. Participant Reference Form (Optional)

If you would like the review committee to include trips that were not part of The Mountaineers, please provide this form to references of your choice. If you don’t provide participant references we will may contact participants from Mountaineers trip rosters.
Participant references could be leaders, partners, or participants of outings or classes you have been a part of.

Once your application packet is received, the review committee will contact a selection of individuals who have been on outings with you, either from the list provided or from Mountaineers trip rosters.

Apply now

Application Reviews

Applications are reviewed monthly. Be sure to hold the date(s) for any LEAD programming you want to attend. We will follow up regarding your application during our next review process.

Questions?

Contact Nick Block, Manager of Strategic Initiatives (nickb@mountaineers.org) or Becca Polglase, Programs & Operations Director (beccap@mountaineers.org) for more information.