Hi Everyone,
Having just returned from the Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show I want to thank our new and return guests for coming out to say Hi. I truly enjoyed meeting you all and appreciated the kind words. I was actually speaking to one guest show participant about our Intro to Mountaineering course when a past client came up and literally sold this guy the course for me. A past guest raving about his experience – now that is positive word of mouth!
Having had the opportunity to get face to face with prospective clients, I want to address a specific issue that came up several times. Many people find the mountains and our programs somewhat intimidating – especially if they don’t spend a lot of time in the mountains. This is completely understandable especially when someone reads or hears about an injury. However, our intro/beginner courses are just that – for beginners and people with no mountain or climbing experience. Of course our intermediate and advance programs are for more experienced climbers, but someone who is ‘hiking fit’ should not be intimidated by beginner ice, rock, hiking, or mountaineering at all. Check out our blog post on Mountain Climbing Training.
We have over 30 years of experience doing this and our intro programs are carefully planned to put beginners at a comfortable level, yet still provide that exhilarating experience only the mountains can give. We have the best guides in the industry and their experience is invaluable in providing the best level of safety and adventure. I met several kayakers, rafters, hunters and other experienced outdoors persons who said they were scared to do our beginner courses but anyone who loves the outdoors will absolutely love our beginner programs… that I can promise you!
You certainly don’t have to be an ultra marathoner, but a good hiking level of fitness will definitely help you on the program. I actually met an ultra marathoner who did white water rafting and he didn’t think he could do a beginner course – to that I say ‘looking forward to seeing you this summer Paul!’ Remember, even the most experienced climbers had to start somewhere and our Intro programs give you that opportunity.
Again, thanks to everyone who came out to see us, we have a huge base of past guests in Toronto and given the discussions I had there will be many more I am sure! If you have any questions or want to talk in more detail about our programs, as those of you in Toronto now know… we never get tired of talking about what we do!
Thanks and see you soon in the incredible Rocky mountains of Canada’s west.
Len
I live in Toronto, one of the flattest urban settings in Canada, yet over the past 9 years I have become an accomplished mountaineer. My story reflects what Len has pointed out in this article — we all have to start somewhere, and for me, taking an Intro to Mountaineering course was the first step in transitioning from a hiker (who followed only well marked and well trodden trails) to climbing 6,000+m peaks with Barry Blanchard in Peru and Bolivia. Yes – it’s totally possible – I was 47, a mother, a small business owner, when I took my first mountaineering course and I haven’t looked back since. Thanks to Barry and the guiding team at Yamnuska, who have gotten me to beautiful places in the sky. Believe you can do it, and you’ll do it! Become a mountaineer! – Margaret Imai-Compton
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