Becoming an Activity Leader for the AMC Boston Chapter Mountaineering Committee (BCMC) opens the door to a wide range of experiences and community engagement. The great news is that you don’t have to be an expert climber or mountain guide to lead an activity! Many of our Activity Leaders begin their journey by running smaller, simpler activities before moving into larger, more complex activities.

Activity Leader Types

Activity leaders can be qualified to lead any combination of the following activities, depending on their approved skills:

  • Community Social Gathering: Any social event that does not include climbing, e.g. virtual events, presentations, casual gatherings, etc.

  • Community Gym Session: Events in a gym or commercially managed indoor environment, e.g. CRG, Metrorock, etc. These events may include bouldering, top-roping, lead, or dry-tooling. 

  • Community Crag Day: A single day, outdoor climbing experience, e.g. Hammond Pond, Crow Hill. These events may include bouldering, rock/ice top-roping, sport climbing. 

  • Community Adventure Weekend: A multi-day outdoor experience, which provides a logistical framework such as lodging, community services, etc. These weekends are not required to have formally organized activities by the leaders, and typically allow participants to self-organize activities, e.g. Open Cabin Weekends, Fall Frolic. 

  • Community Instructional Program: An activity (or set of activities) designed to provide educational climbing experiences in an outdoor environment. These programs are often held over multiple weekends, e.g. Rock Program, Ice Program, etc.

Activity Leader Initial Requirments

These are the base set of requirements to become a leader in training, and are expected to be completed on your own. You may always reach out to volunteers@amcbostonclimbers.com for questions.

  1. Confirm your age is 18+

  2. Confirm your AMC membership is active (Join | Renew)

  3. Review the AMC BCMC Volunteer Orientation Presentation (slides | audio | video).

  4. Review the AMC Code of Conduct

  5. Review the AMC DEI Resource Guide

  6. Review the AMC Outdoor Leader Handbook

  7. Email volunteers@amcbostonclimbers.com requesting access to the Boston Climbers Volunteer Google Group and/or the Whatsapp Group.

  8. Confirm your access to the AMC Outdoors Connector and review the AMC Outdoors Connector User Guide.

  9. Request volunteer access in the AMC Outdoor Connector to become a Leader In Training

Leader In Training (LIT) Development

Each activity type has slightly differing requirements for leaders in training, please take a look at the Activity Leader Requirements Document to familiarize yourself with the requirements for your desired leadership type. Typically, the following is required:

  • Attending an event of the type

  • Leading one or more events of the type (under the tutelage of an approved activity leader)

  • After all requirements as outlined in the leader requirements document are satisfied, have a mentor nominate you to the committee. 

  • Attend or access the minutes from the next committee meeting to determine if you have been approved.

Additional Resources