FIRST FEMALE GUIDE TRAINING 2021:
We conducted the first women’s high altitude guide training in November 2021. Five female trail-runners, graduates from the Mira Rai Initiative, received guide training while trekking to Everest Base Camp and over the 3 passes (Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La) in the Everest region. Of the five trainees, Anita Rai lead a few treks in the Spring of 2022. Others are looking for opportunities and will potentially get work as trekking guides once trekking tourism returns to near pre-pandemic levels.
SECOND FEMALE GUIDE TRAINING 2022:
We will be conducting another training course in November/December 2022 but will now open up applications to allow for a pool of trainees from different backgrounds. Any female who already has a trekking guide license and wishes to pursue a career in trekking may apply. This training should help them augment their trekking guide skills and should be a plus when they apply for employment either with trekking companies or direct individual trekkers. In this edition, we will also include both a lodge trek and a camping trek component to allow the trainee to gain a clear understanding of what the two formats entail. Other topics covered in the training include:
Outdoor Living Skills:
- Route Planning
- Ration Planning
- Cooking
- Backpacking
- Map Reading and Wilderness Navigation
- Terrain Handling (Rivers, Rocks, Boulders and Slopes)
First Aid:
- Size up the scene
- Primary Survey/Life Threats
- Head-to-Toe examination
- Head, Face and Neck
- High altitude sickness
- Use of Gamow Bag (portable chamber)
- Use of Supplemental Oxygen
Natural Hazard Handling:
- Heavy rainfall/storm/hailstorm
- Lightning
- Landslides/Avalanches
- Animal attacks
- Snake Bites
- Rock falls
- Tree falls
- Plant poisoning
Outdoor Leadership:
- Leadership skills
- Leadership role
- Outdoor decision making
- Consultative decision-making
- Risk Management
- Team work
Environment
- Seven Principles of Leave no trace (LNT)
- Local Waste Management
- Ecological Concepts