Volunteer to lead
Leading rondy trips
Volunteering as a trip leader or assistant leader for a couple of days can be a rewarding way to experience the Rendezvous. One of our goals is to reduce barriers to descending the aquatic PNW canyons safely, and our trip leaders are critical to achieving that goal.
This Rendezvous welcomes more participants who are totally unfamiliar with aquatic terrain or aquatic techniques than most because our region is so new to American canyoners. Our Leaders provide important mentorship for folks visiting the region for the first time, and they are a key part of our Risk Management strategy.
Making connections from other parts of the country (and world!) is one of the great benefits of attending a rendezvous. Our leaders play a critical role in building our community by creating an inclusive, supportive, and empowering environment on their trips.
The Rondy Committee strives to set our leaders, assistant leaders, and participants up for success by providing leadership tools like our Trailhead Talk and procedures like our Risk Management Plan and our Participant Agreement.
Requirements for leaders & assistant leaders
Canyon Leaders are recommended to have the following experience:
Formal canyon training
Formal training in or ability to execute small party self-rescue techniques
Swiftwater rescue training, if leading the following canyons: Big, Hager, Lewis, Eagle (full descent), or any canyon not on this list but likely flowing at a4- or higher
Significant experience leading aquatic (a3+) canyons
Minimum of 10 unique aquatic canyons in the Pacific Northwest
Minimum of 25 aquatic canyon descents
Experience leading beginners through aquatic canyons in the Pacific Northwest
Experience in the canyons they are leading
Assistant Leader Spots are FULL. Canyon Assistant Leaders are recommended to have the following experience:
Formal canyon training OR minimum 25 aquatic canyon descents
Formal training in or ability to execute small party self-rescue techniques
Minimum of 5 unique Pacific Northwest Canyons
Experience mentoring beginners in Pacific Northwest Canyons
Leader/assistant leader application
All prospective new leaders must complete a Leader Intake Form. This gives the Rondy Committee important information that will help set everyone up for success. We do our best to pair leaders & assistants who we think would work well together, and we always try to honor our leaders' preferences in terms of canyons.
We'll accept leaders and assistant leaders until we are at capacity. We typically receive many more assistant leader applicants than leader, so if you believe you meet the leader requirements, we greatly appreciate you volunteering to be a leader. Assistant Leaders spots are full. We will continue to accept Leader applications until May 30, 2024.
If you are selected as a leader or assistant leader, and you're willing to lead at least 2 days, you'll automatically receive a spot at the rondy. We still encourage you to enter the lottery in the meantime, however.
Thank you for your interest in contributing to a safe and welcoming community of canyoneers!