Navigation 2 (Digital Trip Planning & Electronic Navigation)

Agenda

Meet at the Yamnuska Mountain Adventures summit centre classroom (#100, 50 Lincoln Park in Canmore) at 8:30 am.  Coffee and tea will be available.  There will be a short introduction, a discussion of goals and objectives, and then an explanation of hazards and risks. 

Goals and Objectives: 

• Basic functions of GPS (smartphones) and how they work
• Limitations of the technology
• App settings
• Map Layers
• Route Planning using Gaia & Google Earth
• Setting waypoints and creating a track on the smartphone.
• How to find your location
• Follow a route
• Tracking a route
• What to do when the GPS doesn’t work

12:00 pm head to the field

• Use of the GPS in the field
• Locating your position
• Reading the map information on the smartphone and confirming your position
• Navigation course
• Following a track
• Tracking a route 

Meeting Place & Time

Meet at the Yamnuska classroom (100-50 Lincoln Park, Canmore) at 8:30 am on the day of the program.

Instructors and Group Size

Your instructors will be ACMG certified guides. Minimum of 4 participants.

Transportation

To keep prices down participants are responsible for their own transport to Canmore and during the program. Canmore is a 1 hour (100km) drive west of Calgary.

If you are flying from afar for the program we suggest that you rent a car for your visit. In addition to getting you to the climbing locations, it will allow you to explore our region afterward.

Frequent shuttles connect Calgary International Airport and Canmore.

Park Passes

Please note that program venues may be within National Parks and/or Kananaskis Country. For programs where transportation is not provided by Yamnuska/Canadian Rockies Hiking by Yamnuska, guests will be required to purchase their own pass.

National Park passes are available both online at https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/admission and in-person at National park gates and some information centres.

Kananaskis Country conservation passes are available online at https://www.alberta.ca/kananaskis-conservation-pass.aspx

Accommodation & Meals

These are not included in the course fees. There are lots of options available including campgrounds, hostels, B’n’Bs, motels, and hotels.

Food is not supplied. Bring plenty to drink and lunch plus energy snacks.

Equipment and Clothing

You need to bring warm outdoor clothing and footwear suitable for hiking around in all conditions.  The field element will be delivered close to the vehicles.

Equipment List

You need to bring:

• Daypack (large enough for spare clothes, lunch & equipment – all content should fit inside a 30-40L pack)
• Sunglasses
• Thermos flask and water bottle.
• Sunblock and Lip Cream
• Smartphone (preferably with the GAIA GPS App already installed)
• phone charger
• laptop/tablet (recommended)

Clothing List

We suggest bringing warm clothing of varying thicknesses that can be ‘layered’ to achieve comfort and versatility, depending on the time of year. The most important consideration for clothing is the ability to regulate temperature whilst moving around on this program.

• Hiking boots or suitable footwear
• Long underwear top and bottoms) Winter only
• Warm pants (nylon blend, insulated, or fleece) Winter only
• Warm shirt (synthetic or wool)
• Medium weight fleece sweater
• Fleece Jacket
• Light insulated jacket or vest
• Waterproof jacket with hood (Gore-Tex or nylon)
• Waterproof pants (Gore-Tex or nylon, with side zippers)
• Wool or fleece hat
• Gloves that have some level of dexterity to be able to handle the equipment
• Sun hat

Please book as early as practical to avoid disappointment. We require full payment at the time of booking. Please read the attached information on booking conditions and cancellation penalties carefully before booking.

We ask that you familiarize yourself with our detailed booking instructions and conditions.

Please note that you will be required to sign our waiver before commencing the program. Please view our sample waiver copy.

The Simpson Group offers a wide range of travel insurance options including Trip Cancellation/Interruption, Travel Medical, and Personal Effect Loss for both Canadian and International Travelers. Other providers offer similar services and we encourage you to select an appropriate level of coverage. We highly recommend purchasing this insurance to cover and protect you against unforeseen events. The two basic types of insurance that most travellers need to consider are Medical and Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance.

Insurance Risk 
One of the ways to mitigate risk is by purchasing appropriate insurance. Simpson Group Insurance Services who are travel & health risk specialists, work with technical and high-risk insurance solutions both in medical and non-medical spheres.  We highly recommend that you review your insurance needs to cover and protect you against unforeseen events. It is wise to ensure that your health plan will cover you in case of illness or accident during your trip. Simpson Group have a team standing by to answer any of your questions.

Emergency Medical Evacuation
While there is typically no charge for search & rescue in the National and Provincial Parks for active pass holders, costs such as air & ground ambulance after the rescue are not covered by your park pass. The chance of a large bill associated with this risk is a real possibility.

For Canadians
A common myth is that healthcare across provinces is fully covered. There are many things which do not carry interprovincial agreements. Ambulance services, medical evacuation, and some services which one province charges more than another you’d be responsible to pay the difference.

For Internationals
A common myth is that healthcare in Canada is free. Although it is less expensive than US healthcare, charges for non-residents can still be very high. Proper medical health insurance is essential if you were to get injured. Most coverages exclude rock climbing, mountaineering, ice climbing, backcountry skiing and the like. Simpson Group can make sure all those risks are well covered.

Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
We recognize that our guests’ schedules may change for many reasons, business, family, flight delays, injuries, and other unplanned events.  For these eventualities, Trip Cancellation/Interruption insurance is a great way to protect your investment. We can assure you that circumstances do arise that prevent guests from participating in trips or courses and trip cancellation & interruption insurance is a relatively easy way to manage your level of risk of unforeseen events.

For all your travel insurance requirements we recommend Simpson Group Insurance Services.  For more information and to purchase a plan, visit Simpson Group’s website.