The Nuts & Bolts of Developing Your Rock Resume

• The Resume
• Work/Financial Considerations
• My Story

The Resume

I was basically a competent sport climber, who’s onsight grade was 5.11+ and project grade was in the mid-high 5.12 range. While I had placed some gear and climbed the odd route here and there (as well as some longer alpine moderates) I really had to work to build my single and multi-pitch traditional climbing. I decided to do a trip out to Leavensworth in the spring of 22’ to begin the feeling of granite crack climbing and build some mileage. However, I got the large majority of my resume completed on the beautiful granite walls of Squamish, BC. Here, I could check off daily: long multi-pitches, crush some harder single pitches, and basically place gear all-day, everyday. After honing my crack-climbing technique in the spring & early summer I took my newly minted skills to the Bugaboos where I climbed more remote granite walls in a beautiful alpine setting, did some minor glacial navigation, and learned to efficiently build traditional anchors. I did multiple trips to both places (Squamish & Bugaboos) but ultimately applied for the GTR in Canmore, AB. Why? Why would I choose to apply to do a course and exam in a location I’ve never climbed before? Quite simply because it was closer to Revelstoke (3hrs vs 8.5hrs). I had meant to climb here more during my summer off… but the climbing in Squamish was just SO good.

I also squeezed in a 2-week winter climbing trip to Arizona (Cochise Stronghold, Click here for my account) to further bolster my resume and get me a little psyched for the upcoming climbing season.

So largely my resume had 5.11 sport routes in Skaha and Revelstoke, a bunch of 5.10-5.11- multi-pitch trad routes in the Bugaboos and Squamish, a couple long alpine routes in Rogers Pass and the Bugaboos, and some trips to the US and Mexico. I tried to showcase my ski mountaineering, history of forest firefighting, traveling, and ice climbing throughout the other subheadings of the resume as well. I had climbs dating back to 2017, but mostly tried to highlight the last 2.

As of writing this, the rock resume asks for:

• 20 sport routes flashed (minimum 5.10+):
  • I mostly had 5.11 climbs with a particularly proud 5.12 flash as well, plenty of candidates in my year had 5.10 climbs listed as well
• 20 short routes (1-3 pitches) requiring protection placement (minimum 5.10-)
  • I had pretty much all 5.10’s here with one 5.11-
• 15 multi-pitch routes (8-14 pitches) requiring protection placement
  • I don’t know if I read this wrong originally or what but I had all 5.10s here. I feel that that was potentially unnecessary since others in my course had plenty in the 5.8-5.9 range.
  • I also listed routes technically under 8 pitches but noted how the pitches were particularly long etc.
• 2 Long multi-pitch (14+ pitches)
  • These were both 5.9 for me. This one is an interesting one since you could do a linkup on the chief climbing basically 15-pitches of 5.8 and then one pitch (Squamish buttress) at 10c and call the route 10c. But the examiners will know what’s up – just describe it in the comments.

If you are near the minimum requirements but not quite there I’d encourage you to apply. My first application was this way and although I wasn’t successful, the year I got accepted another candidate also got in without a complete Resume so you never know season to season!

Lastly, and certainly not least I’d like to mention is good partners! Unless this is something you’ve been pursing with applying to the ACMG in the back of your mind when it comes time to resume build you’re going to need to be specific. 3-6 pitches in length? Nah, you’re probably going to have to pass on that – short or long baby! You are going to need partners that are willing to let you take the wheel on objectives, jump on those crux pitches, and are overall supportive & stoked! Ideally, you could partner up with people who have similar goals. I have much to thank for all my partners over the previous season.

Work/Financial

To get here required quite of change for me. Firstly, I’ve worked as a Wildland Firefighter for the last 8 years so while I’ve had plenty of free time in the winter, the summer is usually a bit of a write off. In order to capitalize on weather windows and get the required resume climbs I had to make some major changes. In October 2021 I decided to take a Leave of Absence from my job as Fire Crew Leader with Parks Canada (an employer that is well-regarded as being one of the good guys) and get certified as an Industrial Rope Access Technician (IRATA lvl 1). This certification allowed me to take on industrial-style jobs that were shift style (2-weeks-on-2-weeks-off). Working 12-hour days with 4 hours of overtime/day I would make a good chunk of change in 2-weeks, and then go and climb my face off for the following 2-weeks with the freedom to travel anywhere on a whim. Keep in mind, this work was away from home.

After working throughout the winter of 21/22’ I decided to take use my leave of absence, and take the summer off of work to finish my rock guiding resume and really just climb a whole bunch (a tough life to be sure). During this summer (22’) I spent weeks in Squamish, the Bugaboos, the US, Skaha, and plenty of local rock in Revelstoke (where I live!). While it sounds quite grandiose (and it was), this required me to be away from Revelstoke during my working weeks, and away from Revelstoke during my off-time, which is simply a lot of time away when you’re trying to maintain and grow a relationship, friendships, as well as keep up all the other parts of your life (such as maintaining a house!) in order. So after about 6-years of being a self-identified climber, plus this dedicated summer, my rock guiding resume was finally complete. In February of 2023 I snuck in a final 14-day trip to Arizona and applied to the Apprentice Rock Program. With as positive outcome as you know.

In order to have the time off and flexibility to even do the upcoming 9-day course in June, a summer of training followed by a 7-day exam in September I knew I couldn’t do another season of forest firefighting. So in a tough decision (one that my parents might lament) I officially quit my position with Parks Canada and decided to continue the path of Rope Access work for the means to support my guiding ambitions. This was not easy. Parks Canada provides a steady income stream, benefits, a pension and well as many other job-prospects, not to mention it’s a fun job with good people… While there is plenty of options within Rope Access, it’s all private work, with contract bidding, uncertain work hours, fluctuating staff, less-comfortable working conditions, and more unknowns – the flip side is the pay is definitely higher. But what is it the kids say? YOLO. Life is simply too short and unpredictable to not pursue what is meaningful to you. So where does this motivation come from?

My Story (History)

Ultimately, a much younger me was a very philosophical person who idolized the beatnik movement, transient characters in the books of Jack Kerouac, existentialism (particularly Camus) and anyone who had done a lot of travel and exploration. I was ripe with the thoughts of chasing dreams, travelling in strange (to me) places, and abandoning a sense of normalcy in the world. It was this mind that was faced with the tragic loss of my youngest sister (Riley) and Grandpa (called Ampa to me) in a brutal vehicle accident during a family vacation when I was 17. While that is a story in-and-of itself, one of the major outcomes for me was a recognition on the fragility of our lives, seen and felt first-hand. I recognized that everything we hold to be valuable; the people we love, activities we enjoy, and meaning in our lives could simply cease to be… instantly. Everyday we are faced with potentially life-altering chance occurrences that could change our world and those around us. It’s this recognition that helped teach me just how valuable this life truly is. So in a nutshell, this event, coupled with my existentialist-fueled mind, has largely led me to make drastic changes in my life to pursue things I feel are meaningful to me, even if it doesn’t always make the most sense or has the right timing. How’s that for some self-diagnosis?

To Conclude
If you’re still reading than I must thank you. I appreciate you spending your time to learn a little bit about mine. Conversely, if this only serves as my own personal journal then I’m happy to have an outlet to recount my tales, maybe my kids will read it someday? I hope this can serve as a tool, a sounding board, a little entertainment, or just a blatant and honest look at one man’s road down this intriguing and largely unknown to me path of become a Mountain Guide.

Cheers.

– TJ