You will be required to carry a 40-50 pound backpack in mountainous terrain—sometimes on snowshoes. While physical fitness is not the main goal of many of our programs—most focus on the venue and programming—an element of physical ability is required for all our trips, especially the leaders of them. COLTS participants are expected to be able to hike 10 kilometres carrying a heavy pack over rugged terrain.

The prerequisites are listed on the details page; those prerequisites are bare minimum requirements. It is preferred for COLTS applicants to have plenty of experience in the outdoors, specifically in leadership roles and in backpacking contexts.

Yes you can still apply but you will receive second priority. Participants are ideally 19 or older. Those applying who are 18 will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

We do! There is a bursary program for all volunteers (COLTS included). See our bursary webpage for more information.

We do! You will be required to obtain the correct visa based on your departure country. We will providie required documents on our part as needed but the visa process is your responsibility. Contact us if you are international and interested in applying.

We do, however you will be given second priority. Contact us if you wish to apply after the deadline. There may be room.

It depends. Historically, we have often accepted around five or six participants from 6-15 applicants.

There are no accreditation bodies in Canada for outdoor programs. Crowsnest Lake Bible Camp (CLBC) - where COLTS is hosted - is however accredited with the Alberta Camping Association (ACA, see here) and COLTS training is supplemented with outside agency certifications (OCC, LNT, WAFA, Paddle Canada, etc.), but no formal Canadian outdoor accreditation process exists for programs such as ours.

Under the required section, yes. Many of the items under the recommended section are valuable too. However, CLBC has plenty of gear to lend out from the list.

There is a high ratio of instructors to students in COLTS training; 1:1 instruction is often granted in the learning sessions. The instructors often use a coaching-style of leadership, allowing the students to self-discover the material. On training out-trips, the instructors take a step back, allowing the students to lead at all times, and they will provide essential, constructive, and encouraging feedback to the student-leaders of the trip.

Training usually consists of two elements: sessions at CLBC, and being out on an out-trip. For days where sessions are being taught, the training generally happens after morning study and breakfast, between 9am and 5pm. Then after dinner there are a few small chores with the remainder of the evening as free time. When out on an out-trip, the day will depend on the terrain needing to be covered, goals of the day, state of the group, and decisions of the student-leader in charge.

See here for the summer programs schedule. COLTS participants are the ones leading all of the summer out-trips along with returning COLTS alumni. This means the schedule will look quite different day-to-day. Each participant will also become an instructor in Rock Climbing, Canoeing, or Archery, which they would be leading in the afternoons of days they are not out-trip directing or preparing for out-trips. Participants are also expected to join the summer programs as needed (meals, campfires, games, meetings, etc.).

CLBC owns two sites (Lake site and Mt. Site) that offer programs, and sometimes a third site (Gladstone) is set up for the summer. COLTS participants are based out of the lake site since all out-trips happen from there. But it is common for COLTS participants to attend to outdoor programming at all three sites. COLTS participants often stay in cabins at the Lake Site, sometimes heated, sometimes not. The site also has a climbing wall, archery range, canoe capabilities from the lakeshore, and many other buildings. The best way to see our site is to visit the rentals webpage on CLBC’s website.

CLBC is located on highway 3 about 10kms west of Coleman, AB near the BC/Alberta border. We are 2.5 hours Southwest of Calgary, AB or 2 hours East of Cranbrook, BC.

See here for more information.

Crowsnest Outdoor Leadership Training School (COLTS) is a Christian outdoor leadership development program. While it is set in the mountains, aimed to train professional and Christ-centred backpacking guides, it is a leadership development program at heart. There are many hard skills required to guide people in the wilderness (knots, navigation, shelter construction, etc.), but leading and influencing people (soft skills) forms the bulk of COLTS. It is four months long (2 months training, 2 months leading trips), hosted in the Canadian Rockies, and is free upon a four month commitment. See the program details for more information.