AMCI Mountaineering Club, Inc., one of the country’s premier mountaineering organizations, is once again opening its doors to those who wish to hit the trails and make the most out of every hike.

This June, AMCI will do another run of its Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC)—a program that seeks to promote outdoor safety, camaraderie, and love for the environment.

The four-month BMC adventure covers lectures, seminars, and other activities aimed at knowledge and skills building; a workout regimen aimed at endurance, strength and flexibility building; and a series of climbs in varying terrain and weather conditions.

Easily, this translates to more than 120 hours group physical training, 60 hours of skills building, and four training climbs. Basic modules include: Leave No Trace principles, trail movement, gear and equipment, mountain cooking, shelters, high-altitude mountaineering, ropesmanship, basic first aid and basic life support. At the end of the course, trainees are also expected to become certified responders.

A program to reach one’s personal summit

This year’s theme is #DiscoverYourSummit—something that resonates in AMCI’s BMC graduates.

“Every year since we started running this program in 1980s, we see people transform from average trainees to triathletes, mountain runners, to straight-up mountaineers who scale summits outside of this continent. What’s amazing is that when they started the BMC, some could not even run five kilometers. The program has enabled a lot of people to discover their personal summits,” says Hadjie Tecson, 2017 BMC Director.

He adds, “We hope that this also becomes the story of the 2017 batch.”

Where it all started

AMCI was founded in 1983 by a group of friends who climbed Mt. Banahaw with very little knowledge of mountaineering--wearing jeans, bringing tolda for shelter, and not today’s 400-dollar ultra-light tent. As membership grew, so did the pool of skills and information. Today, AMCI is home to more than a thousand like-minded outdoor enthusiasts.

Where to go and how

Interested parties may go to the AMCI BMC Orientation Night happening on June 01, Thursday, 7:00 PM at Session Hall, 2F Glorietta 5. Diagnostics Day is June 03, Saturday, 6:00 AM, venue TBD, while regular training sessions will take place every Wednesday evening 7:00 PM, Ayala Triangle, and Sunday morning 6:00 AM, Circuit Makati. The course fee is Php 4,800.

The 2017 AMCI BMC Program is done in partnership with Osprey Packs Philippines, Ahon, and BeNuts.