Philmont Scout Reservation has been in continuous use since 1942. During 2015-2016, for two years, BSA offered Philmont advisor training programs at various locations across the country (apparently the first ever offered specifically for Philmont advisors).
The program, known as PASS (Philmont Advisor Skills School) was offered both as a weekend training session at Philmont (fall 2015), and as a ten hour training session during a tour of 14 cities during 2015-2016. This course was again offered at Philmont during Sept-Oct 2016, and during a tour of multiple cities during Sept-Nov 2016.
A two-hour Philmont Advisor Workshop (PAW) was also offered from October-April 2015-2016 during a tour of 21 cities, and was again offered in fall, 2016.
These programs were a welcome (and sorely needed for inexperienced crew advisors) addition to high adventure training made available by BSA, and the Philmont staff is to be commended for this extraordinary effort.
Indeed, the author was informed that these training programs were an attempt to cure the degree of unpreparedness commonly exhibited by attending crew advisors and their crews.
In the past, Philmont adult advisors generally have had to rely upon written participant guides and any training offered by volunteers in the respective councils, not to mention the on-site guidance provided upon arrival by Philmont Rangers during the introductory portion of a crew’s itinerary. For some crews, and their adult advisors, the availability of pre-departure training only served to increase the chance of success of the crew’s Philmont experience. Unfortunately, this training is no longer being offered.
However, the Philmont website now has an excellent crew shakedown guide which incorporates the PASS and PAW information, and which all future crews should take to heart, which formed the basis for the advisor training.
What does this mean to potential Philmont crew advisors? An advisor’s duty of care toward potential Philmont crew members requires the exercise of qualified supervision, which can best be accomplished by taking advantage of all possible training, as well as all information provided by Philmont.