To the 6th Anniversary of the Implementation of the “KAILAS Outdoor Coaches Development Program”

　　In recent years, as outdoor sports have flourished in China, more and more enthusiasts have begun to pay attention to and participate in outdoor activities. However, with the frequent occurrence of mountain safety incidents each year and the varying quality of coaching teams, there is an urgent need for professional industry-standard training.

　　Against this backdrop, in 2006, KAILAS, in collaboration with the Shenzhen Mountaineering Association, launched the public welfare project “KAILAS Outdoor Coaches Development Program.” Drawing on the mountaineering certificate system of the Hong Kong Mountaineering Union as a blueprint, and referencing relevant courses from the Chinese Mountaineering Association, while also taking into account the actual conditions of outdoor activities in the Shenzhen area, they established the “Shenzhen Mountaineering Association Mountaineering Certificate System” aimed at local outdoor sports enthusiasts and related professionals. This initiative aims to select a group of experienced, responsible, and committed individuals from among the region’s outstanding outdoor enthusiasts to promote standardized mountain and outdoor sports. After systematic training and hands-on practice, they will master the course content and teaching techniques, growing into advocates of outdoor sports education and key forces in promoting outdoor sports standards, thereby taking on the responsibility of popularizing basic outdoor knowledge.

　　The coaches’ training program commenced in August 2007. The first class had 25 participants, whose overall caliber and quality were excellent, including many seasoned enthusiasts from the Shenzhen outdoor community. The trainees received systematic instruction in course content, teaching skills, and coaching qualities. They also enhanced their practical experience and organizational abilities through numerous trial lectures, a series of special lectures, and internship activities. As a result, they grew into high-caliber mountaineering coaches with comprehensive knowledge structures and rich teaching experience, committed to popularizing basic outdoor sports knowledge. After completing a ten-month professional training course and assessment, they became top-tier mountaineering professionals in South China.

　　In the spring of 2012, the fifth class of the “KAILAS Outdoor Coaches Development Program” in Shenzhen officially commenced. At the same time, the first class of the Guangzhou branch was held on the same day. After six years of development, this marked the first time the outdoor public welfare coaching program had expanded beyond its original location, actively and effectively promoting public outdoor sports in South China. Through rigorous selection and interviews, the final number of participants for both locations was set at 46.

The coaching classes offered a range of courses, including instructor teaching techniques, rescue and rope operation, analysis of mountaineering course content, development and design of training curricula, legal responsibilities, insurance knowledge, and map-making. Instructors included professionally registered climbing coaches from the Chinese Mountaineering Association, outstanding mountaineering instructors from the Hong Kong Mountaineering Union, as well as professionals from well-known corporate HR departments, bar associations, insurance companies, and Outward Bound training institutions. Most courses were scheduled on weekends, allowing participants to study in their spare time. After a year of dedication, all course requirements were fulfilled. The review committee conducted comprehensive evaluations across five areas: oral exams, written tests, technical operations, fieldwork assessments, and coursework reviews. Upon completing their internships, they were officially registered as mountaineering coaches by the Shenzhen Mountaineering Association, managed under unified guidelines. They conduct authorized training programs at corresponding levels according to the association’s training management protocols, using standardized presentation slides, handouts, textbooks, and supporting audiovisual materials. Each coach is required to issue no fewer than 30 training certificates per year.

　　As the name of the initiative suggests, the “Development Program” has enabled a group of core outdoor sports figures in Shenzhen and surrounding regions to receive comprehensive, systematic training. They have mastered extensive outdoor knowledge and techniques, improved their teaching abilities, and continuously advanced the professionalization of the coaching team. Coaches trained through the “KAILAS Outdoor Coaches Development Program” have gone on to organize beginner, intermediate, and leadership training programs, leading teams to various destinations within the province, across the country, and to regions such as Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and Europe, thereby widely spreading outdoor philosophy and techniques. Currently, these coaches play an important role in the outdoor training field throughout Shenzhen and even the entire nation. Additionally, the “KAILAS Mountaineering and Exploration School” was launched in 2006. Based on the current state of mountaineering and outdoor sports development in China, KAILAS provides financial support and professional equipment for long-term and short-term mountaineering, rock climbing, and outdoor skill training organized by regional mountaineering associations and clubs. Through training and learning, the program aims to cultivate more qualified mountaineering, exploration, and outdoor sports professionals in China, contributing the brand’s strength to the advancement of China’s mountaineering and outdoor sports industry.

　　The implementation of KAILAS’s outdoor public welfare projects hopes to change the current state of disorder, low professional knowledge levels, and frequent safety incidents in the outdoor sports community. Through the instruction of a group of well-trained coaches, an increasing number of ordinary enthusiasts can safely engage in the sport under professional guidance. This helps shift public perception from fear, misunderstanding, and blind following toward understanding and a positive attitude regarding outdoor (and extreme) sports. On the ongoing journey of public welfare, what KAILAS does today may be just a drop in the ocean—but we firmly believe that one day, it will become an ocean.