Tired of hauling the Handbook of the Canadian Rockies around on your day hikes? Think you have what it takes to become an interpreter? The Mountain Parks Heritage Interpretation Assocation (MPHIA) has a solution for people faced with these scenarios, as the group is offering courses in Jasper next weekend.

If you’re an aspiring guide or require a standard level of competence and knowledge of the region, then the 16 hour Standard/Apprentice course that will be offered on May 6 and 7 is just the thing for you. The two-day program features instruction on the basics of natural and human history in the mountains as well as an explanation of what heritage tourism is all about. In addition to the fundamentals, students will also be given an introduction to interpretive guiding, including a crash course on effective ways to communicate with a group of walkers, rafters or random recreationalists.

While the course is not the most advanced offered by MPHIA, it’s full of very important information and provides a key stepping stone on the path to becoming an accredited interpretive guide, said Dave Verhulst, the executive director of the group.

“People who have been around a while tend to think that they know all of the stuff already, but usually what happens is by the time they’re done they say that it was really useful,” he said. “The people just getting into it come in understanding that it’s necessary to take the course.”

Should the course goer pass the quiz at the end of the weekend, they will be qualified as an apprentice interpreter and also earn a year’s membership in MPHIA. There are already eight people signed up for the course, but Verhulst is hoping for more. The group is willing to run their courses at a bit of a loss, but they have already taken a considerable hit from the Professional course currently underway in Jasper. The week-long program for experienced guides has only four entrants this time around, a number which Verhulst acknowledges is well below the required level.

If the concept of spending two days in a classroom setting is off-putting or earning a qualification outside your realm of expectation, the Basic course might be a better option. A four-hour session offered on the evening of May 8, the Basic program of study includes an overview of the 

history and environment of the Rockies, as well as essential information about the role of a guide.

For more information on the courses, which will be held at the Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives, contact Kim Weir at 852-2156, or Dave Verhulst at 403-760-2854.