ADVANCED ALPINE MENTORSHIP
Welcome to our Advanced Alpine Mentorship Program. Based in the North Cascades, this program is designed for climbers with some trad climbing and glacier experience eager to tackle harder alpine objectives. Maybe you dream of long alpine ridges in the Cascades, the splitter alpine rock of the Bugaboos, the massive peaks of Patagonia, or famous routes in Chamonix. Whatever your objective, the goal of this course is for you to feel confident in alpine leadership and embark on your own alpine adventures. Led by guides with a deep love of the alpine and experience putting up first ascents in the Cascades. The focus of this course is expanding your alpine toolbox, from fast alpine anchors, to decision making, to route planning, to moving efficiently. This course will be low ration, with a maximum of 2 participants per guide, so it can be heavily tailored to participants learning goals.
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Course is taught by an AMGA Certified Alpine Guide.
Course length
6 Days
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Locations we offer this course
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Washington - North Cascades
2024 Course Dates
Private Course Availability: May through September 2024
Group Course Dates:
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Don't see a date in a location you are looking for? Reach out to us about setting up a private course on your preferred date.​​​
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Prerequisite
Must have experience with glacier travel techniques and crevasse rescue and must be able to lead 5.5 trad. A high level of hiking fitness, with a 40lb pack, is required. Contact us if you have any questions about whether or not this is the right course for you.
Course Ratio
Max 2 students per guide
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Cost
$1595 per person
We need at least 2 participants to run this course at group rates.
SKILLS YOU WILL LEARN
These will largely be determined by your goals and experience
Decision making in the Alpine is a big focus of this course
Appropriate gear selection
Efficient alpine anchor building and evaluation using traditional gear
Speedy anchor building using natural anchors or terrain features
Route finding, reading climbing topos and maps
Efficient multi pitch transitions
Rope management
Efficient multi-pitch rappel transitions
Alpine fixed rappel anchor evaluation
How to manage scrambling and low fifth class terrain
How to pack light for expeditions
Advanced Crevasse Rescue
Possibility for Ice Climbing technique
COURSE ITINERARY
This is just a sample itinerary. We keep the ratio on this course at 2:1 so the course content and objectives can easily be adjusted to desired learning outcomes or climbing objectives. Location and itinerary may need to change based on weather or permits as well. This example itinerary is for base camp style objectives, but carry over/ traverse objectives are also a possibility. Final location and itinerary will be discussed before the course.
DAY 1
We will meet up in the morning to do paperwork, introductions, and a gear check. We will then drive to the trail head and hike into our base camp for the next 6 days. In the evening we will review some skills around camp. It is likely that we will climb in North Cascades National Park in a zone like El Dorado, Boston Basin, Mt Shuksan, or the Pickets. This is dependent on learning objectives, weather, permits, and overall course interests.
DAY 2
Skills day. This day could include a review of multiple crevasse rescue techniques, ice climbing movement, anchors, efficient multi-pitch systems, rock rescue etc. If weather and conditions allow, we will have a chance to practice in a real crevasse.
DAY 3
This day we will climb our first alpine objective. Examples possible objectives include the NW ridge of Dorado Needle, SW or N ridge of Klawatti, or the SE ridge of Austera, Shark Fin. These are shorter objectives with glacier approached that will allow for extensive instruction and review on route
DAY 4
Another skills day, or start a carry over objective.
DAY 5
This day we will climb our longer final objective. Possible objectives include the E ridge of Dorado Needle, N Ridge of El Dorado, West or North Ridges of Forbidden, Fisher Chimneys.
DAY 6
We will have time on this day for another short objective depending on how everyone is feeling. Otherwise the objective of today is to hike out and enjoy a well earned front counrty meal.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
INCLUSIONS
Instruction from an AMGA certified Alpine Guide
Climbing & Camping Permits
Use of Group Technical Equipment such as ropes and trad rack
EXCLUSIONS
Personal Climbing Equipment (harness, helmet, shoes, belay devices, mountaineering boots, ice axe, crampons)
Transportation
Lodging or Camping while not in the backcountry
Meals while on the course
Trip Insurance
Guide Gratuity
