 
 
CONTACT:
info@cdnalpine.com
Box
40087
Canmore, AB
T1W 3H9
[About our Guides]
[Prices & Booking]
|
Dates 2012:
Not Offered for 2012
Cost:
$995 + GST - includes guiding & equipment use.
Maximum Group Size:
4
Custom Dates:
Available May - October for groups of 1 to 8. Inquire for pricing.
To Register:
Please e-mail
us for a registration package. A $250 non-refundable deposit will be
required to book your place on the course.
A skills intensive
week of mountain climbing in the Canadian Rockies! If you have basic
mountaineering skills, good fitness, and a growing obsession with
climbing, this course could be the perfect way to get the skills you
need! Taught by CRAG's head guide J. Mills,
and open to a small group of just 4 participants, it is sure to be a
huge boost to your mountaineering career.
Below is some more
information, but if you have any questions please feel free to contact
us at info@cdnalpine.com
at any time.
Skills Covered
There are many possible topics and we pride ourselves on having small
enough group sizes to customize the instruction to meet the needs of
all participants. The main goal of the course is to help participants
become safe & competent leaders on a variety of mountaineering
terrain. Some of the specific topics covered will include:
- Alpine rock
climbing
- Short-roping
basics
- Advanced glacier
travel techniques
- Steep snow
& ice climbing
- Anchor building
& belaying on snow, ice, and rock
- Rapelling on
snow, ice, and rock
- Self rescue
& emergency response
- Route finding
- Alpine camping
& bivouac's
- Ropework
techniques & tricks
- Weather
& avalanche basics
- Conditions
forecasting & assessment
- Map &
navigation skills
- Light &
fast techniques
- Gear selection
- Resources
& ways to continue learning
Agenda
Due to the advanced nature of this course, we will strive to customize
it as much as possible to everyone's abilities & ambitions. The
weather & conditions will of course affect the order of
activities and climbing objectives as well. However, here is a sample
outline of how the week could work.
Day
1 - After meeting in Canmore or
Lake Louise, we will pack up for an overnight expedition to Mt.
Victoria's North East Ridge route. The approach to the glacier and our
camping area takes about 3 hours, which will leave time to learn some
more advanced glacier travel skills in the afternoon. If weather is
good, we may choose to camp on the glacier itself!
Day
2 - Up early we will climb the
route to the North Summit of Victoria. This involves a wide variety of
terrain, including steep snow & ice, ridges, some rock
scrambling, and tricky glacier travel. We will descend via the same
route and return back to Lake Louise where we will stay in a campground
for the night.
Day
3 - The focus of the day will be
on leading alpine rock terrain. This includes gear placements, anchor
building, short-roping, rappelling, and a variety of improvisational
techniques.
Day
4 - Time for another big ascent!
The route of choice will depend upon everyone's rock climbing ability,
but some possible peaks would be Castle Mountain, Mt. Fable, Mt. Lady
McDonald, or even Mt. Edith Cavell (Edith Cavell would be 1.5 days and
therefore change the weeks itinerary somewhat).
Day
5 - Customized skills day. The
final day (or this could take place on day 4) will be spent working on
the skills that the group feels would be the most valuable. This could
be either snow & ice focused, or rock focused. Either way it
will be another full day in the mountains! After a course wrap-up we
will say our goodbye's and everyone will undoubtedly be finding
somewhere to sleep for a couple of days!
Prerequisites
- Mountaineering
Experience: Participants must
have basic mountaineering skills equivalant to our level 1 Alpine Skills Course
& Glacier
Travel Course.
- Rock
Climbing Experience:
Participants must also have done some rock climbing and have experience
with leading (bolted routes OK). If you have never done any sport
climbing or other rock leading, we have a Sport Climbing Course
scheduled on the two days immediately beforehand that would get you up
to speed.
- Fitness:
Our Alpine Skills Courses are physically demanding weeks in the
mountains with not a lot of time for rest. Therefore, you must have
good physical fitness! You don't need to be an Olympic athlete but you
must be able to complete long days on your feet while carrying a light
pack. If you are unsure about your abilities, please contact us at any
time.
- If you are
unsure about your preparedness for this course, please just e-mail us
at info@cdnalpine.com
with an overview of your experience, and we will be happy to help!
Gear List
All technical equipment is provided free of charge except for boots.
Contact us for a registration package which includes a detailed gear
list. |
