Trip Dates

July *13, 14-18, 2010
August *27, 28-Sept.1, 2010
*evening session, 5 field days

Price

$995/ person (tent based) *reduced rates for organized groups

Group Size

3 guests / instructor; 6 maximum

Skill Level

Intermediate to Advanced

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Complete Mountaineering

Broaden, fine tune and learn leadership skills; this intensive course is for intermediate to advanced mountaineers...

This 5 day course is for people interested in fine tuning their existing mountaineering skills or bringing them to the next level. On this course we will be covering more thoroughly the skills introduced on the intro to mountaineering course and many new skills. Some of the topics covered include advanced snow and glacier travel, ice climbing, alpine rock climbing, advanced crevasse rescue, advanced navigation, route planning, mountain weather, hazard management and leadership. The curriculum is flexible and may vary depending on participant interest. To fully grasp this course, students must have previous rock climbing and mountaineering experience.

The curriculum is flexible and may vary depending on participant interest. There will be plenty of peak ascent opportunities. Participants will have many chances to practice leading while being safely supervised and get constructive feedback from the instructors.

This course is available in the Nelson area, the Canadian Rockies, the Coast mountains and the European Alps. Some of the areas we often visit on the Nelson courses include; Kokanee Glacier ProvincialPark, Valhalla Provincial Parks & Goat range Provincial Park in the Selkirk mountains, the MacBeth Icefields, the Horseshoe Glacier and Starbird Pass near Glacier creek in the Purcell mountains.

Itinerary Prerequisites Equipment Weather Location
Services Included FAQ

Itinerary

The Complete Mountaineering Course is a 5 day program. The itinerary is somewhat flexible and will vary depending on participant needs, weather, conditions and course location. To maximize your learning, this course will either be based at a remote mountain hut or a backcountry camp. The proximity of the mountain environment will provide with many learning opportunities for the students. Below is a sample itinerary:

Day 1: Pre-trip meeting; 7:00 PM in town (2 hours)

Welcome, introduction, goals, agenda & waivers.

Review of planed itinerary and current conditions

Issue of required gear and session on packing strategy

Day 2: Drive, hike in & set up camp
After an early start, we will drive to the trail head and hike into the backcountry location selected for the course. Once the camp is established, we will spend the remainder of the day reviewing skills like movement skills, rope management, crevasse rescue and navigation. When ever possible, the instructor will give participant the opportunity to practice leadership skills

Day 3: Skills Review Day
Day 3 focus is to review, standardize and integrate some of the advanced mountaineering skills and techniques. Some of the topics that will be covered in this section include advanced snow and glacier travel, ice climbing, alpine rock climbing, advanced crevasse rescue, advanced navigation, route planning, mountain weather skills, hazard management and leadership

Day 4 to 6: More Skills and Peak Ascents
The focus on these last 3 days is to ascend as many peaks as possible while we continue working on various mountaineering skills and give ample leadership opportunities to participants. Participant will be responsible for choosing some of the objectives and the skills they are interested on expanding on. On the last day, we will try and accomplish one last peak ascent before hiking out and returning to civilization. The exact return time is flexible and depends on participant goals and needs

Prerequisites

Varied outdoor rock climbing experience with comfort climbing 5.8, experience with rope management and previous rock climbing course (intro to advanced) is useful. Previous overnight backpacking, mountaineering experience and participation in an introduction to mountaineering course is important. Excellent physical fitness and ability to carry heavy pack on rocky terrain, snow and off trails.

Equipment

Mountaineering_Equipment_List.pdf

Weather

Due to the higher elevations, proximity to dominant winds and weather conditions, mountain weather is difficult to predict. It is most often worse than the weather in the surrounding valleys and can change quickly as it is really hard to predict for more than 24hrs ahead.

In summer you expect temperatures to be from 10 C to 28C in the day while overnight temperature can drop dramatically in the high alpine, even below zero. Temperatures are much colder at higher elevations, even in the summer. It is not uncommon to have overnight freezing temperatures in the alpine, outside a mountain hut or near a back country camp.

It is always an interesting challenge to know exactly what you are going to get, therefore is important to be flexible with timing and not too attached to a particular goal or objective. Be prepared by bringing all required items, this ensure you will be dressed for all variations as temperatures, wind, precipitation.

Location

This course is available in the Nelson area, the Canadian Rockies, the Coast mountains and the European Alps.

Some of the areas we often visit on the Nelson courses include; Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, Valhalla Provincial Parks & Goat range Provincial Park in the Selkirk mountains, The MacBeth Icefields, the Horseshoe Glacier and Starbird Pass near Glacier creek in the Purcell mountains.

Services Included

Pre-course planning support
Fully certified IFMGA and/or ACMG Alpine Guide or Mountain Guide services
15 years of experience in the area
Alternative plan based on current conditions
Rope use & all technical equipment
Hut fees and Park permits
Emergency response plan

FAQ

How experienced do I need to be?

Is it safe?

On all our courses, SMG provides you with fully certified IFMGA/ACMG Mountain, alpine and rock guides. This guaranties you the highest safety standards in the industry. Mountaineering remains hazardous and while it is impossible to eliminate all the hazards, our guides will maximize your experience and greatly minimize the risks involved.

Can I rent some of the equipment needed during the programs?

On this program we offer participants access to all the technical equipment at no extra charge. This includes; harnesses, helmets, belay device, carabineers, ice axes, crampons and much more. Contact us for specific sizes and availability.

Where can I rent/buy climbing & outdoor equipment?

Here are a few outdoor stores in Nelson that supply good service and quality outdoor equipment and gear rental, please ensure you rent gear well in advance.

Rivers Oceans and Mountains 354-2056 www.roamshop.com
Valhalla Pure Outfitters 354-1006 www.shop.vpo.ca