Alpine Skills Week

Cost: $1,375.00 Cost includes:

• 6 days of Instruction by members of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides
• All technical climbing and rescue equipment required
• Online Virtual training in advance of the practical field sessions

Participants on the Complete Mountaineering course are responsible for:

• All personal gear and clothing suitable for mountain and winter environments
• Transportation to/from the course areas (Squamish, Whistler and possibly other locations)
• The Field Session may be held on Whistler/Blackcomb or Sea to Sky Gondola regions; lift access is required and is not included in the course fee if these areas are used.
• All meals and food for the duration of the course

• Overnight backpacking experience with a multi-day pack
• Outdoor rock climbing and basic rope handling experience
• Participants must be in very good physical condition
• Must be comfortable hiking for 6-8 hours each day
• Must be comfortable travelling in off-trail conditions

The following is a brief possible schedule for the Canada West Mountain School 6-day Alpine Skills course. Many different variables (such as weather, snow conditions, group experience levels, etc) influence the actual day-to-day schedule and the order in which topics are presented, so the following should be considered a general outline only.

Pre-course planning
All of the course planning will take place by phone, email and/or in person at our office in the weeks and days leading up to the course. You will receive a comprehensive package after you have registered, detailing all of the critical areas to plan and prepare for. Areas covered are equipment, pre-course training, menu planning, logistics and weather.

Day 1
Meet in Squamish – Preparation and tone setting (2 hours)
Skills covered: introductions, course objectives, gear review, communication, safety awareness, logistics planning.
Rock climbing and rope skills review (4 hours)
Skills covered: rope management review, rope rescue, anchor building
Menu planning and final packing (2 hours)

Day 2
Approach to Alpine region base camp (approx. 2-3 hours )
Skills covered: Navigation, map reading, pacing, group management, route finding, hazard awareness
Camp set up (2 hours)
Skills covered: Camp selection, hazard awareness, sanitation, environmental awareness, food storage, water, campcraft tips
Introductory snow travel session (3-4 hours)
Skills covered: Hazard awareness, navigation, off-trail travel, basic ice ax use, walking on snow, self-arrests
Evening debrief (1 hour)
Skills covered: overview of day, tomorrow’s objectives, pre-planning, sort and pack gear for next morning, weather

Day 3
Steep snow and alpine travel skills (8-10 hours)
Skills covered: Steep snow climbing, navigation and route finding, possible summit climb

Day 4
Approach to site for glacier travel instruction (2 hours)
Skills covered: Navigation, pacing, group management, route finding, hazard awareness, glacier study
Introduction to travel on ice (1 – 2 hours):
Skills covered: Crampon technique, ice screw placement, walking on ice, hazard assessment, anchor building, step cutting
Glacier travel and rescue skills (4 – 6 hours):
Skills covered: Rope skills for glacier travel, route finding on glaciers, travel techniques for “dry” glacier and for snow covered glacier, crevasse rescues, general glacier travel
Possible extra skills: Summit climb, serac or ice climbing if conditions allow

Day 5
Peak objective/travel day (10 – 12 hours)
Skills covered: Application of all of above plus what ever comes up. Focus on hazard assessment and use of skills/tools to achieve objectives. This is the “put it all together” day

Day 6
Morning wrap up of final course objectives (4 – 6 hours)
Skills covered: Finishing off main objectives, ascending ropes, rappelling, more rescue, serac climbing, orienteering, whatever the instructors and/or students feel they need
Break camp/hike out (3 hours)
Skills covered: Navigation, map reading, pacing, group management, route finding, hazard awareness.
Wrap up and student assessments (1 – 2 hours)

Here is a link to our Mountaineering Gear list – Mountaineering Course Gear List.

Footwear:
You will be working each day in and on snow, so it is important to have proper boots suitable for snow travel. Boots also must be appropriate for use with general mountaineering-style crampons (See the FAQ section for details on Boots), and review this article here – Boots for Mountaineering courses

Personal camping and clothing systems
Plan on using the same personal clothing and camping equipment that you would take on an overnight backpacking trip. Your Base Camp on the Mountaineering courses will often be in an alpine or sub-alpine location and exposed to the weather.

In order to best prepare for the weather, you should always plan for the worst which includes temperatures below freezing at night, and likely precipitation of rain and/or wet snow each day. Please ensure your clothing and gear is suitable for these conditions, even though it may be hot, dry, and sunny as well!

Technical gear
Technical gear is listed on the Mountaineering Course Gear List. All technical gear is supplied if needed (with the exception of crampons), provided participants request in advance what they will be needing. Crampons are required, there are many styles of attachment systems yet any general mountaineering crampon will work, as long as they are compatible with your boots. Crampons are available to rent at many outdoor stores such as Valhalla Pure or Climb On, in Squamish.

In regards to communal gear such as tents, stoves, and cookware, participants may choose to share tents and cooking gear/stoves to save weight. This can be arranged during the first day of the course, prior to heading into the alpine. If you are attending the course on your own, you will need to plan on supplying your own tent and cooking supplies for the program.

If you require rental gear, please ensure that you arrange this with a rental agency well in advance of your course date!

Here are a few stores in the region that supply good service and quality outdoor equipment. If you need to purchase or rent equipment, please contact the store well in advance of the course to ensure that what you require is available!

Valhalla Pure Squamish (www.squamishgear.com)
Station Square, Squamish 604-892-9092 (rentals available)

Mountain Equipment Co-op (www.mec.ca)
111 East 2nd Ave, Vancouver 604-872-7858
1341 Main St, N. Vancouver 604-990-4417

Climb On Equipment (www.climbonequipment.com)
38165 2nd Avenue   Squamish, BC 604-892-2243 (rentals available)

Evo Backcountry – Whistler (www.evo.com – Whistler)
Suite 106-4154 Village Green, Whistler, 604-932-6409 (rentals available)

Waiver & Medical Disclosure

Complete the required Waiver and Medical disclosure form in advance of your program. Click on the link and navigate to the specific program and date that you are registered for:
• Canada West Mountain School Waiver and Medical disclosure form

Cancellation & Transfer policy

Review the CWMS cancellation and transfer policy:
• Canada West Mountain School Refund/transfer Policy