Mountaineering Essentials

• Description

  The Mountaineering Essentials course is designed to build a solid foundation of the essential skills required for basic general Mountaineering objectives. This mountaineering course is held in the Coast Mountains of Southwest British Columbia, including 4 days/3 nights working from a base-camp in a remote alpine region, with all training being held in the mountains. Participants should be in very good physical condition and should plan for travel days up to 15 km's with between 500-1000 meters elevations gain in off-trail conditions.

  At the conclusion of this course, students will have the skills and knowledge to travel off-trail and into snow-covered and glaciated terrain above the treeline. Participants on the Mountaineering Essentials course will have been taught:

  • methods for planning and preparing for a multi-day mountaineering objective
    
  • how to recognize mountain hazards, and methods of avoiding or minimizing those hazards
    
  • navigation techniques using a map, compass and altimeter
    
  • rope management skills related to basic snow climbing
    
  • glacier travel techniques
  • alpine travel skills for moderate terrain and non-technical glaciers
    
  • crevasse rescue fundamentals with a three person rope-team
    
  • Minimum Environmental Impact camping and travel practices
    
  • methods to practice and refine each set of skills taught on the course, on their own time

• Location

  The Mountaineering Essentials courses are conducted at a variety of Alpine locations in the Coast Mountains of BC. Specific locations are chosen close to the course date, based on current conditions and weather forecasts. Typical areas include the Joffre Range near the Duffey Lake road; the Spearhead Range in Garibaldi Park behind Whistler; Sky Pilot area above Squamish; and, Brohm Ridge near Garibaldi Peak, above Squamish.

  Course meeting times and locations will be confirmed during the week prior to the start of the course and will be based on current weather and mountain conditions. Participants are responsible for all transportation to/from course locations.

  Gondola and/or lift access fees on Whistler/Blackcomb or the Sea to Sky Gondola may be required to access course areas and are not included in the course fee.

• Guides/Instructors

  Our Mountaineering programs are taught by some of the best climbers and Guides in Canada. All are certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) and each one has a passion for teaching that will inspire you in your climbing pursuits.

  Visit Guides and Instructors Page for complete details and background on each of our Guide Team.

• Itinerary

  The following is the planned schedule for the Canada West Mountain School 4-day Mountaineering Essentials 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-trip planning
  All course logistics and preparation are planned in advance in direct consultation with our office via phone, e-mail and/or in person. A comprehensive pre-course package is sent out to everyone well in advance of the course dates.

  Day 1
  • Meet at the trailhead - Preparation and gear check (1/2 hour)
    Skills covered: communication, safety awareness, gear check, weather conditions discussion
  • 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 2
  
  • Backcountry travel skills (1 - 2 hours)
    Skills covered: Navigation, pacing, group management, route finding, hazard awareness
    
  • Snow and glacier travel skills (6 - 8 hours)
    Skills covered: Introduction of snow travel basics, self arrests of all sorts, roping for snow and glaciers, belaying on snow, anchors, glacier travel, route finding on glaciers, travel techniques, crevasse rescue.
    
  • Lunch time options: Navigation, route planning, glacier study, napping
    
  • Evening debrief (1 hour)
    Skills covered: overview of day, next day's objectives, pre-planning, sort and pack gear for next morning, weather
    
  • Optional skills: Review and discuss crevasse rescue skills
    

  Day 3
  

  • Practice and refine steep snow and glacier travel skills, possible summit attempt (8-10 hours)
    Skills covered: steep snow climbing, team rope skills, navigation and route finding, glacier travel and rescue skills
    

  Day 4
  

  • Wrap up of loose ends (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)

• Equipment

  Here is a link to our Mountaineering Gear list - Mountaineering Course Gear List

  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.

  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

  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 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 MEC.

  In regards to communal gear such as tents, stoves, and cookware, due to Covid-19 concerns, we only encourage people to share tents and cooking gear/stoves if they are already sharing a "household/social bubble" with each other. If you are attending the course on your own, you will need to supply your own tent and cooking supplies for the program.

• FAQ's

  Questions about Mountaineering Essentials course

  What are the best boots for my Mountaineering Course?

  This is one of the most common questions we get, here are some suggestions to help you:

  Your first goal is to determine what you will be using your boots for after the course, where you will get the most use of them. If you will use them for a lot of backpacking trips, a boot with a more flexible sole is ideal. Be aware that this is a trade-off for better security while kicking steps and travelling on steeper snow, where a rigid boot performs better.

  You will next want to consider the type of "welt" (the lip on the toe and heel of the boot). This will determine the style of crampon used for that boot. For general snow use, a “strap on” style of crampon is fine and can go onto any boot, regardless of welt. Another very popular crampon system is a “Hybrid strap-on”, that uses a step-in style for the heel and a strap-on style for the toe. This Hybrid style only requires a heel welt, and is one of the most popular systems for general mountaineering and on our Mountaineering courses. If you are looking at more technical mountaineering and ice climbing, a boot with a heel and toe welt is a good idea as it will allow a technical “step-in” style of crampon attachment, much simpler and more secure for technical climbing (though these boots are often more rigid and less comfortable for extended walking).

  After you determine the general style of boot, you will need to try a lot of different boots on, and go with the one that has the best fit. A boot that fits well is more important than almost any other factor, as long as it is a decently built boot suitable for the activity. Avoid sales and cheaper boots unless they fit great!

  For Canada West Mountaineering courses, any boot that accepts crampons and is designed for mountaineering or light mountaineering will be fine. Even many sturdier backpacking boots are fine as long as they are reasonably stiff and can accept a crampon.

  Lastly, please make sure that you spend enough time in the boots to break them in before your course or trip!

  Do I need to bring special gear?

  Canada West Mountain School will supply all specialised technical climbing safety equipment (with the exception of Crampons). If you do have any gear, though, please bring it so you can practice with your own equipment.

  You will need to supply your own personal clothing, boots, crampons and overnight camping gear (see Equipment, above).

  What happens if the weather is not good?

  Weather conditions in the mountains are constantly changing and are one of the many facets of Alpine climbing that mountaineers need to contend with. All the skills on our mountaineering courses can be taught in virtually any conditions, without compromising the safety or integrity of the course.

  The best way to ensure that weather does not take away from your course is to be well prepared with good quality gear.

  Where is the Mountain Skills Essentials course conducted?

  The Mountain Skills Essentials courses are conducted at a variety of Alpine locations in the Coast Mountains of BC. Specific locations are chosen close to the course date, based on current conditions and weather forecasts. Typical areas include the Joffre Range near the Duffey Lake road; Sky Pilot region above Squamish; the Spearhead Range in Garibaldi Park behind Whistler; and, Brohm Ridge near Garibaldi Peak, above Squamish.

  Gondola and/or lift access fees on Whistler/Blackcomb or the Sea to Sky Gondola may be required to access course areas and are not included in the course fee.

  How long are the days?

  A typical day on our Mountaineering courses begins with a departure from camp at 0800 and a return to camp around 5 pm. Of course, this will vary due to weather and daily objectives, but plan on 8 hours away from camp each day.

• Links, Documents and Paperwork

  Complete the required Waiver and Medical disclosure form in advance of the field session. Click on the link and navigate to your specific course and date:
  • Canada West Mountain School Waiver and Medical disclosure form

   

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