Mountaineering Courses

Loco-Deer-SlayerWhat are you specifically looking for in regards to mountaineering? How to read snow conditions and navigate terrain? Technical knowledge like rope work and knots?

I would take a Wilderness First Aid / Wilderness First Responder class along with an Avalanche certification class. Maybe pick up a book and start reading.

Classes are a great start. Make some friends and get out there.

iFlipBuy me a plane ticket and cover my expenses and I will give you a very comprehensive overview of all necessary skills. We will start with basic wilderness skills, rock climbing skills, alpine skills, winter camping skills, ice climbing, snow & ice conditions, and really cover everything you need to know to conduct yourself in the mountains. I will provide all equipment other than your own mountaineering boots and crampons.

This will come out cheaper than one of those courses, and will be a much more wholesome experience as it will be 1-on-1 and not weighed down by the guide service's requirements.

CabbyArrantYeah but those guides typically have at least AMGA certification if not IFMGA.

iFlipBuy me a plane ticket and cover my expenses and I will give you a very comprehensive overview of all necessary skills. We will start with basic wilderness skills, rock climbing skills, alpine skills, winter camping skills, ice climbing, snow & ice conditions, and really cover everything you need to know to conduct yourself in the mountains. I will provide all equipment other than your own mountaineering boots and crampons.

This will come out cheaper than one of those courses, and will be a much more wholesome experience as it will be 1-on-1 and not weighed down by the guide service's requirements.

JAHpowI'm all about saving money so you intrigue me, iFlip.

How/where did you learn mountaineering?

iFlipAgreed, those guides are usually pretty good. However, most of the courses are full of overweight, out of shape people and thus move very slowly and are not wholly interesting. I do not have the certifications because I chose to pursue a career where I can actually afford to eat, unlike guides. I have a very comprehensive climbing resume, with big walls, the ability to lead hard ice and hard trad, expeditions around the world, etc. This winter I am headed to an 18,000+ ft international peak to attempt a technical ice route in winter conditions.

I am well versed in all that OP is looking for and my offer is sincere.

--Nick17--Where in the west are you going? If you are anywhere in Colorado, there are endless options to choose from. PM me if you are heading to CO, and I can recumbent some people.

JAHpowI've been wanting for the past few years to get into mountaineering. Being in college, and Minnesota, I haven't had the opportunities at all. However, I'm graduating after this school year and am planning on going out west.

So my question is, who here has taken a mountaineering course? What was your experience? Was it helpful? Is there a different/better route into mountaineering? Recommended course outfitter?

I've been searching the Internet and have found RMI, Alpine Ascents and Mountain Madness for a few outfitters.

Also, I searchbarred and found some good book reads but nothing on specific courses.

Thanks for any help!

THEHARLEMSHAKElet me guess, you watched that shit movie Everest and now you think that you are some big fucking mountaineer?

kiss my ass

JAHpowMy desire stems from when I was like 6 and my family took a road trip through Colorado and Arizona. Then again when I took another trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons when I was 12 or 13. I've always wanted to climb mountains and now that I'm nearing college graduation I'm beginning to plan.

THEHARLEMSHAKEim not hating or anything, but i hate these fucking cock suckers who watched that fucking bullshit Everest movie that just came out

if you want to know the real story watch this documentary, it actually has a the people from the teams talk about the experience (the ones that survived)

its called "Storm Over Everest"

also, author Jon Krakauer, a guy that was on the mountain in 1992 and summited with rob halls team said that the movie is total horse shit

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/author-jon-krakauer-on-everest-its-total-bull-1201603087/

THEHARLEMSHAKElet me guess, you watched that shit movie Everest and now you think that you are some big fucking mountaineer?

kiss my ass

JAHpowI read Krakauer's book in 2012 when my mom's boss was climbing Everest and The Climb right after.

JAHpowWhat international expeditions have you done?



I have a friend who lives in Denver and who loves to climb. I would like to knock out a bunch of 14ers next summer with him. Actually I have this crazy idea to try and climb all 58 14ers in as many days. I'm not even sure if that's doable but I dream.

Right now I'm planning on ending up in Bozeman.

--Nick17--http://co54.secondmilewater.org

JAHpowActually I have this crazy idea to try and climb all 58 14ers in as many days. I'm not even sure if that's doable but I dream.

THEHARLEMSHAKEif you read karakauers book Into Thin Air, i am not sure why you would read The Climb?

Loco-Deer-SlayerYou can do all the 14ers in a month if that's all your doing. Most of them are pretty easy and just hikes. The real fun ones are down south in the San Juans and Sangres, excluding the Aspen/Snowmass area.

The 13ers in CO are much more technical if you are looking for more of a challenge. All the 14ers can be done by an average person who is not afraid of exposure, but the same cannot be said of the 13ers.

JAHpowBecause why the hell not? I like to read and was interested in reading another take on the incident.

When are the mods going man up and ban you. You contribute nothing but shit to this site.

All I'm trying to do is get information.



Thanks for the 13ers suggestion. I'm going to look into those. From what I've heard there's quite a bit of crowding on 14ers. I'm assuming it's less for 13ers?

THEHARLEMSHAKEu fucking ppl don't know what the fuck ur talking about

there is a fucking difference in pure rock climbing and doing mountaineer expeditions

u guys r acting like they r the same fucking thing

u DO NOT ROCK CLIMB DENALI OR EVEREST

THEHARLEMSHAKEu fucking ppl don't know what the fuck ur talking about

there is a fucking difference in pure rock climbing and doing mountaineer expeditions

u guys r acting like they r the same fucking thing

u DO NOT ROCK CLIMB DENALI OR EVEREST

Troy.You're never going to get anyone to believe a word you say if you write like an 8 year old.


Other tips: don't be that guy. Getting people stoked on any time of outdoor pursuit is good. The more people we have outside (who treat the outdoors nicely) means more people that can preserve the outdoors when people like Shell try to drill in the Arctic. If OP wants to get into mountaineering, fuck yeah! Let's just make sure that OP does it safely and doesn't kill himself or others in the process.

Additionally, you seem to glorify Everest, which if you ask any mountaineer who has gone to multiple big peaks, they will usually say that Everest isn't much of a challenge anymore. It is completely commercialized, to the point where inexperienced Google executives can pay a certain dollar amount to "tackle Everest." Not saying it isn't difficult, but your focus of it leads me to question your mountaineering career, and the validity of advice you dole out.

iFlipBuy me a plane ticket and cover my expenses and I will give you a very comprehensive overview of all necessary skills. We will start with basic wilderness skills, rock climbing skills, alpine skills, winter camping skills, ice climbing, snow & ice conditions, and really cover everything you need to know to conduct yourself in the mountains. I will provide all equipment other than your own mountaineering boots and crampons.

This will come out cheaper than one of those courses, and will be a much more wholesome experience as it will be 1-on-1 and not weighed down by the guide service's requirements.

JAHpowI have a friend who lives in Denver and who loves to climb. I would like to knock out a bunch of 14ers next summer with him. Actually I have this crazy idea to try and climb all 58 14ers in as many days. I'm not even sure if that's doable but I dream.

SFBmost 14rs you dont "climb" just a lot of hiking, some of them are pretty gnarly but as far as i know theres not really much technical climbing. on a side note, my uncle has climbed every 14er in colorado and one time he saw a dude fall off a spine ridge and die

iFlipBuy me a plane ticket and cover my expenses and I will give you a very comprehensive overview of all necessary skills. We will start with basic wilderness skills, rock climbing skills, alpine skills, winter camping skills, ice climbing, snow & ice conditions, and really cover everything you need to know to conduct yourself in the mountains. I will provide all equipment other than your own mountaineering boots and crampons.

This will come out cheaper than one of those courses, and will be a much more wholesome experience as it will be 1-on-1 and not weighed down by the guide service's requirements.

tittyboiI like this where do you live???

iFlipUpstate NY.

THEHARLEMSHAKEthat is exactly what ive been trying to tell these assholes

climbing these fucking colorado mountains are more like "hikes"

and as far as you mother fuckers hating on Everest. the only reason this thread was made was bcuz sum asshole saw that shit movie that just came out

u want to see a real everest documentary watch this

https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=storm+over+everest&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-002

SFBmost 14rs you dont "climb" just a lot of hiking, some of them are pretty gnarly but as far as i know theres not really much technical climbing.

Loco-Deer-SlayerEllingwood Arete (Crestones) - http://www.14ers.com/routemain.php?route=cnee5&peak=Crestone%20Needle

The Prow (Kit Carson) - http://14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=11024&cpgm=tripmain&ski=Include

Sunlight Spire (Sunlight Peak) - http://www.summitpost.org/sunlight-spire/358365

THEHARLEMSHAKEwhy waste ur time on colorado mountains, I'm not trying to be a dick or anything but that pussy shit. u climb one, and they r all they same

go fucking climb denali or sum shit

iFlipAgreed, those guides are usually pretty good. However, most of the courses are full of overweight, out of shape people and thus move very slowly and are not wholly interesting. I do not have the certifications because I chose to pursue a career where I can actually afford to eat, unlike guides. I have a very comprehensive climbing resume, with big walls, the ability to lead hard ice and hard trad, expeditions around the world, etc. This winter I am headed to an 18,000+ ft international peak to attempt a technical ice route in winter conditions.

I am well versed in all that OP is looking for and my offer is sincere.

CabbyArrantplease understand that I am in no way trying to diminish your climbing experience as I am sure it is extensive. I speak about the AMGA and IFMGA certifications though because they are a benchmark qualifaction of guides throughout the world. They are equittable to a college degree in guiding. Their job is to recognoze and mitigate risk for their clients and allow their clients to learn and move safely through the mountains and as much as you say you are a qualified guide what do you actually know? What are your specific certifications? What about your expeirience makes you feel that you are more qualified to teach and lead another person when there are others who do the same thing day in and day out.

--Nick17--I agree, but there are a few that you actually climb, and those are the best ones.

Loco-Deer-SlayerJAHpow, you should also check out NOLS. Some epic opportunities

http://www.nols.edu/courses/

reBlockeFor all the things that can be learned from a book:

http://www.amazon.com/Mountaineering-Freedom-Hills-8th-Edition/dp/1594851387

iFlipSo to answer your question, the sum of my experience makes me feel that I am at least as qualified as a full-time guide to cover the basics with a beginner.

BoaxYou guys are funny.

OP, just move where you want to climb and make friends.