Basic Alpine Climbing Course

Prerequisite coursework

The Basic Climbing course has a required prerequisite course, Wilderness Skills. Wilderness Skills covers basic outdoor travel skills and consists of one evening online lecture and one Saturday field practice. The zoom lecture will take place on Tuesday, January 28 from 6pm-8pm and the field day will be all day on Saturday, February 1 at Friends Meeting House and Squaxin Park. If you are a recent Alpine Scrambling graduate, this requirement is waived. Basic Climbing students will receive a reduced Wilderness Skills course fee. 

APPLICATION PERIOD

• Application opens on October 4th.
• Seats will be awarded beginning October 18.
• Application will close on January 19th.

Please complete the application linked below. All applicants are accepted into the course or waitlisted. The required application is information gathering for course leaders. Priority is given to Olympia Branch members and Olympia Scrambling course graduates.

https://forms.gle/e5F5TbvuqLveUUiN9

REFUNDS 

If you cancel the course within these timelines:

• Now through December 31 - refund minus $10
• January 1 through January 15 - 50% refund
• After January 15 - no refunds

financial assistance

Please use the Scholarship link to apply for financial assistance, and do this early so you may have your scholarship in time to register.

COURSE INFORMATION

Course lectures and field trips begin in February and are completed in June, consisting of five lectures, seven field trips, self-paced learning modules, and additional required and optional events. Topics covered include equipment/gear, backcountry travel and camping, snow camping, glacier travel, belaying, rappelling, rock climbing, crevasse rescue, and more. No experience is required. 

This course requires access to the internet to utilize online resources. Some lectures could be conducted on Zoom. This course uses Google Classroom for lecture materials, self-paced learning modules, and quizzes. Please be sure you have an email address compatible with Google Classroom. Some email domains (such as universities or personal domains) cannot be added to Google Classroom.

Graduates must attend all lectures and field trips, pass the final exam, successfully complete physical conditioning requirements by completing an approved conditioning hike, three experience climbs, Wilderness Skills, Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Navigation course, and a stewardship project. There is a separate course fee for Wilderness Skills, FA, and Navigation. The climbing conditioner hike and all Course Requirements listed below are required to continue in the course. Please take this into account when determining your schedule availability before applying for acceptance into the course. Additionally, students must purchase a copy of “Freedom of the Hills, 10th Edition”.

In addition to having a desire to learn technical rock and mountaineering skills, successful graduates possess solid overall physical conditioning, good cardiovascular strength, and psychological commitment. The course is  challenging; however, the payoff will be opportunities to connect with lifelong climbing partners and friends as well as life-changing outdoor experiences, while learning the skills that can be used to safely travel in the wild for a lifetime.

The course runs for one season beginning with the first lecture in February and ending September 30, and participants must complete the lectures and field trips the first year. If a student is unable to complete course co-requisites in one year, they may apply for second-year student status, which may incur an additional registration charge. 

RECOMMENDATIONS

Basic Climbing students are urged to consider taking the Alpine Scrambling course prior to Basic Climbing. Completion of scrambling allows the student to learn a portion of the skills that will be taught in Basic Climbing, have completed the co-requisite classes and activities, as well as provide even more opportunities to meet like-minded outdoor enthusiasts.

MORE INFORMATION

The Olympia Branch climbing program is committed to supporting a diverse climbing community in spaces in which we live and recreate. We strongly encourage applications from people from underrepresented communities. 

For more information about Basic Climbing, potential students are encouraged to attend the Olympia Branch open house at St. Martin’s University in the Worthington Center. In the meantime, direct climbing course questions to the Basic Climbing  course leader.