Basic Alpine Climbing Course

As of November 15, 2020, we can no longer accept any applications or inquiries. There are no available spots. Please do not ask for exceptions. We recommend that you read about the other climbing classes offered by the club, through the Seattle Branch or other branches; see descriptions below. 

Due to the COVID-19 situation and possible continued restrictions, most of the seats in the 2021 Basic Climbing course are reserved for students continuing from the 2020 course.  We plan to offer the course if conditions allow, with potential changes to the course structure. The event dates below are tentative and likely to change.

The Basic Alpine Climbing Course is a year-long program preparing students to be solid and competent climbers reaching rock and glacier summits of the Pacific Northwest. 

Application Process

For 2021 we can only accept applications from Alpine Scramble graduates. Please contact the course leader directly by October 15th, 2020.

Scholarships

The Mountaineers is committed to making our courses accessible to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. Our courses are priced to cover our costs, but we know that costs add up quickly, especially when students also need to purchase gear.  We encourage students to apply for our scholarship program, which is funded by generous donors to make courses more accessible. Applications may take up to 2 weeks to process and Financial Assistance can not by applied to courses or activities already registered for. You can learn more about and apply for a scholarship, and read about the new Liesl Waldhausen Basic Alpine Climbing Scholarship. 

To graduate from Basic Climbing you also need to have current badges or take the Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and Wilderness Navigation courses, for which you need to register separately. These courses, along with Basic Alpine, can be added to the same financial assistance application as well.

Climbing Courses with the Seattle Mountaineers

We offer a range of climbing courses for all interests and levels of time commitment:

Alpine Scrambling: an introduction to mountaineering that fills the gap between on-trail hiking and technical, roped climbing. Learn essential techniques of off-trail wilderness travel needed for reaching snow and rock summits. This is a great option if you are hiker but have not done much off-trail travel or rock climbing. Scramble summits include Adams, Stuart and Kaleetan, among hundreds of others!

Introduction to Rock Climbing: learn the basics of top roped outdoor climbing, including basic climbing knots, belaying skills, climbing techniques and converting to rappel. At the end of this course, you will be able to safely follow a lead climber on single-pitch sport/crag climbs. A great choice if you have never climbed before!

Basic Glacier Travel: learn to travel safely on glaciers while roped up and technical skills such as crevasse rescue and rappelling. Students and graduates of this course are able to sign up for Basic Glacier climbs just like graduates of the Basic Alpine Climbing Course, bringing peaks like Rainier, Baker and Shuksan within reach.

Introduction to Alpine Rock: learn the fundamentals to follow a leader on a multi pitch traditional alpine rock climb. You can climb classics like the Tooth, South Early Winter Spire and Kangaroo Temple. Together with the Basic Glacier Travel course this completes the entire Basic Climbing curriculum and you can then sign up for any club Basic climbing trip.

Basic Alpine Climbing Course Description

The course is a combination of class lectures, in-town field trips, small group instruction at local crags and alpine climbs in the mountains during the summer. The program includes 5 lectures and 7 field trips plus readings.

After the "in town" training, students start going on climbs, always with carefully selected, experienced leaders. A good level of physical fitness is required.

Skills taught include belaying, rappelling, rope handling, 5th class rock climbing, snow climbing, glacier travel, back-country camping including on snow, guidance on gear purchases and conditioning, and more - lots more.

The course is a significant time commitment and also requires the purchase of several hundred dollars of clothing and equipment, especially for those who do not already have hiking or backpacking gear. Even those who have some equipment already can expect to spend at least $500 on gear.

Not all things need to be purchased right away, however, and some things can be rented from local mountain shops or borrowed from friends. But be aware our course requires an investment of both time and money. Some things to keep in mind: This is not rock climbing at the crags, it's summit-oriented alpine climbing in the mountains on rock, snow and glaciers. There are no refunds beyond the first class meeting in December. (see FAQ at http://sbca.mountaineers.org/)

Alpine climbing with The Mountaineers is an awesome opportunity to confidently and competently visit places where few can go; to experience levels of instant trust, bonding, and community not commonly experienced in everyday life, all while pushing your physical limits and achieving personal goals. Welcome to your new adventures. We look forward to sharing them with you.