Basic Climbing Course

COURSE INFORMATION 

The Tacoma Basic Climbing Course combines classroom lecture, field instruction and climbing experience designed to provide the basic skills necessary to safely climb rock, snow and the glaciated peaks of the Pacific Northwest.  The course is set up to be completed in roughly eight months and covers selection and care of equipment, wilderness travel and camping, glacier travel, belaying, rappelling, rock climbing, crevasse rescue, and many other topics.  During field trips and actual climbs the student will put these skills to practical use with experienced mountaineers. 

Previous experience in off-trail hiking and camping is helpful but not mandatory.  Participants should have a desire to learn technical mountaineering skills and be aware that this course requires a significant investment in time, energy, and money. Solid overall physical conditioning, good cardiovascular strength and psychological commitment are needed as the participants will experience travel in difficult terrain with vertical exposure while carrying a heavy pack in all types of weather conditions.  While the course is challenging and demanding the skills acquired provide the participants opportunities to meet lifelong climbing partners and gain the skills to safely enjoy mountains environments for a lifetime.

Timeline

• Graduates of a Mountaineers scrambles course may request to register before general registration opens by contacting the co-chairs listed below.
• The course will open for general registration on Nov. 1 (non-members can apply). General registration is first-come, first-served.
  
• Please fill out this pre-course questionnaire at time of registration. The questionnaire includes some expectations on participation and fitness for the course, and we encourage you to self-evaluate whether this course is a good fit for you. Based on your responses to the questionnaire we may contact you to discuss these topics further.
• If the course is full, we encourage you to join the waitlist and keep the course dates open on your schedule. Spots often open up and we may invite some on the wait list to join the first session in case others decide to drop late.
• ***Please do not sign up for the course unless you can attend ALL field trips and ALL lectures (see activities below)

The Tacoma Basic Climbing Committee is committed to building and fostering a representative climbing community that reflects the spaces in which we live and recreate. We recognize that outdoor recreation has historically excluded communities of color, women, and LGBTQ people. Hence, we strongly encourage registrations from people with these identities or who are members of other underrepresented communities. 

SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

The Mountaineers are committed to making our courses accessible to everyone, regardless of your ability to pay.  We encourage students who cannot afford this course to apply for our scholarship program, which is funded by generous donors.

Please apply early for a Scholarship. Applications may take up to 2 weeks to process and financial assistance can only be applied before you register for the course. If you have questions please email ryannp@mountaineers.org

The course fee does not include the cost of Mountaineers membership, text for the course, personal gear and equipment, Wilderness First Aid (WFA), or Navigation course.

Field Trip Schedule (Note: All dates/times and locations subject to change)

1/11 - Course Intro and Prep, Gear, and Knots - Tacoma Clubhouse

1/25 - Fundamentals - Tacoma Clubhouse

2/8 - Glacier Climbing I - Tacoma Clubhouse

2/22 or 2/23 - Glacier Climbing II - Paradise, MRNP

3/15 or 3/16 - Glacier Climbing III - Paradise, MRNP

3/29 and 3/30 - Glacier Climbing IV: Winter Overnight - Paradise, MRNP

TBA (Optional) - Top Rope Belay Clinic - Tacoma Clubhouse

4/12 - Alpine Rock I - Tacoma Clubhouse

4/26 - Alpine Rock II - Tacoma Clubhouse

5/10 or 5/11 - Alpine Rock III - Mt. Erie

5/24 or 5/25  - Alpine Rock IV - Mt. Erie

 Lecture Schedule (All lectures scheduled for Wednesday at 7pm)  (Note: All dates/times subject to change)

1/15 -  Nutrition and Conditioning - Remote

1/29 -  Intro to Snow and Glacier Travel - Remote

2/12 -  Navigation Course Requirements prep, Weather and Trip Planning, Winter Overnight Prep - Remote

3/19 - Decision Making & Power Dynamics - Tacoma Clubhouse

4/9 - Climbing classification, Rock climbing overview, signing up for climbs - Remote

4/30 - Leader Halo - Remote

Graduation Requirements

• Attend all lectures and field trips 
• Satisfactorily complete all field trips and critical skills checkpoints
• Satisfactorily complete one conditioner (Mt. Si or similar) under the required time while carrying the required weight (details to be provided later)
• Satisfactorily complete a minimum two Basic Climbs, including one Rock and one Glacier climb
• Successfully complete the Wilderness Navigation course
• Participate in one day's conservation activity/trail maintenance offered by the Mountaineers or another recognized organization or agency
• Hold a current Wilderness First Aid (WFA) card by the date of graduation (MOFA not accepted)
• Apply for graduation as described in the course manual
• Current Mountaineer membership

The Tacoma Basic Climbing Course will be adhering to the current Mountaineers COVID-19 Response.