Winter Mountaineering Courses

Whether you want to become self sufficient in winter mountaineering skills, or are headed to high altitude mountains in South America, Asia or Alaska, our Four day Introduction to Winter Mountaineering and Expedition Climbing will prepare you well. For those with previous winter mountaineering experience, you can join our 4 Day Alaska/Denali Preparation Course on Snowdon Peak (13,075 ft.) to further challenge yourself and build upon your skill base. This course was specifically designed to prepare participants for their upcoming trip to climb in Alaska and/or Denali.

We utilize the exceptional terrain of the San Juan Mountains between Durango and Silverton to conduct our courses. The mountains we train on, and climb, are Engineer Mountain (12,978 ft.) via the NE Ridge and Snowdon Peak (13,075 ft.) via the NW Ridge or West Buttress because of their short approaches and relative safety from avalanche danger. On Engineer Mountain we have an established base camp to help keep our packs light on the approach.

Our 4 day course involves 1 day of Alpine Ice Skills, which allows participants to acclimate to the altitude and winter conditions that typify the rugged San Juan Mountains. We follow with 3 days of Alpine Mountaineering and winter camping on Engineer Mountain.

2011/2012 Offerings

Intro to Winter Mountaineering - 4 days
This course has been desinged to help you attain a solid background in cold weather mountaineering and expedition climbing for other trips throughout the world, including Alaska and South America. The San Juans provide the perfect terrain for expedition skill acquisition.

Denali/Alaska Preparation Course - 4 days
This course has been designed to get you ready for your upcoming Denali climb, or other climbs in the Alaska Range or St. Elias Mountains. This course and ascent of Snowdon Peak will insure that you hit the ground running when you step off the bush plane and onto an Alaskan glacier.

Private Instruction and Guiding - November - April
If the dates of our regularly scheduled courses do not fit your needs or schedule, we offer the ability to tailor the dates and curriculum of the trip to your specific needs. Whether you are looking for 1:1 attention from one of our experienced professional guides, or would like to arrange a trip for a small group, we will work with you to ensure that you achieve the specific goals you've set for yourself regarding your training and skill acquisition.