12-Day Alaska Course Itinerary

Days 1-3: See 8-Day Alaska Mountaineering Course.

Day 4: Glacier travel. Students learn proper climbing techniques for safe glacier travel including: rope techniques for teams of 3-4 persons, route finding through crevassed areas and finally review crevasse rescue.

Day 5: Ice climbing. We begin by developing proper techniques using crampons on low angle ice, move onto steeper terrain, add one ice tool and finally combine crampons and two tools to climb steeper ice. Emphasis is placed on proper technique and efficiency as these are essential on longer alpine routes.

Day 6: Move to and establish high camp. We pack our summit gear and establish high camp. Time permitting, we do a high glacier tour around spectacular ice towers as well as some additional ice climbing. In the early evening, we prepare for our summit attempt and enjoy the incredible views our high camp provides.

Day 7: Summit day. This is generally a long and demanding day, where you will have a chance to apply all of the skills learned during the course. With clear weather, we should be rewarded with a spectacular view from the summit.

Days 8-11: Additional ascents of glaciated peaks. These days will involve refining the skills learned in the previous seven days by moving to additional camps and making summit bids. Navigation, glacier travel, route finding and evaluation of subjective and objective hazards will all be covered in depth. We attempt one to three additional summit climbs during these four days.

Day 12: Return to Base and Fly to Talkeetna.