An excellent introduction to mountaineering, the 8-day Alaska Mountaineering Course covers the essentials of mountaineering including; glacier travel, self-arrest, navigation, route finding and snow skills in one of the finest alpine environments imaginable. The course culminates with a summit attempt of one of the peaks in the area of the South East Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, in the Alaska Range such as: Mt. Francis (10,450'), Kahiltna Dome (12,525'), Point Ferene (9,300'), Control Tower (8,670'), or Mt. Crosson (12,800'). This serves as a prerequisite for many of Alpine Ascents' intermediate level climbs, including Denali, and is a stepping stone for more technically difficult mountains.
Course Objectives
Increasing technical knowledge/skills in all aspects of snow and alpine climbing including:
Glacier travel
Rope/belay techniques
Crevasse rescue
Route finding
Self arrest
Rappelling
Cramponing
Safe climbing
Developing educated, self-reliant climbers with the ability to evaluate subjective/objective hazards including:
Glacier conditions
Gear evaluations
Critical decision-making
White-out conditions
Wilderness navigation
Weather conditions
Physical Conditioning
In the best interest of personal safety, success and team compatibility, adequate training and excellent physical condition is required. Prior experience carrying a heavy pack for multiple days serves as excellent preparation for this course; Climbers must be able to carry an average of 50-60lbs. Climbers need to be in excellent physical condition for both personal enjoyment and to be an integral team member. We encourage you to contact us so that we may assist you in developing a training program that meets your particular needs.
Comprehensive training information can be found here.
Private Groups
We regularly organize private coursesfor individuals, corporate groups, families and friends. We encourage you to book these courses early as we are often able to cater these programs to group-specific desires. Please contact our office to further discuss the benefits of private courses.
Alpine Ascents International is an authorized concessionaire of Denali National Park.
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