Have a taste for adventure? Want to learn the kind of skills that enable you to explore some of the wildest, most remote places on the planet?
Consider taking our mountaineering classes.
Survival in the Alpine Environment
Even the word “alpine” itself is rich with rugged imagery. The barren but beautiful expanses of high, glaciated terrain. The unpredictable, incredible weather at high altitudes. The rock, the snow and the ice, and the myriad technical, physical and psychological challenges they present.
This is the territory of modern explorers, adventurers and those who need something to shake them out of the banality of their everyday lives, and we can give you the skills you’ll need to get there.
What Our Program Offers
Our Alpine Climbing Program offers a full range of climbs. It can take you from raw beginner to advanced climber over the course of the training.
Each program differs slightly based on location, the length of the excursion and the season. Each of them build upon the last and reinforce the most important skills you’ll need at high altitudes.
Did we mention that you get to undertake this training in some of the most stunning alpine environments in the US? You do, and you’ll have highly-trained mountaineering experts with you at every step of the way.
In addition to the offerings detailed below, we offer custom climbs so, if you have something in mind, please contact us.
Denali Preparation Course/Winter Mountaineering Course
Level: Beginner to Advanced Beginner
This is a winter mountaineering course that will introduce beginners to the challenges of winter climbing and teach more advanced students how to apply their existing skills to the winter alpine environment.
The training will replicate the conditions that you’d encounter in cold-weather locations, such as Denali.
The skills you’ll learn include pulling sleds, building snow structures, snow shoeing and navigating glaciers, including self-arrest and crevasse rescue.
The course is perfect for those who want an early season session, being offered from February through May. Those who have basic climbing skills and need to increase their abilities to handle winter climbs will also find this class particularly useful.
There usually isn’t a summit involved with this class, but it does offer a chance to climb Rainer during the winter or spring. If you want to take on Denali later in the season, this class is ideal for you.
Eight-Day Mountaineering Course, Mt. Rainer
Level: Beginner
This is a comprehensive class that focuses on all aspects of glacier mountaineering. It offers a chance to summit Mt. Rainer.
The course takes place on the Emmons glacier, which is one of the less-used routes that Rainier offers. There may be a day of ice climbing if conditions permit.
The eight-day, intensive course will help you build the skills you’ll need to take on Denali or similar climbs. Of course, for those who have to summit, this is a good choice. Rainier has a summit of over 14,000 feet, so you’ll never forget the experience, even if completing this class is the extent of your mountaineering career.
Ten-Day Mountaineering Course, North Cascades and Mt. Rainier
Level: Beginner to Advanced Beginner
This is our most comprehensive glacier course. If you successfully complete it, you’ll walk away with an impressive range of basic skills. You’ll also get a chance to use those skills on two summit attempts.
The second summit attempt on this course is via Kautz glacier on Mount Rainier. You’ll want to be in excellent physical condition for this one, but you will walk away from this with very developed–and tested–skills.
This course is recommended for those who want to take on Denali and other, similar challenges and for those who have completed the Eight Day and Denali Prep courses described above. This course is also offered at a lower price than the Six Day and Kautz Climb when taken separately.
Six-Day Mountaineering Course, North Cascades
Level: Beginner
This course is our tried-and-true offering and it’s been around for twenty years. It will teach you glacier skills and give you a chance to summit peaks including Mt. Baker—known as the Ice King—Shuksan or Eldorado.
This is a wonderful chance to climb in Washington’s Great range. The North Cascades offer a perfect opportunity to learn basic mountaineering skills.
This is also a prerequisite climb for other adventures, such as Ecuador, Elbrus and the more technical routes on Rainier. The Six-Day course is also an appropriate prerequisite for Denali. Some climbers might want to take the Denali prep, Eight-Day and Ten-Day courses, however, as they give extra time for teaching.
The Six-Day is one of our best values. It’s great if you don’t have the time for an eight- or ten- day climb and if you feel that you can take on glacier climbing in six days. This is also a good preparation course for Aconcagua.
Eight-Day Mountaineering Course, Alaska
Level: Beginner
This is a chance to head off to see the “great one,” Denali, in Alaska and take it on. This is among our most comprehensive course offerings. It addresses vital skills such as self-arrest, crevasse rescue and advanced glacier skills. It also gives you a chance to climb two different peaks in the Alaska Range.
The course is a bit less demanding than our Washington State course. It doesn’t require the same long approach hike as do Rainier and the North Cascades. It might be less appealing for those who want a very demanding physical challenge, however.
Twelve-Day Alaska Mountaineering Course
Level: Beginner
This course is usually coupled with our Eight-Day Alaska Course. The extra four days provide another summit attempt. If you’re travelling all the way to Alaska already, why not extend the adventure, use your skills and get some more climbing time in?
Thirteen-Day Mountaineering Course, North Cascades
This is a combination of our Six-Day Mountaineering Course with an additional seven days of alpine rock. We’ll take three days to learn skills at a popular rock climbing area in Central Washington. We’ll then combine the glacier and rock climbing skills to take on a mixed route climb. Conditions will determine the final route.
The course has a 3:1 climber to guide ratio and serves as a prerequisite for more challenging climbs, including the Matterhorn. This course is excellent if you’re interested in exploring the North Cascades further, as there are many mixed routes in the range.
Three-Day Climb of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Baker
Level: Beginner
These are summit climbs. They’re prerequisites for climbs including Elbrus, Island Peak and Ecuador and Mexico volcanoes.
Backpacker and Wilderness Navigation, North Cascades or Olympic National Park
Level: Beginner
This course is perfect for those who want to learn about how to assess gear, basic camping and cooking before they decide to take on a mountain.
Rock Climbing for Mountaineers, Leavenworth, Washington
Level: Beginner
In this class, you’ll learn to assess terrain and handle climbs that involve alpine rock and mixed routes.
Intermediate Courses: Alaska, Cascades, Rainier
If you’ve mastered your basic glacier climbing skills, these classes are for you. The most common participants are graduates of our beginner courses. These climbs offer you a chance to really develop the skills you’ve learned and to adventure with very skilled and fit climbers.
Beginner or seasoned adventurer, we have a climbing option for you. Contact the Urban Survival Academy to learn more!