This 2-day course is designed to teach you all the basic skills necessary to climb an alpine summit, and then put them to the test on day 2 on a summit climb at Washington pass. This is an ideal program for those wanting to get into climbing, as it will set a solid foundation of skills that you can continue to build on as you continue your development as a climber. It is also a great program for those that just want to climb an iconic peak such as Liberty Bell or South Early Winter Spire and do it comfortably and with a high margin of safety since we limit the group size to 2:1 or 1:1 - and this also means more personalized attention for each climber.
Day One:
We begin at one of several local rock climbing sites where we can focus on all of the skills you will need to become a safe member of a climbing party. Topics will include:
- Use and care of equipment
- Belaying
- Variety of climbing techniques including: crack climbing, face climbing, chimney climbing and mantling
- Laybacking
- Energy conservation
- Placing and cleaning protection
- Building anchors
- Multi-pitch station management
- Rappelling
Day Two:
We will head into the mountains early and put our new skills to the test. There are a number of classic moderate routes in the Washington Pass area from which we will choose a climb for our summit attempt. Among these are the South Arete of South Early Winter Spire, and The Beckey Route on Liberty Bell. Early season climbs may require the use of boots and an ice axe on the approach, whereas later in the season climbs can be reached via a climbers trail in light hiking boots
Jeff Ward
Larry Goldie
Paul Butler
Drew Lovell
Joshua Cole
Steph Williams
Karen Bockel
Ross Lindell
No previous climbing experience is required for this course.
