$575.00
Description
This 12-week course provides an introduction to outdoor rock climbing, navigation, ice axe arrest, rope team travel, lead belay, and crevasse rescue. The course utilizes Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills as foundational reading prior to experiential coursework. Each week includes readings, classroom practice, and an outing that will provide recurring practice with skills a mountaineer will need to travel safely in the alpine. Participants must show basic skills competence during weekday session prior to weekend outing.
Fitness Level
Each outing will be physically demanding and requires strong hiking fitness and endurance. We recommend that all students engage in several weeks of regular hiking experience with more than 1,000ft of elevation gain each hike prior to starting the course. Strength training experience is also recommended. Prior to the course there will be a mandatory fitness hike. All participants in the 8 week course will need to show that they are able to carry 30lbs up the Pine & Cedar Trail in the Chuckanuts in under 1 hour and 5 minutes.
Required Fitness Hike: Sat Mar 14 2026
First Intro Class: Wed Mar 18 2026
First Class Intro Session in Mt. Vernon: Wed Mar 25 2026
Navigation Outing: Sat Mar 28 2026
Navigation Outing (Rain Backup): Sun Mar 29 2026
Trail work party day placeholder: Sat Apr 04 2026
Class Session in Burlington: Wed Apr 08 2026
Ice Axe Arrest Outing: Sat Apr 11 2026 - April 12, 2026
Class Session in Burlington: Wed Apr 15 2026
Rock Climbing Intro Outing: Sat Apr 18 2026
Rock Climbing Intro Outing (Rain Backup): Sun Apr 19 2026
Class Session in Burlington: Wed Apr 22 2026
Rope Team Travel Outing: Sat Apr 25 2026 - April 26, 2026
Class Session in Burlington: Wed Apr 29 2026
Lead Belay Outing: Sat May 02 2026 - May 3, 2026
Trail work party day placeholder 2: Sat May 09 2026
Class Session in Burlington: Wed May 13 2026
Crevasse Rescue outing: Sat May 16 2026 - May 17, 2026
(Optional) Skagit Alpine Club Group Camp: Fri May 29 2026 - May 31, 2026
Class Session in Burlington: Wed Jun 03 2026
Crevasse Rescue 2 Outing: Sat Jun 06 2026 - June 7, 2026