Basic climbing course

[Don]

I"m looking for a climbing course. Can anyone tell me which one I would get more out of, Mountainneers or the Boeing Club?

[Doug]

They are both comparable, though the Mountaineers have significantly re-formatted theirs. What are your reasons for wanting to take a Basic Course?

[Sherri]

Most of the guide companies offer 1-3 day weekend courses, as well, pretty much now thru fall.

 

(Check out websites of Mountain Madness, Northwest Mountain School, Squamish Rock Guides...for dates/info/prices, etc.)

 

I think Squamish Rock Guides also runs 5-day "Complete Rock" course.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

I"m looking for a climbing course. Can anyone tell me which one I would get more out of, Mountainneers or the Boeing Club?

 

What do you want to climb? Snow slogs? Sport? Trad? Alpine? Ice?

[fenderfour]

Both classes are in full swing. You will have to wait until next january to sign up for Boealps or the Mountaineers.

 

If you wanted to get some instruction before that, check out the 3-5 day program with Alpine Ascents International or a similar program from (gasp!) RMI.

[davidjo]

Guide services and climbing clubs each have their advantages. If you're interested guide service offerings, I've had good luck with the American Alpine Institute.

 

Guide service pros:

- instructed by professionals

- many offerings to fit your needs and schedule

- you'll learn current techniques

Cons:

- expensive

- compressed schedule -- a lot to learn in a short time

- dependent on weather for your chosen dates/location

- no ongoing community to climb with

 

Cimbing club pros:

- inexpensive

- extended schedule -- absorb skills over weeks and months

- see different locations and conditions

- provide a built-in community to start climbing with

Cons:

- instructed by weekend amateurs, some good, some not so good

- one size fits all format and curriculum

- if you're not signed up by winter, you're SOL for the year

- techniques can be dated

[Chris_Moorehead]

I took the 'complete mountaineering' course from Canada West Mountaineering School last summer and really liked it. They do 2 days in Squamish on rock then 5 days in the backcountry doing route finding, glacier travel, etc...

 

What ever class you do I recommend doing a bit of reading before hand. You'll get much more out of the course if you have already read about it first.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Guide services and climbing clubs each have their advantages. If you're interested guide service offerings, I've had good luck with the American Alpine Institute.

 

Guide service pros:

- instructed by professionals

- many offerings to fit your needs and schedule

- you'll learn current techniques

Cons:

- expensive

- compressed schedule -- a lot to learn in a short time

- dependent on weather for your chosen dates/location

- no ongoing community to climb with

 

Cimbing club pros:

- inexpensive

- extended schedule -- absorb skills over weeks and months

- see different locations and conditions

- provide a built-in community to start climbing with

Cons:

- instructed by weekend amateurs, some good, some not so good

- one size fits all format and curriculum

- if you're not signed up by winter, you're SOL for the year

- techniques can be dated

 

I'll add that climbing club courses are good if you are a complete novice. The more you've done in the outdoors (e.g. backpacking, or sports climbing/cragging), the more slow paced you'll find things, and might be better picking things up from a mentor.

 

[fenderfour]

That is a very nice summary.

 

Guide services and climbing clubs each have their advantages. If you're interested guide service offerings, I've had good luck with the American Alpine Institute.

 

Guide service pros:

- instructed by professionals

- many offerings to fit your needs and schedule

- you'll learn current techniques

Cons:

- expensive

- compressed schedule -- a lot to learn in a short time

- dependent on weather for your chosen dates/location

- no ongoing community to climb with

 

Cimbing club pros:

- inexpensive

- extended schedule -- absorb skills over weeks and months

- see different locations and conditions

- provide a built-in community to start climbing with

Cons:

- instructed by weekend amateurs, some good, some not so good

- one size fits all format and curriculum

- if you're not signed up by winter, you're SOL for the year

- techniques can be dated

[Don]

thanks for the replies. I would say I'm a novice, having done lots of backpacking and sport climbing. I'm interested in Alpine climbing. I can see there are many pros and cons to either using a guide or a club. Looks like I'll need to sleep on this one more:)

[jared_j]

I moved to Seattle a year and a half ago with a backpacking and rock climbing background, and wanted to expand my skill set to climb different objectives in the Cascades in different seasons. I took a basic glacier climbing course from a club called The Bushwhackers, which I have stayed involved with. It was excellent.

 

In addition, I took a water ice class and AEIRE Level I avalanche class from Pro Guiding (based in North Bend). I interacted with three different guides there (including the owner/manager, Martin Volken), and all were extremely skilled teachers, and highly professional.

 

A basic glacier course (which would better be described as a course in snow/winter camping along with basic glacier travel skills) from a club is nice because it affords you multiple days of practice as well as a network of other climbers. More technical things (e.g. trad climbing, ice climbing) are probably better covered with guides.

 

Best of luck, as others have mentioned, you're a little late for getting in on a club glacier course this year. Tighten up the trad skills this spring/summer/fall, learn to ski next winter, and sign up for a glacier course for spring of 2009 and you'll be ready for anything!

[sobo]

I took a basic glacier climbing course from a club called The Bushwhackers, which I have stayed involved with.

Say "hi" to DoxManDude for me.

 

...More technical things (e.g. trad climbing, ice climbing) are probably better covered with guides...

Hardly. I would posit that with a regular partner/mentor, one might find the learning experience much more fun, enjoyable, and rewarding. It was for me, as I learned everything from mentors, including trad, big wall, and ice (learned alpine the hard way, all by meself, cuz me mentor got killed). 'course, all this was almost 25 years ago, before the explosion of the sport and related schools of instruction. YMMV

[jared_j]

Doxey's a great guy in general, and a great guy to climb with.

 

I agree that trad and ice climbing can be learned from mentors. However, my opinion is that the learning process is a dynamic process with an initial value problem. Lack of skills don't make you a marketable partner. Finding someone who is willing to mentor you can be tough. If this is the case, then the guide services can fill that gap. I should have clarified this in my original post.

 

In addition, you are more likely to learn a broader - based 'bag of tricks' of skills with a guide in a short time relative to a mentor who likely has their own personal way of doing things. I know this assertion is completely dependent on the individuals, but I would bet money that it is not far off the mark.

 

At any rate, best of luck to the OP!

 

[powdrx]

The Washington Alpine Club also teaches a Basic Climbing course. But it is also already started for the year. Smaller course, but well packed with basic climbing skills, intro to alpine climbing and mountaineering/ glacier skills as well. Another to add to the list of "club-organized" classes.

One thing for the longer classes is more practice and more repetition to solidify these base skills where as a weekend course throws you in the fire more and if you don't stay with it, you may forget somethings after a couple weeks off. Depends how motivated you are I guess!! Good luck getting started!!

 

[summerprophet]

PM sent.

Edited April 10, 2008 by summerprophet