Overview:
The Intro to Mountaineering weekend course will teach you the skills needed to climb a peak. Day one is a skills day. In the winter months we’ll work on such skills as traveling as a roped team, walking in crampons, using a mountaineering axe properly, and self arresting a fall. In the summer months we’ll be focusing more on rock skills. We’ll be working on belaying, basic movement, short-roping, and rappelling. On day two, we’ll utilize the skills we learned on day one and climb a mountaineering route in Rocky Mountain National Park.
All of our courses can be run as custom outings. If you’re interested in a course, but it doesn’t fit into your schedule, please check out our custom guiding options.
Details:
Rocky Mountain National Park provides excellent terrain for learning mountaineering skills at any time of the year. Depending on your own personal goals, climbing conditions may affect which time of year you decide to enroll.
May through early July: The best time for snow climbing in Colorado. The mountaineering program this time of year is prime for alpine snow and couloir climbing.
July through November: Much of the seasonal snow has melted by this time of year and all that remains are the perennial snowfields. Largely, the mountaineering courses during this time are centered on rock skills with 3rd/4th class terrain management being the focus. Snow can still be found at times, but can sometimes be difficult to reach and is never guaranteed.
December through February: Winter in the Colorado Front Range. The focus of the mountaineering program during this time is winter travel skills. Often times snow conditions are 1) Too unconsolidated to provide any option for true snow climbing and 2) Too dangerous from an avalanche hazard perspective to venture onto steep snow slopes. The course is centered on mixed rock, snow and ice objectives in a wintry environment.
March and April: March and April can be hit or miss for prime snow conditions. Often times the Front Range receives large spring storms that can make snow climbing unreasonable or we can benefit from warmer temperatures creating good snow climbing conditions on particular aspects. This time of year, the focus of the program could be on snow climbing or rock-centric depending on conditions, which are often quite variable.
Sample Itinerary:
Day 1: Snow travel skills – Learn how to travel as a roped team, including belaying, techniques for efficient travel in crampons and using a mountaineering axe.
Day 2: Climb a route – We’ve covered a lot of great skills on day one, now let’s put them to use. We’ll head out and climb a route that best suits the group and conditions.
Meeting location:
Colorado Mountain School
341 Moraine Avenue
Estes Park, CO 80517
Lodging:
If you require lodging at our Estes Park Adventure Hostel, please make your reservations online in advance. Beds are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Our hostel features 16 beds in 3 rooms, bathrooms, showers, a full kitchen with appliances, dishes and utensils, wi-fi, ping-pong table, and a lounge area. Please be considerate of others lodgers during your stay.
Notes:
COVID-19 Contingency:
We believe that your training is best taught by combining theoretical concepts and experiential learning. Some topics are best learned in a comfortable classroom setting and others in the mountains, moving through terrain. You’ll have both.
The first portion of your course will be conducted in a classroom setting. In the interest of health and safety for our students and instructors, classroom format for the 2020/21 season may include e-learning and/or group video discussions in an effort to limit close contact in closed spaces.
The majority of your course will take place in the mountains where we will learn in an open-air environment. You should be prepared, mentally and physically, to stay immersed in the backcountry for up to eight hours. You will be assigned to a small pod consisting of one Instructor and a maximum of six students to allow intimate instruction and physical distancing.The nature of this pandemic requires us to be flexible and adaptable in how we deliver a quality training experience. Rest assured, from the moment you enroll all the way up to your course field day(s) and beyond, our instructors will be a part of your learning progression and will provide you with the tools and resources you need to best prepare for your training. If you’d like to learn more about what we are doing to manage COVID-19 risk for our students and guides, please view our FAQ page.
All Upcoming Dates and Locations:
- November 4, 2023 - November 5, 2023 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- November 18, 2023 - November 19, 2023 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- December 2, 2023 - December 3, 2023 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- December 16, 2023 - December 17, 2023 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- January 6, 2024 - January 7, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- January 20, 2024 - January 21, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- February 3, 2024 - February 4, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- February 24, 2024 - February 25, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- March 9, 2024 - March 10, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- March 23, 2024 - March 24, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- April 6, 2024 - April 7, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- April 20, 2024 - April 21, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- May 4, 2024 - May 5, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- May 18, 2024 - May 19, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- May 25, 2024 - May 26, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- June 1, 2024 - June 2, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- June 15, 2024 - June 16, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- June 29, 2024 - June 30, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- July 13, 2024 - July 14, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- July 27, 2024 - July 28, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- August 24, 2024 - August 25, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- September 21, 2024 - September 22, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- October 19, 2024 - October 20, 2024 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
- October 21, 2023 - October 22, 2023 - Intro to Mountaineering - Estes Park, Colorado
Shai Simchi (verified owner) –
I did a 2 day intro to mountaineering course with Ian Fowler. There are not enough words to describe how awesome those 2 days were and how amazing Ian has been as a guide to learn from. Ian was super knowledgeable and patient and I learned so much during these 2 days. But most importantly – I was left with a taste for more mountaineering and I am eager to learn more and do more! 5 stars!!!
warrenyoungblood (verified owner) –
Dec 4-6, 2020 Intro to Mountaineering with Jesse Ramos, in a word…excellent! Skills on first day with a superb and well thought out climb on second day. Weather was perfect! Jesse is a great instructor, guide and motivator! Thanks very much for an awesome experience!
Matthew Fulford (verified owner) –
My friend and I had the best weekend learning some mountaineering skills. Our guides, Jesse, Wes, and Jason were fantastic—they were so knowledgeable and highly skilled while also being really good teachers. They adapted things to everyone’s pace and interests so everyone in our group learned a ton. I’ll reconnect with CMS and these guys again for AAIRE 1 and maybe some guided adventures.
Sydney Webster (verified owner) –
Amazing instructors and such an informative and fun course! Bruce, Bob, Jesse and Josh were kind, informative, and personable. They worked around our needs and answered any questions we had. Highly recommend!
alex_altman (verified owner) –
I had the Intro to Mountaineering 2 day course with Mike Coyle, Josh Burke, Wes Fowler, and Ryan Pedersen. It was exactly the experience I was looking for. All the guides did an excellent job of both taking us out of our comfort zone, and still making us feel safe. If you have any interest in mountaineering, I can’t recommend this course enough.
libbyrussell3 (verified owner) –
Just did the Intro to Mountaineering course with Ben Markhart- it was totally awesome! The first day we practiced class 4-5 climbing on a crag nearby and the second day we put it all together with a fantastic ~5 pitch class 4/5 climb in the park. Ben was great at tailoring the course to our objectives and skill level. This included sneaking in a dry-land glacier travel demo that I needed for an upcoming trip. Ben was a fantastic guide helping us learn new skills, keeping us safe and making it a hella lota fun. HIGHLY recommend the course.
joyweis (verified owner) –
My husband and I took this course together and had a great time. The experienced guides provided knowledge from several perspectives, and we enjoyed learning a new skill set. Looking forward to climbing again – definitely recommend this course.
codywellons (verified owner) –
This course was so much fun! Recently took this with a friend and I’m amazed at how much we learned and what we were able to accomplish after only two days. Matt led the training (and my smaller group of 3 for the full climb on the second day) and was fantastic; gave us a ton of confidence and was super chill and great to work with. Tony and Bob were also great helpers. Can’t speak highly enough of this course and the entire team, I’ll certainly be back for more trips in the future!