Take your climbing to new heights. Learn the fundamental skills needed to take on more committing alpine climbs and mountaineering routes in big mountains. Over the course of this 3 day program we will start with the skills already learned through cragging, sport climbing, and multi-pitch trad climbing and expand those skillsets into a more adaptable toolbox that will give you the confidence and competence to deal with the dynamic environment of alpine rock climbs.

Occassionally on multi-pitch rock climbs, and more frequently in alpine terrain, finding a solid anchor requires positioning yourself out of view from your partner (for example after a vertical pitch, the climber must scramble over low angle/ledgy terrain to the next section of good rock). Here is a go-to method for extending your belay position back from the anchor in order to better communicate with your partner.

Aside from the figure-8 tie in, clove hitches and munter hitches are the most useful knots for climbing and mountaineering. Learn how to build these hitches directly onto the anchor using one or two hands in a way that quickly becomes etched into muscle memory. A little bit of practice will make these movements nearly automatic, freeing up your attention to keep the rope moving up the mountain!

This is the default set up that I teach for rappeling. In this context, we are geared up for ski mountaineering. When alpine climbing or multi-pitch rock climbing the exact gear you choose to bring might vary. The overall concept is the same… using a single piece of material to create both a tether (for attaching to the anchor) and an extension for your device off of your harness. Using a small sewn prusik loop, an auto block hitch is attached directly the harness to back up your rappel (ie ‘third hand). If you descend too far and need to climb back up, it is simple to convert your device into plaquette mode by clipping the eye back to your belay loop.