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Complete Mountaineering Course This is an intensive 7 days of mountaineering instruction in the Canadian
Rockies. Your guide will teach you the climbing skills necessary to
go mountaineering on your own. The course is based from a comfortable lodge
surrounded by the highest peaks in Banff National Park. Skills covered
include:
Dates: July 18- 24, Aug 15- 21, Aug 22- 28. Price: $1470 Canadian + GST. $500 deposit to book. Includes: Instruction and guiding, lodge accommodation, dinner and breakfast, transportation from Golden, use of technical equipment. Does Not Include Transportation to Golden, accommodation in Golden before or after the course, lunches and snacks, cancellation or rescue insurance. Meeting Place: Golden, BC. Instructors are certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. The maximum group size is 5 Accommodation during the course is at Icefall Lodge. This is a
comfortable lodge complete with wood stove, indoor pee toilet, sauna and shower.
Rooms are double occupancy with duvets and pillow supplied. For more details see
Lodge. Access to Icefall Lodge involves a 1.5 hour drive and a 3 hour hike. As the lodge is outside of the National Park, there is optional helicopter access from Golden, which will get you to the lodge in 20 minutes. Enquire for prices. Location Icefall Lodge is located in the Canadian Rockies about 60 km north of Golden and Lake Louise, just to the west of Banff National Park. The peaks range from 9500- 11500 ft and offer a perfect range of difficulty for learning and practicing mountaineering skills. There are over 20 separate glaciers, with the largest spanning over 20 square km. Several rocky cliffs near the lodge offer convenient locations to practice rock climbing. Course Agenda Day 1: Meet in Golden at 8:30, go over gear and drive to the trailhead. It is a 4 km hike with 2500 ft elevation gain to reach the lodge. In addition to your personal gear, you may be required to carry some of the food up to the lodge. Day 2-6: These days will be spent learning skills and practicing them on the surrounding peaks. Longer days with peak accents will be alternated with more skill orientated days close to the lodge. The emphasis is to get you in a leadership role, practicing and applying the skills you have learned. Peaks that can be climbed include Mt La Clytte(2,900m, 9,500 feet), Mt Kemmel (3,150m, 10,300 ft), Lens Peak(3,170m, 10,400 ft), Lyell 5( 3,390m, 11,122 ft) and Icefall Peak(3,200m, 10,500 ft). The exact itinerary will vary with weather, conditions, and the group. Day 7: A final morning of skills review, then hike out to Icefall Brook and drive back to Golden. Fitness and Experience This course is designed for those with no previous mountaineering experience. Participants should be fit hikers. Training before the course will help you get the most out of it. Hiking on steep trails is good training. There are many peaks of varying difficult and length to choose from on this course. Your guide will choose the objective according to the ability of the group. You will learn the techniques for traveling on rock, ice, and snow. Clothing Clothing is best done in light layers to allow you to
easily according to temperature and exertion. Pack synthetic or wool clothing
and avoid cotton, as it has very little warmth when wet. Your guide will
go through your clothing and equipment before the start of the course. It
is important to keep your pack light, as you will have to carry it up to the
lodge.
Gear
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Technical Gear The following gear will be supplied. If you have
your own, please bring it as you will be more comfortable climbing on your own
equipment.
