Alpine Skills Training Courses

Learn the fundamentals of Alpine Mountaineering with the expert guidance of an IFMGA Mountain Guide…

Our Alpine Skills courses are suitable for first timers through to climbers wanting specific skills.

We offer a range of scheduled and private courses, including one day crevasse rescue courses, two day glacier skills and a three day course with a overnight trip to a hut.

During each course we focus on the fundamentals of Alpine climbing, and allow enough time to practice. It is important to be practiced and slick at these rather than getting distracted by more complicated skills to early.

Three day Alpine Fundamentals course

This exciting three day trip builds your confidence throughout the trip culminating in a classic alpine ascent after a night in a hut. Run at a maximum ratio of three climbers to one guide, there is plenty to practice and learn:

  • Crevasse rescue and snow anchors
  • Roping up for glacial travel
  • Alpine Rock climbing techniques
  • Belaying and basic anchor safety
  • Crampon and ice axe techniques
  • Using mountain huts
  • Route planning and guidebooks

 

 
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Pre-trip requirements

You will need a good base of hill walking fitness, capable of walking in hilly terrain with a medium weight rucksack for five to six hours. No rock climbing skill is required, your general fitness is much more important.

 

Alpine skills course itinerary:

Day 1

Crevasse rescue and acclimatisation. We meet in Chamonix at 8.00am on the first morning of the trip. After introductions and gear checks we get in the car and drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel into Italy, and use the Helbronner lift to get into the Mountains. Once here we get geared and roped up for a walk across the glacier and a suitable safe crevasse rescue spot. Now we spend a couple of hours practicing some basic crevasse rescue including snow anchors and pulley systems. We then head down the lift and back into Chamonix for the night.

Day 2

Rock climbing and Scrambling. In the morning we spend a couple of hours climbing at the local Chamonix crag, Les Gaillands. This is a great area to practice climbing in big mountain boots, an essential skill for mountaineering. There’s opportunity to practice some belaying and some basic rock climbing anchors. After that, we drive to the head of the valley to the small village of Le Tour where we catch a couple of lifts before beginning the two hour walk to the Albert Premier Refuge, where we spend the night.

Day 3

Alpine Mountaineering. Here’s where we put it into practice climbing one of the peaks above the Albert Premier refuge such as the Aiguille du Tour, Tete Blanche or Petit Fourche. What peak we climb depends on the group, weather and conditions which makes for a good discussion and learning opportunity the evening before. The ascent will typically take around four to five hours, with a break back at the hut on the way down before the walk back to the lift and down to Chamonix.

Two day Alpine glacial travel course

Our two day course focuses on the high alpine environment accessible by the lifts of Courmayeur and Chamonix. There is an emphasis on glacial travel and crevasse rescue and we often undertake a traverse of the Vallee Blanche where there is certainly some major crevasses!

Although we often do have a scramble on some rocky terrain during this course we don’t have the opportunity to develop alpine rock work as much. You should look at the three day course or book a private course instead.

  • Crevasse rescue and snow anchors
  • Roping up for glacial travel
  • Snow and ice anchors
  • Crampon and ice axe techniques
  • Route planning and guidebooks
ENQUIRE NOW

Pre-trip requirements

You will need a good base of hill walking fitness, capable of walking in hilly terrain with a medium weight rucksack for five to six hours. No rock climbing skill is required, your general fitness is much more important.

 

Alpine skills course itinerary:

Day 1

Crevasse rescue and acclimatisation. We meet in Chamonix at 8.00am on the first morning of the trip. After introductions and gear checks we get in the car and drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel into Italy, and use the SkyWay lift to get into the Mountains. Once here we get geared and roped up for a walk across the glacier and a suitable safe crevasse rescue spot. Now we practice some basic crevasse rescue including snow anchors and pulley systems. We then head down the lift and back into Chamonix for the night.

Day 2

Staying in France we use the Aiguille du Midi lift to climb on the opposite side if the valley to yesterday. There are some good training routes here such as the Laurence arete next to the Cosmiques refuge. This is an opportunity to practice some alpine style rope work and also some steep crampon work on the Aiguille du Midi arete itself.

 

Booking & Enquiry Process

• Browse the scheduled trips above and click View Details to check dates, guide ratios, and indicative pricing.

• Depending on the trip, you can enquire about your preferred dates (so we can confirm suitability and availability) or book online with a deposit (with the balance due six weeks before departure).

• Each participant reads our Terms & Conditions and completes a short medical form (sent by email).

• Once confirmed, final meeting details and logistics are sent out ten days before your trip.

Last-Minute Bookings & Custom Dates

Call us on +33 (0) 787371926 or send us an enquiry for last-minute availability or private guiding.

Please note that indicative prices shown are subject to change and are valid for bookings made at least one month in advance. Last-minute bookings may be subject to an additional charge depending on hut or lift availability.

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+33 (0) 787371926

We are open for enquires 7 days a week all year, we check and respond to emails once a day during the high season

email@verticalfrontiers.com
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