Mountaineering school help
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I am looking to get into mountaineering and am looking for help finding the best "mountaineering school". I originally was looking into NOLS because i had almost taken a course a few years ago, but am worried that it will not be the best bang for my buck as well as not covering the as much of technical aspects. I have a solid background of backpacking, winter camping, and a bit of rock climbing, but otherwise am new to mountaineering. I am looking to gain a lot of knowledge quickly and have looked into courses with organizations like AMS. Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated. |
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You're going to get a lot of recommendations based on people's personal experience with those companies, as well as reputation. And there are many guiding/instruction companies out there. |
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arent most useful guiding schools in either the cascades or alaska? |
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If what you want to learn is strictly technical mountaineering skills, I would strongly recommend against NOLS. NOLS is an excellent organization (I am an alum myself), but their strength is in extended trips and solid expedition-style wilderness travel. If you want to learn how to, for example, safely travel on glaciers and do some basic alpine ice climbing, you can get those lessons MUCH more quickly, cheaply, and in greater depth through programs like American Alpine Institute (AAI). |
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Check out Alaska Mountain Guides and The International Wilderness Leadership School. They are about half of the price of NOLS. They offer 12 to 24 day mountaineering courses in Alaska, Pacific NW, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Nepal, Utah and elsewhere. Their courses are more geared towards guide training so they are heavy in technical skills. You can get college credit for any of their courses (either through your school, or through transfer credits). They also offer different types of mountaineering (ski mountaineering, heli ski mountaineering, backpacking...etc). Their courses can be tailored to fit your needs. |
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clay meier wrote:Check out Alaska Mountain Guides and The International Wilderness Leadership School. They are about half of the price of NOLS. They offer 12 to 24 day mountaineering courses in Alaska, Pacific NW, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Nepal, Utah and elsewhere. Their courses are more geared towards guide training so they are heavy in technical skills. You can get college credit for any of their courses (either through your school, or through transfer credits). They also offer different types of mountaineering (ski mountaineering, heli ski mountaineering, backpacking...etc). Their courses can be tailored to fit your needs. I will say that I am a bit biased because I work for this company. SO... take what I say with a grain of salt. But check them out anyway. Mention that Clay Meier sent you and get a discount (thats how much I want you to check them out haha). Best wishes on getting some training!Clay, That photo should help you get some business! Very impressive. |
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I would recommend AAI |
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I'm a NOLS mountaineering alum who would recommend strongly against NOLS if what you're after are the technical skills needed to get into alpine climbing. |
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I would consider alpine ascents if I were you. I took their 8 day mountaineering course in Alaska for $1500. They asked us on the first day what we were looking to get out of the course. Everyone other than me stated that they wanted to be a functional team member on future guided climbs. I made it very clear that I wanted to learn what I needed to lead my own climbs. They taught us a lot and answered any questions. I was given special attention and allowed to lead several portions of our climbs. I assisted in a actual crevasse rescue. It was a great experience. |
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seconded alpine ascent. Either rainier or alaska courses. |
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Like Clay, I'm definitely biased as well since I'm the founder of the school, but for what it's worth, you should definitely check out the School for International Expedition Training. Definitely the best bang for the buck and the school was created with folks like you in mind. You'll find that students on these courses start from a similar place (in terms of experience) so we get into advanced mountaineering skills fairly quickly. Check out the slide show on the website and decide for yourself: |
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+1 for SIET |
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voss wrote:I am looking to get into mountaineering and am looking for help finding the best "mountaineering school". I originally was looking into NOLS because i had almost taken a course a few years ago, but am worried that it will not be the best bang for my buck as well as not covering the as much of technical aspects. I have a solid background of backpacking, winter camping, and a bit of rock climbing, but otherwise am new to mountaineering. I am looking to gain a lot of knowledge quickly and have looked into courses with organizations like AMS. Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated.AMS! No question about it. |
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Dustin wrote: AMS! No question about it.I agree! I know the folks that run AMS pretty well (I live in Talkeetna currently) They have a super organization. I can also reccomend IWLS in Haines, Ak. Also known as AMG (Alaska Mountain Guides). They have a longer curriculum so you have more time to practice your skills than at AMS, and they will work with you if you let the know what you want to get out of the course. Good luck! |
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Hey! |
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Getting in to a mountaineering school is of course a brilliant idea to get a start. It can offer you a lot of basic ideas that can be used for your future. Even I also started with a backcountry skiing course in Alberta and that really changed my career. |
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Hi sorry to Hijack the thread but Im looking to do a mountaineering school in September as well. Has anyone had any recent experience with Alpine Ascents? |
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I did an IWLS mountaineering course in the north cascades (boston basin) in may after my freshman year of college. Because of bad weather we mostly sat in the white room for most of the 12 days, but that just made it a mini-expedition. |