About Us
The finest collection of true alpine climbs
While the Canadian Rockies are not as tall as the Alps, Andes, or even Saint Elias in the Yukon, many of the mountains are highly technical and remain test pieces for some of the world’s best alpinists.
This course begins at the Columbia Icefields, the largest mass of glacial ice in the Canadian Rockies. The complex and fragile alpine environment features some of the finest snow and ice climbing routes in the world. Learn how to properly build anchors, rappel on snow, and use ice axes.
During the next three days, you’ll practice on Mt. Athabasca, a staggering yet accessible 11,000 foot peak.
Its standard face features glacier travel and moderately angled snow slopes, making it a well-matched challenge for your first alpine climb.
After the ascent, head 78 miles south to Lake Louise for a comprehensive review of rock climbing.
You’ll test and expand your technical skillset on some of the best protected, moderate grade, trad routes in Canada.
Who is this course for?
To make the most of this course, you should have a good level of endurance, an aptitude for rock climbing, and some scrambling experience. This course offers 6 days of training and climbing and has been carefully designed to develop your existing skills, as well as teach you new techniques crucial for exploring the mountains safely and independently.
Start your journey off on non-committing terrain and progress to steeper rock faces and glaciated areas. Once you have mastered the basics of this course, climbs such as Mt. Assiniboine, East Ridge of Mt. Temple, or Mt. Robson should be within your abilities.
To continue honing your skills on larger objectives, consider Aconcagua, Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, and even Denali, for a step up in skill development and difficulty. While most of these don’t require advanced abilities, they require a depth of knowledge and skills covered by this course.
