Mountaineering Courses

[aheidt]

Hello - I'm about halfway through the 14ers and looking to start Class 3s next year and eventually Class 4s. Any recommendations on mountaineering courses to take that would help me prepare and improve my climbing skills?

[alpinenut]

For the money Colorado Mountain Club has the best education programs. Check it out. Plus you'll be contributing to one the best organizations in the State and Country in terms of supporting Outdoor Access for all. BTW, I'm just a long time member, not an employee or volunteer for the Club.

[edmdais1]

For the money Colorado Mountain Club has the best education programs. Check it out. Plus you'll be contributing to one the best organizations in the State and Country in terms of supporting Outdoor Access for all. BTW, I'm just a long time member, not an employee or volunteer for the Club.

I second this. The CMC has great schools for all levels.

[Ryan P]

For the money Colorado Mountain Club has the best education programs. Check it out. Plus you'll be contributing to one the best organizations in the State and Country in terms of supporting Outdoor Access for all. BTW, I'm just a long time member, not an employee or volunteer for the Club.

Thirded. CMC Instructors are particularly good at getting you out of your comfort zone, which IMO really makes the lesson "stick" in your repertoire.

[daway8]

At the risk of creating drama, I'll point out that if all you're doing is 14ers by their standard routes, there's very little actual "climbing" involved in the sense of scaling up a wall with ropes kind of thing (some people get all worked up about "hiking" vs "climbing" - I'm not even going to bother with rehashing that old debate beyond the extremely broad generalization I just made...)

But signing up at a local climbing gym and getting a little time on the wall can do wonders for building confidence with class 3 and 4 routes. That's what I did when I was in a similar position as you.

Certainly not knocking CMC classes - that's perfectly fine and a great way to grow skills for 14ers and beyond. My only point is it's probably overkill for 14er standard routes. However if you like the idea, have the time and money and want the extra confidence then go for it!

[aheidt]

Appreciate the responses. Definitely will stick to the standard routes. I'm more so looking to be prepared for the type of scrambling, hand/foot positioning, and route finding I'll need for Class 3s and 4s. The majority of the 14ers I've done so far have been solo but I want to find partners / people to go with for the more technical peaks. But in order to get to that point, I want to ensure I have the skills needed on my side.

[dwoodward13]

If you are looking for CMC classes, Alpine Scrambling School (ASC) is probably the most applicable for what you are looking for. I will say as both a CMC student and volunteer, the quality of instruction can vary. All of the instructors are volunteers, which lends itself to different levels of experience even if the course topics are standardized. I've had good experiences in courses I've taken, but I've known others with different instructors that didn't have nearly as high quality instruction as I did, so take that for what you will. ASC is one of the most popular courses, so make sure to sign up right when it opens.

I'm also kind of with Daway that the 14ers list is in itself a good built in progression moving from the easier class 3s (Wetternhorn, Kelso, Sawtooth) to the rest of the list as well as supplementing some time in a bouldering or climbing gym. The gatherings are great places to meet other hikers that might have more experience to learn from as well.

Certainly nothing wrong with taking a class if you feel that would be your best way to learn though!

[alpinenut]

At the risk of creating drama, I'll point out that if all you're doing is 14ers by their standard routes, there's very little actual "climbing" involved in the sense of scaling up a wall with ropes kind of thing (some people get all worked up about "hiking" vs "climbing" - I'm not even going to bother with rehashing that old debate beyond the extremely broad generalization I just made...)

But signing up at a local climbing gym and getting a little time on the wall can do wonders for building confidence with class 3 and 4 routes. That's what I did when I was in a similar position as you.

Certainly not knocking CMC classes - that's perfectly fine and a great way to grow skills for 14ers and beyond. My only point is it's probably overkill for 14er standard routes. However if you like the idea, have the time and money and want the extra confidence then go for it!

The ASC and BMS curriculums are about much more than just climbing on a wall. They cover trip planning, 10 essentials, route finding, navigation, basic scrambling, rock climbing technique, snow climbing and much more. All of these are useful skills to bring to the process of planning and executing everyday 14er routes of all degrees of difficulty.

Yes if you go through all 54 or 58 standard routes you will learn many of these skills through trial and error. For me, taking BMS (Basic Mountaineering School) early in my 14er journey was extremely helpful for jump starting that journey safely.

[daway8]

^ Cool, that's good to know!

[nyker]

Appreciate the responses. Definitely will stick to the standard routes. I'm more so looking to be prepared for the type of scrambling, hand/foot positioning, and route finding I'll need for Class 3s and 4s. The majority of the 14ers I've done so far have been solo but I want to find partners / people to go with for the more technical peaks. But in order to get to that point, I want to ensure I have the skills needed on my side.

You don't mention where you are based, but nonetheless, if you are contemplating doing any other more prominent peaks in the US, those popular mountains (think of Rainier, Hood, Whitney, Teton, etc.) have their own local guiding outfits, that will give you some instruction as a prerequisite to preparing for a specific peak, so something else to think about on your mountaineering journey. Sierra Mountaineering and others also offers snow travel courses and short courses in conjunction with climbs I understand also. If you ski many also offer ski mountaineering trips.

Prior to doing anything Class 3 or above and before I did any major snow climbs, I did a couple trips to the Gunks nearby to gain some comfort with exposure and also did snow travel 101 courses and basic snow climb technique coursework, together which really boosted what I felt comfortable doing before I did any such routes by myself.

[Ericsheffey]

I'll offer a different point of view, and say that I think CMC courses historically have utilized underqualified instructors, progression through the classes is slow, and you would get way more for your money paying for instruction from professional guiding services or an independent AMGA/IFMGA guide (something like this: https://coloradomountainschool.com/cour ... aineering/ or hiring a private guide to get a day tailered to your interests and goals)

I also lost a ton of trust in the CMC after a series of incidents culminating in the conviction of a CMC exec a few years ago due to sex crimes committed at the CMC/American Mountaineering Center, and not nearly enough of a response from the organization before or after the news broke. Be careful who you give your money to... - https://www.westword.com/news/colorado- ... e-14063286

[pvnisher]

Years ago I had some specific goals in mind.
Alpine ice, light mixed, but not just ice or rock for their own sake, more like "I want to climb X mountain and I will need Y specific skill to do so."

I got some books and basically memorized them, practiced in my yard, and then hired a guide with the goal of climbing a smaller but smaller objective with that person and doing mini lessons asking the way.
It was great.