Alaska Mountaineering Course
Alaska is a truly special wilderness: remote, extreme, and beautiful. On the Alaska Mountaineering Course, you will to learn to climb self-sufficiently and understand the techniques and skills required for pursuing your goals in the mountains.
Journal, 6:15 AM, Day 3: We’re finally ready to leave basecamp, and I can’t wait. We’ve spent the last few days getting ready to go: checking gear, packing food (and you never realize how much food you’ll need for 6 weeks. It was unreal, really.), and staring a few classes like navigation and avalanche safety. By this time tomorrow, I’ll be on the Matanuska Glacier, climbing my way up to one of the largest icefields in North America. Hell yes!
We believe strongly that the best way to learn is by doing, and doing it a lot. With close training and support from the Alaska Mountaineering Course instructors, you’ll plan the days, lead the group across snow covered glaciers, be the leader on a summit push, and help the group to accomplish its goals. You will be a leader.
Journal, 11:02 PM, Day 7: Maybe this whole leader thing wasn’t quite as easy as I thought. The morning briefing went well, and I managed to get the group out of camp on time. We headed over to the snow school slope, and Cecelia, our lead instructor, ran a class on self arrest and how to climb a steep snow slope using your ice axe. It was really cool, and great fun, sliding down and using the axe as a brake. I hope I don’t have to do it in real life, though…In the afternoon, I was in charge of leading the team up Shakespeare Peak, which was less smooth. Going up was ok; we scrambled up the east ridge and my incredible (yeah, right) navigation skills got us to the summit at about 4 PM. We decided to test our new-found snow travel skills on the way down, but I managed to get us lost along the way. Lucky it’s light until about midnight….
Each expedition has a strong exploratory component; we are creating our own route, not following in someone else’s footsteps. Together with your instructors, you will undergo journey of continual discovery that can only come from taking an untravelled path. There will be days of triumph and days of disappointment, but you can be sure that every day will be an adventure.
Journal, 8:22 PM, Day 12: Our third day across the glacier has been amazing. We ascended on to the upper Matanuska Glacier today, and, wow, I’ve never been in such incredible terrain before. We’re literally surrounded by unclimbed peaks, huge icefalls, the most amazing sky I’ve ever seen. We spent the day pulling sleds across the glacier and finally arrived at our camp at about 6 in the afternoon. We probed out camp on the glacier (it’s embarrassing to pitch your tent on top of a hidden crevasse), and hucked into digging snow walls. We just got our tent up, and, after a quick dinner (thank you for the backcountry pizza, Sarah!) I’m off to sleep. Another day of moving tomorrow.
 
On the Alaska Mountaineering Course, you will be fully involved in the frequent discussions about route selection, risk management, and goal setting. This intense involvement in all aspects of the trip means that your learning is deeper and more full, so you can translate these skills into your own adventures later on.
Journal, 4:55 PM, Day 28: Today we knocked off Finland Peak! Amazing. I got to co-lead with Cecelia, which was an amazing experience. She helped me figure out where to build the anchors and supervised me the whole way, but I got to do the anchor building and belaying of my partners. I learned more today than I thought I’d learn on the whole trip. It was so cool on top; you could see to the ocean. Tomorrow, we’re going to try Denmark Peak. Off to sleep early.
No previous mountaineering experience is necessary for the Alaska Mountaineering Course, only a willingness to learn and desire for adventure and challenge. We start at the beginning, teaching you the basic day to day skills of mountain life: moving with a heavy backpack, selecting and securing a campsite, and staying warm and dry in inclement weather. As the course progresses, you will take an increasingly active role in the running of the expedition, ultimately having the opportunity to develop your leadership skills by taking on the role of group leader, supported fully by your instructors.
Journal, 4:17 AM Day 39: It’s out last day on the ice today, before descending in to the Nelchina valley and heading back to basecamp. I can’t believe how quickly the six weeks have gone or how much we’ve managed to accomplish. We completed our traverse from the Matanuska to the Nelchina glaciers, and managed to climb 6 peaks along the way. You’d think, after 6 weeks without a shower, without a phone call, and without a steak, that I’d be ready to go back to civilization, but, really, I’m not. I could stay out here forever, if they’d only let me. What an experience…
What makes this course so special is not just what you learn, but where you learn it: the most amazing classroom in the world. Alaska has a magical reputation and deservedly so. It is a place of breathtaking beauty and incredible remoteness. The Alaska Mountaineering Course is a rich and rewarding experience. We will go to places few other people go, see things few other people see and face challenges you might once have thought you were not capable of.
Challenge Yourself.