Compressed Alpine Scrambling Course

What is Alpine Scrambling?
Alpine Scrambling bridges the gap between trail hiking and technical climbing. It involves unroped travel across snow and rock terrain, sometimes with moderate exposure, but does not include roped climbing. It’s perfect for hikers looking to expand their skills and comfort zones without committing to technical climbing. With countless peaks in the Cascades and Olympics accessible via scramble routes, graduates often find scrambling a lifelong pursuit or a stepping stone to roped alpine climbing.

Why Choose CASC?
The Compressed Alpine Scrambling Course (CASC) offers an immersive learning experience over a three-day weekend. Workshops are held at the Seattle Program Center, with field trips based at The Mountaineers Stevens Pass Lodge, where students stay for two nights. This format is ideal for those with limited time and includes:

• Rock Travel: Techniques for safely moving off-trail across rocky terrain.
• Snow Travel: Using ice axes and crampons to navigate snowfields.

The course concludes with the Seattle Alpine Scrambling Experience Field Trip in June. Each CASC session is limited to 20 students to ensure a low student-to-instructor ratio. View photos of past scrambles to see the places you’ll explore!

Course Formats:
The Seattle Branch offers three options, all covering the same curriculum with similar student-to-instructor ratios:

1. Compressed Alpine Scrambling Course (CASC, this course): Workshops and field trips condensed into one three-day weekend.
2. Regular Course: Runs February to June, with multiple dates for workshops and field trips.
3. Pod-Based Course: Small groups (“pods”) work closely with consistent instructors, fostering a personalized experience.

Other branches, including Everett, Tacoma, Foothills, and Olympia, also offer Scrambling programs, each with its own schedule. Equivalency options are available for experienced scramblers.

Physical Conditioning Requirements:
Scrambling is physically demanding. You should be able to ascend 2,000 feet off-trail with a weighted pack on consecutive days. As a benchmark, you should be able to ascend the Mt. Si trail (not the summit rock) in under 2 hours with a pack weighing at least 20 lbs (15% of body weight, max 30 lbs). Field trips also include activities like self-arrest.

CASC TIMELINE
Course instruction consists primarily of workshops that introduce skills and field trips that allow the students to refine those skills. Due to the 20-person class size, the CASC dates are limited. Unless indicated, each of these activities is required.

Before CASC Weekend

• Student registration for all scrambling classes opens: Dec 1, 2024.
  Cancellation before Feb 15, 2025: Refund less $10. No Refunds after Feb 15.
• Workshop-1, Course Introduction and Gear Expo: Overview of what scrambling is, setting course expectations, and a gear expo where instructors show and tell. April 9th, 2025
  
• Workshop-2, (optional), Gear Discount Evening: We host a Gear Discount Evening and Boot Week, typically at Ascent Outdoors in Interbay, where instructors and sales folks are available to help you choose the right gear at a discount! [approx. April 16 or 17]
• Field Trip-1, Conditioner Hike: Introduction to skills and a strenuous hike to gauge conditioning level. [Saturday April 26th, Tiger Mountain]

CASC Weekend (Fri, May 2 through Sun, May 4, 2024)

• Workshop-2, Rock Travel: At the Seattle Program Center, a world-class facility for teaching outdoor skills, the students will be introduced to techniques for off-trail movement on a variety of rock surfaces. The topics will include friction climbing, and protected downclimb (emergency descent method). [May 2, SPC]
• Workshop-3, Dry-Land (dress for mud and dirt) Snow Travel: Snow travel safety, ice axe introduction, walking in balance, ice axe arrest practice. We will finish the Snow Travel Workshop by mid-afternoon. The teaching venue will then move to The Mountaineers Stevens Pass Lodge where the Students will spend Friday and Saturday nights. Lodge cost, including three meals, is included. [May 2, SPC]
• Field Trip-2, Rock Travel: Moving on rock, protected down climb practice. [May 3, Icicle Creek Road near Leavenworth]
• Field Trip-3, Snow Travel: Students will learn how to move safely through a snow environment, walking in balance, using crampons, ice axe self-belay, ice axe self-arrest, and winter navigation on real snow. [May 4, Stevens Pass Ski Area]

After CASC Weekend

• Experience Field Trip-4: Putting it all together and final evaluation. Demonstrate all skills learned in the course on a trip, including both snow and rock travel to a summit. [Choice of Sat, Jun 7, 2025, or Sun, Jun 8, 2025]

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

To earn the Scrambling badge, students must attend all of the CASC workshops and field trips, and must also complete:

• Five Badges! To complete the Scramble Course and be awarded its badge, the following five badges must be earned as prerequisites:

1. Basic Navigation Badge. Complete the Off-Trail Wilderness Navigation course before June 7th, the date of the Experience Field Trip. This is a separate course with its own fees and scheduling. Register for it as soon as possible!
2. Wilderness First Aid Badge. Complete the Wilderness First Aid course. This is a separate course with its own fees and scheduling. Register for it as soon as possible! You may also take an equivalent 16-hour Wilderness First Aid course outside of the Mountaineers, but you must work with the Mountaineers to get the equivalency and the badge on your profile.
3. Stewardship Badge. Complete a full day/8 hour  Stewardship event(s). The Mountaineers is a volunteer organization and we strive to create a community that gives back to our shared world.
4. Low-Impact Recreation Badge. Complete the online Low Impact Recreation quiz.
5. Avalanche Awareness Badge. Complete an Avalanche Awareness seminar.

• Freedom! Purchase Mountaineering, The Freedom of the Hills, 10th Ed. (2024) and read the assigned 188 pages of complex material as detailed in the Student Scrambling Handbook. This is not a book to skim – the ideas and concepts presented are vital to your success and safety. This is a considerable amount of reading. 
• Handbook. Download and read the Student Scrambling Handbook. The answers to 99% of your questions are there.
• Summits. Complete 3 successful Mountaineers sponsored scrambles: 1 rock, 1 snow, 1 other (different from course field trips).

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT

In addition to the course fees, scrambling requires a substantial amount of gear. In addition to general outdoor gear (outdoor clothing, rain gear, backpack, Mountaineers Ten Essentials™, etc.), a few pieces of technical gear are required. Here are the rough prices to buy these items new, but note that each of these can be purchased at our Gear Discount Evening and Boot Week for 20% off:

• Mountaineering, The Freedom of the Hills, 10th Ed. (2024): $40-$50.
• Mountaineering scrambling boots: $300-$400.
• Ice Axe: $75-$125.
• Climbing helmet at $60-$150.
• Crampons at $140-$200. We recommend you borrow or rent these for the course. They are required at the snow workshop, snow field trip, and Experience Field Trip.  We have a limited number of crampons available for you to borrow.

The majority of the first workshop is dedicated to gear, we encourage you to wait until after the gear workshop to make purchases. Much of this gear can be bought used if you know what to look for. Consider renting or borrowing.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

The Mountaineers strives to serve everyone, regardless of ability to pay. We are committed to providing access to outdoor recreation, education, and conservation opportunities for all members and youth in the communities we serve. More information on financial assistance is available here: https://www.mountaineers.org/membership/scholarship-financial-assistance.