Intermediate Alpine Climbing Program

The Tacoma Mountaineers Intermediate Climbing Course will teach the skills, leadership, and confidence needed to climb thousands of routes in the Cascades and other mountain ranges around the world! To join the intermediate course, you must first register and complete a short survey of your climbing history and goals (which will be made available during registration). In addition, you will need to pass both a skills test and conditioner, which take place January 23^rd & 24^th, 2016. Once your survey and registration are completed, an information packet will be sent with additional information about the course.

Join the Tacoma Mountaineers Intermediate Climbing Course to learn skills for use on thousands of routes in the Cascades, Sierras, Tetons, Canadian Rockies and other ranges around the world. Tacoma Intermediate Climbing expands on skills learned in the Basic Climbing course, which generally means leading up to 5.7 rock, ascending 55 degree snow and ice, and easier mixed climbing. The course focus is on alpine climbing and all-around rock, ice, and snow technique rather than on developing a high level of specific technical skill. Furthermore, there is a strong emphasis on safety, leadership and club involvement.

Students begin the course with practice and review of snow skills which includes anchors, belays, and emergency shelters. The course then transitions to rock techniques with instruction on leading on rock, placing passive protection, building and equalizing anchors, swinging leads and performing self-rescues. Finally, students will learn various snow and ice skills including placing ice screws, creating other ice anchors, German and French technique, and introduces ice climbing.

Additional course requirements include successful completion of Level 1 AIARE Avalanche Training and the Leadership Seminar, maintaining First-Aid and Navigation certification, and completion of an additional conservation or trail maintenance project.