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4000m Peak Climbing Course

"Learn how to climb independantly in the Alps and tackle your first 4000m peak. This course covers the same essential skills as our alpine intro course, but with a particular focus on climbing 4000m peaks. Climbing at a low 3:1 ratio allows us to tackle more technical terrain and further refine your skills for independant mountaineering in the future."
  
5 days
Introductory
3:1
Dates: 18 Jun - 07 Sept  
   
Price: £725
Fitness: 2
Experience: General UK mountain experience. Scrambling or rock climbing experience is also desirable if you want to progress onto more technical terrain.
Included: Guiding Fees and Expenses.
Other Costs: Accommodation, food, travel and uplift ~ £400
Book Online Here
 
Summary
The course covers all the skills needed to make successful ascents of alpine 4000m peaks.
Important areas covered include snow and ice skills, glacier travel, moving together, crevasse rescue, route choice and planning, navigation, weather and hazard evaluation.
Recent Trip Reports - Gran Paradiso, Alpine Intro Course
 
Course Base
We base ourselves for the week in the famous French resort of Chamonix, climbing in the Mont Blanc range and nearby in Italy and Switzerland during tne week.
 
Training Notes
Our accompaning booklet 'Alpine Introductory Course - Advice Notes' is available to download when you book on this course. This is a practical guide to getting started in alpine climbing, once you've completed the course.
 
Sample Itinerary
Subject to weather and conditions, we follow the general format below:
alpine mountaineering course itinerary
Day 0 - Sun PM, meet in Chamonix - discuss plans, sort equipment and overnight in valley.
Day 1 - Mon
Ecole de Glace. Essential snow and ice training, including crampon and ice axe skills and glacier travel - taught on the Mer de Glace above Chamonix.
Day 2 - Tue

Pointe Lachenal and traverse of the Vallee Blanche. Skills covered include: moving together on snow, glacier travel and alpine hazard awareness.

PM Crevasse Rescue session. Evening briefing looking at weather forecasts, alpine route planning etc for the climb on Wednesday. Overnight at the Torino Hut.

Day 3 - Wed

Traverse of Aiguilles Marbrees or Aiguille D'Entreves from the Torino Hut - choice of route dependant on the skill level of the group (see notes on alpine climbing grades). Areas covered include route choice, navigation and moving together on rock and mixed terrain.

Where appropriate, we encourage those who want to take the lead on the rope or climb independantly alongside the guide for sections of the day, in order to develop sound judgement and decision making skills in real alpine terrain - see alpine advice article.

PM take the Mont Blanc Panorama cable car back to Chamonix. Overnight in valley.
Possible Climbs
- gran paradiso
- pointe lachenal
- vallee blanche
- aig d'entreves
- aig marbrees
- la tresenta
- moiry summits
- aiguille du tour
- weissmies
Day 4 - Thu

AM skills session - prussicking, rock climbing, belaying etc. PM Drive across to Italy and walk up to the Vittoria Emanuele Hut.

Evening briefing - planning for the ascent of the Gran Paradiso.

Day 5 - Fri

Ascent of the Gran Paradiso via the classic west flank route. Descend to the valley and drive back to Chamonix.

Fri PM - course debrief and advice for the future.

Mont Blanc? - if you would like to Climb Mont Blanc after a weeks training, then check out our Mont Blanc Course.
alpine mountaineering course
 
Food and Accommodation
We run all of our courses on a guiding & instruction only basis. Food and accommodation must be paid for seperately. Our recommended accommodation in the Chamonix valley is Ice and Orange - Chalet Tissières, who we will happily put you in touch with if you'd like to reserve a room. You are however free to make other accommodation arrangements if you choose (for a full hotel service, Hotel Les Lanchers in Chamonix Les Praz is another good option - Chamonix has numerous other hotels and rental apartments available at a wide variety of prices - click on 'reservation' at the Chamonix website for more details).
 
Travel
Chamonix is easily reached by flights to Geneva and an airport transfer, both of which are bookable online.
 
Ability and Experience
You need good general fitness and experience in UK mountains (summer or winter). Some scrambling or rock climbing experience is also desirable if you want to progress onto more technical terrain. Alpine mountaineering requires good levels of fitness & stamina (see fitness level 2) so we advise you to prepare well in advance with days out in the UK hills, or other regular exercise.
 
Equipment
We will supply you with a full kit list. All communal safety equipment (ropes etc) is provided by us. You are expected to come equiped with personal clothing and climbing equipment. For the more technical items (ice axe, crampons, harness, helmet, boots etc) local equipment hire is also available.
 
     
 
 
 
         
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