Introduction to Alpine Climbing 2025 (Joe Preston, leader)

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Are you an experienced hiker and backpacker looking to climb some of the iconic mountains of the Pacific Northwest, like Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, or Mt. Hood? The Introduction to Alpine Climbing (IAC) class is great way to get the mountaineering skills needed to climb big snow covered peaks as a climbing team member, and get the basic skills for outdoor rocking climbing. This is a team-based class that strongly emphasizes experiential learning through its four field sessions. You will get a chance to learn and practice climbing skills in realistic terrain, and conditions. The field sessions provide practical exposure to rock and snow climbing skills, as well as team-based climbing skills, and has overall goals of developing your mountain-sense, decision-making skills, and teaching Leave No Trace principles. Some field sessions will include overnight camping, and may include an “alpine” (nighttime) start. Ultimately, you will learn the technical skills needed to climb snow-covered, glaciated, and rock peaks as a climb team member.

Activity Notes

Important Information:

Applications opens: Mar 12 at 9:00 a.m.
Applications closes: April 16 at 11:59 p.m.
Application review and acceptance results: April 23, 2025 by 6 p.m.

This course is led by Joe Preston, your primary point of contact.

Course Schedule:

Meet & Greet: Wed, May 7, 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. (optional)
Skills Session at MMC: Sat, May 17, 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. (required)
Adventure Hike: Sun, May 18, 6 a.m. - 7 p.m. (required)
Snow Field Sessions: Sat-Sun, May 31–June 1, two long days (required)
Rock Field Sessions: Sat-Sun, June 14–15, two long days (required)
Weather Backup Weekend: Sat-Sun, June 28–29, two long days (required)

Optional Course Extension (separate application):

Exclusively for IAC students, this two-day extension provides an overnight alpine snow camping experience in realistic snow-climbing terrain. Participants will refine essential alpine skills, including packing for extended climbs, nutrition planning, layering for variable conditions, and navigating pre-dawn starts. The session simulates the physical and logistical demands of alpine climbing, with a possible summit attempt (e.g., Mt. Adams), conditions permitting. This course has separate fitness prerequisites and requires a parallel application.

Tuition is $80 for IAC students—please review details when applying.

Alpine Experience Course Extension
Sat–Sun, July 12–13, two long days
https://mazamas.org/activity/instance/13309/

This field session requires additional fitness and outdoor experience, including the ability to complete a moderate hike of at least 3 miles with 2,800 feet of elevation gain in under 3 hours, while carrying a pack that weighs at least 30 pounds or 25% of your body weight (whichever is greater), up to a maximum of 45 pounds. Participants should also be comfortable with high alpine exposure, including Class 4 or 5 terrain where there may be hundreds of feet of exposure. If you are considering this extension, please review the full details and prerequisites carefully for the Alpine Experience Course Extension — including how to submit a GPX track to verify your fitness.

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$ 550 .00 for Mazama members

$ 620 .00 for non-Mazama members

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Introduction to Alpine Climbing 2025 (Joe Preston, leader)

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