Insurance
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New Zealand Snow Safety Institute
7-Day Multi-Skill Mountaineering Course
7-Day Multi-Skill Mountaineering Course
Course Objectives
For several years the Snow Safety Institute has run a variety of courses at various levels in skills for alpine recreation. These courses have usually taken place over a weekend. Often participants have chosen to do more than one course in a season to develop their skills. We believe that putting together Winter Survival and Snowcaving, Avalanche Awareness, Risk Management, Ropes Knots and Anchors, Introduction and a more Advanced level of Alpine Climbing participants are offered the opportunity of a directed and sustained development of key skills.
The time scale also allows for more appropriate use of the prevailing conditions to best facilitate learning. For example there will be a far better chance for good cramponing conditions to develop good technique, and not be stuck with the impossible task on a given week end to learn about crampons in a foot of new snow.
The ability to develop an understanding of the vagaries of mountain weather living high in an alpine environment will be of real advantage, as will the opportunity to observe the development of the snow pack over a long period, something not possible in a weekend avalanche awareness course.
The development of climbing technique over different conditions and getting to know each other well is another great advantage. The course will as far as possible be tailored to the needs of participants beginning at their level and emphasising what they particularly want and need to learn.
This is a practical course aimed at developing skill – it is not guided climbing.
Course Content:
- Treading softly on the planet
- Self arrests with and without tools
- Appropriate selection and care of gear
- Travelling on snow and ice
- Kicking steps & Cutting steps
- Ice axe and crampon use
- Equipment selection & use of tools
- Security on steeper ground
- Navigation
- Building snow shelters
- Learning ropes, knots and belays
- Glacier travel
- Roping up for glacier, gully, ridge, and face climbing
- Bombproof anchors in various snow conditions
- Running belays
- Abseiling skills
- Glacier and ridge travel
- Weather, route selection, avalanche hazard
- Rescue procedures
- Methods for multiple anchors
- Abseiling past a knot
- Assisted hoists and Z-pulley raises
- Escaping the system
- Improvised self rescue
- Lowering a slightly injured person
- Snow profiles
- NZ weather patterns
- Avalanche hazards
- Risk Management in an alpine environment
- Transceiver use
- Avalanche search
- Route selection
You will need to bring:
- Suitable big backpack
- Waterproof and windproof trousers and jacket
- Plastic or Solid leather tramping boots (spare footwear, trainers etc for lodge.)
- Gaiters
- Layers of thermal clothing (polypropylene, Polar fleece, down or wool)
- Hat, gloves - more than one pair
- Goggles/glasses and suncream & lip salve
- Sleeping bag (suitable for sleeping in a snowcave)
- Thermarest or bivi mat
- Gas cooker shared by 2 people, plate, mug and cutlery for overnight expedition in a snow cave.
- Ice axe & crampons
- Personal first aid kit
- Torch, spare bulbs and batteries
- Notebook and pencil
- Drink bottle, personal toiletries, towel, and clothes, for use at the lodge.
- Transceiver, snow shovel & probe
- Map and compass
- Helmet
- Personal climbing gear - harness, rope, 4 screwgate karabiners,
4 snap link karabiners, 1 stake, 2 long slings, 1 very long sling,
1 short prussic, 1 long prussic, 1 belay device and any climbing gear that you may already have.
Desirable items to bring:
- Alpine Tent
- Snow saw
- Ice hammer
- Camera and film
- Bivi bag
Participants should be of reasonable fitness with some previous
alpine tramping/skiing experience. If you have some pre-existing
condition about which the instructor should be aware in an emergency,
it is your responsibility to communicate this. Information such
as this will be kept completely confidential.
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