Alpine Skills Week

Not sure which program is best for you? Take a look at our Course Progression Map.

The Course:

Have you ever dreamt of climbing the high peaks in and around Banff, Lake Louise and the Columbia icefields? There are so many classic Rockies high points with a variety of routes to choose from, but the complexity may be overwhelming. The Banff Alpine Skills week is designed to take you from being a hiker and scrambler to a confident alpinist. Armed with these skills, you can explore further and higher than you may have ever imagined!

The Alpine Skills week will cover many facets of alpine climbing with a safe, organized and easy to understand approach. The group will spend time on both rock and snow & ice terrain to round out the skill set.

The course typically begins at the Columbia icefields, where both snow & ice climbing and crevasse rescue skills will be taught, followed by a summit attempt of Mt Athabasca. After the snow & ice portion, the group will then head to Lake Louise for a comprehensive rock school. This includes instruction at both single pitch and alpine rock venues, and skills taught will be adapted to the group's ability.

Accommodations will be at the Hilda hostel or Icefields campground, Lake Louise hostel and the Castle mountain hut if needed. Cost of accommodations are not included in price.

Skills taught

• Pre-trip planning, Route selection, Navigation, Leadership
• Crevasse Rescue & Glacier travel
• Snow & Ice
  • Anchors - V-threads, Ice screws, T-slots, Snow pickets
  • Rappelling
  • Using crampons and ice axe
• Rock
  • Anchors - using bolts and traditional gear
  • Lead climbing - on bolts and traditional gear
  • Multi-pitch climbing skills
  • Moving on Alpine rock terrain

A detailed course package will be emailed 3 days prior to course commencement.

If you have an exceptional experience and would like to leave a tip for your guide, 10-15% is a customary amount. You can pay with cash or contact the AAA office directly to arrange.

• Please read and review our waiver prior to booking.
• Cancellation Insurance is available through the Simpson Group
• All of our guides have undergone training and evaluation by the ACMG, meeting the established criteria of a globally acknowledged professional organization.