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Detailed Description PDF »Equipment List PDF »
The 12-day mountaineering course is AMS' flagship that sets the industry standard for remote wilderness climbing expeditions. Twelve days is the perfect amount of time to cover a full curriculum, which can be broken down into skill categories: climbing, camping, traveling, avalanche, first aid/rescue, expeditionary, and environmental. This course is designed for the serious beginner mountaineering student. No better learning experience exists than spending an extended amount of time in the mountains with professional climbing instructors. Throughout the course, participants learn by doing. Towards the end of the course, students are leading rope teams and making educated decisions on route finding. Graduates from this course have gone on to pursue climbing in their local area and all over the world; they continue to write us about how positive their AMS experience was. AMS takes the responsibility of introducing people to the world of mountain climbing very seriously, and this course is an accurate reflection of our mission.
Deposit: $500 (Balance Due: 60 days prior to the starting date.)
Group Limit: 9 students, 3 Instructors
Tuition Includes: Instruction, glacier flight, food and fuel, group camping equipment, group climbing equipment, camping at AMS in Talkeetna.
You are responsible for: Transportation to and from Talkeetna, lodging in Talkeetna, National Park Service Entrance Fee ($10), travelers' cancellation insurance, personal equipment and clothing.
AMS mountaineering courses are self-reliant expeditions that travel in a remote location in Denali National Park & Preserve. Once the plane drops off the group, if weather becomes unflyable, evacuation to modern medical facilities may take several days. Throughout the expedition, students learn to enjoy living in a glaciated mountain environment, prepare awesome meals, care for themselves and each other, and climb "harder-than-they-look" Alaskan mountains. AMS course format emphasizes hands-on learning and the application of new skills in a variety of terrain. AMS courses model climbing and camping techniques that prepare students to pursue mountaineering in the most severe environments.
Denali National Park and Preserve is home to America's biggest and wildest mountains. Two days prior to the start date, your instructors select their first choice glacier for the course. The decision is based on snow conditions and the best peaks to climb at the given time. There are many excellent locations in DNP&P--some first explored by AMS--so finding a suitable location to fulfill course goals is not difficult. Each course area, with its variety of terrain, beauty, and isolation are challenging and demand respect. Climbing routes are chosen to fit the progression, gradually increasing in difficulty. Expect to be on snow and ice for the duration. Weather is extremely variable, and changes without warning. Expect sun, wind, snow, even rain, and expect them all on the same day.
The goal of this course is to develop the skills and judgment necessary to pursue mountaineering in a remote glaciated environment. We must prepare students to return to the Alaska Range without instructors and repeat what they accomplished during the course. Subsequently, instructors have an extensive class list and carefully organized course progression to fulfill this goal. The transference of skills leads to the transference of responsibility, enabling student to lead rope teams and make route finding decisions by the end of the end of the course. Instructors will work directly with you individually during the course, and you will receive written evaluations at the end of the course.
AMS provides all of the food for this course. Your instructors spend a day packing rations at AMS's food room. We believe that cooking nutritious meals you'd eat at home is an important part of expedition life. Looking forward to breakfast is a good start to any day; and looking forward to dinner helps you get through it. While there will be plenty of food, we recommend that you bring one pound of your favorite trail food, like deep fried bugs, as insurance that you have something you really like to eat.
Each course is unique due to variables such as course area, participants, and environmental conditions. Working within these variables, our goal is for each student to accomplish the following objectives.
AMS teaches mountaineering skills that promote the health and safety of all expedition members. Each graduate is expected to:
Students are exposed to techniques of outdoor leadership, teamwork, and expedition behavior. Each graduate is expected to:
An important part of every course is to maintain minimum-impact techniques into our expedition strategy. Each graduate is expected to:
AMS courses learn and practice minimum-impact backcountry skills that are safe for the individual and environment. Each graduate is expected to:
Learning the skills to become a safe and competent climber is the primary goal of AMS mountaineering courses. Each graduate is expected to:
This is an example of a 12-day course; activities vary depending on course location, weather, and snow conditions.
Day 1 Activities: Meet with your instructors 9 am at AMS in Talkeetna, muffins/tea/coffee provided, course orientation, individual gear check, lunch at AMS, register with NPS, climb fixed lines, final pack up and dress for the mountains, fly, build camp. Classes in Talkeetna: harnesses, basic knots, fixed line ascension, what to wear and how to pack for the plane; classes on glacier: scene safety, hygiene and sanitation, campsite selection, probing, perimeter camping, shovel use and care, tent platforms and walls, group outdoor kitchen, food id, stove use, basic cooking, evening class on "bomb proofing" camp, sleeping warm.
Day 2 Activities: Group breakfast, set up kitchen megamids, climbing ground school, basic crevasse fall scenarios, glacier tour/scout tomorrow's crevasse. Classes: Rope id and care, climbing protection, anchors, belaying, roping up for glacier travel, self-arrest with ski poles, crevasse fall scenarios, transferring the load to an anchor, snow shoeing, glacier travel techniques; evening discussion: altitude-related injuries, what to bring in a day pack, weather observations.
Day 3 Activities: Rope up and head to crevasse for the day, probe out and establish crevasse rescue training area, build anchors, lower and raise each other out of crevasse, ascend climbing rope out of crevasse, student-led rope teams. Classes: Lowering, tying off, transferring the load, raising systems, what to do with pack and sled; evening discussion on avalanche mechanics & classification, weather observations.
Day 4 Activities: Break down camp, pack sleds, travel to new location and build camp, prepare for peak ascent. Classes: Packing packs and sleds, caching, roping up with sleds, navigation & route finding, transceiver searches; evening discussion on cold injuries, weather observations.
Day 5 Activities: Summit day. Classes: Snow climbing techniques, running protection/belays, crampon use, snow stability tests, route finding; evening discussion on expedition behavior and leadership.
Day 6 Activities: Ice climbing, rappelling. Classes: Choosing a climb, setting up top ropes, moderate and steep ice climbing techniques, placing screws and threads, mock leads, rappelling ground school; evening discussion mid-course check-in, goals and expectations.
Day 7 Activities: Break down camp and move to snow shelter camp, student led rope teams, simulated crevasse fall. Classes: Snow shelters; evening discussion on difficulty ratings, climbing style, climbing history.
Day 8 Activities: Summit day, more challenging than first peak ascent. Classes: Geology, weather; evening discussion on snow shelter maintenance, emergency procedures.
Day 9 Activities: Move camp to rock climbing area. Classes: Rock climbing techniques-face and crack, placing rock protection, mock leads; evening discussion on altitude related illnesses.
Day 10 Activities: Summit day; route objective based on success of previous peak ascents, more student involvement in decision making and snow pack evaluation.
Day 11 Activities: Pack up and move back to landing zone, establish camp, student leaders of the day, write evaluations. Classes: Traveling in a white out, map and compass; evening discussion on wilderness ethics, land management issues.
Day 12 Activities: Prepare airstrip, fly out, return to AMS, return rental equipment, clean and organize group gear, exchange evaluations, group dinner at a local restaurant.