Denali (McKinley) Mountain Guide Course
At AMS, we have over 30 years of guiding on Denali (Mt. McKinley). This course is a culmination of that experience and will teach the essential skills for guiding unsupported, high altitude mountaineering expeditions.
This course is for experienced climbers seeking to meet the eligibility criteria for being a guide on a Denali expedition. The course will cover technical, medical, and expedition management skills in addition to leadership, communication, teaching, and problem solving skills. This course recognizes the role of assessment and is staffed with AMS’ most experienced instructors.
Schedule
April 22-29, 2026
What's Included
- Professional instructors, roundtrip glacier flight
- All food during your course and team lunch at AMS HQ on day 1
- All group camping and climbing equipment: ropes, tents, pickets, technical climbing gear, snow saws, wands
- Sled for each student, pre-rigged for roped glacier travel for use during the climb
- Snow kitchen equipment: kitchen tents, cooking stoves, utensils, and fuel
- Mountain communications: emergency use satellite phone, FRS on-mountain radios, Delorme In-Reach
- Maps, GPS
- Medical protocols, first aid, medication and repair kits
- Fully equipped staging area at AMS HQ and AMS Mountain Gear Shop in Talkeetna
- 24/7 support from staff at AMS in Talkeetna during your climb
- Regular social media updates during your climb
- Pre-course assistance with travel planning and training advice
- Post-course lodging and shuttle logistics
- Luggage storage and free parking during your course
- Camping at AMS HQ campground (tents are not provided)
- Welcome-back table with fresh foods and drinks after your course
- Knowledgeable staff to assist with lodging and shuttle logistics
The 8-day mountaineering course’s day-to-day is a sample itinerary of how the course will progress.
Day 1
8:00 am: Meet at AMS for course orientation and overview of the day. Check equipment and issue gear. Pack lunches. Calculate weights. This is a busy day, so please be on time.
12:00 pm: Lunch provided at AMS.
1:00 pm: Fixed line ascension at AMS. Classes on harness, knots, carabiners, helmets
4:00 pm: Load van. 3-minute drive to the airport. Organize loads for fixed-wing flights.
4:30 pm: Fly onto the glacier. Reorganize loads for glacier travel. After a snowshoe-use orientation, rope up and travel a short distance and establish camp: probe and wand the perimeter, build walls, make sleeping platforms, set up group kitchen, and establish the bathroom.
6:00 pm: Make dinner; students learn camp cooking. Classes: Site selection, tent spacing, shovel and snow saw use, wall building, tent pitching, hygiene and sanitation, group kitchen basics, stove use and care, cooking basics, storm proofing the camp, staying warm at night. Evening discussion: Course goals and expectations, establishing a tone, DNP&P history and regulations.
Day 2
Basic climbing skills: More knots, rope identification and care, rope handling and coiling, snow protection and anchor systems, and belaying. Roping up for glacier travel, rope travel techniques, crevasse fall scenarios, transferring a load, mechanical advantage, use of ice axe, and self-arrest. Head out of camp for glacier travel. Evening discussion: Teaching techniques to empower clients and your fellow guides, quizzing, building a shared mental model, and normalizing learning error.
Day 3
Group ropes up and establishes a safe area for crevasse rescue practice. Lowering and hauling systems. Evening discussion: Setting behavior and performance boundaries, sending a client down, daily feedback patterns
Day 4
Break down camp and move up glacier 4 miles. Set up camp. Evening discussion: altitude-related and cold injuries, treatment, and prevention, pulse oximetry, and medications.
Day 5
Break down camp and move up glacier 4 miles. Set up camp. Evening discussion: Selecting appropriate climbing objectives.
Day 6
Summit Attempt Day, Kahiltna Dome, 12,525 feet Route finding on a ridge with crevasses, headwalls, utilizing running belays.
Day 7
Return to Basecamp. Student-led rope teams.
Day 8
Fly back to Talkeetna. De-issue gear, discuss gear maintenance issues, and debrief course.
Prerequisites:
This is an advanced course and requires each participant to have prior climbing experience. 3 years roped rock and ice climbing and be familiar with building anchors, snow and ice climbing, self arrest.. Participants must have Avalanche 1 training. Each person must read the Illustrated Guide to Crevasse Rescue, which will be sent to you upon enrollment.
Fitness:
Mountaineering in Alaska is more like a marathon than a sprint. You live in a physically demanding remote environment that changes from hot to cold throughout the day. Be prepared for all day outings carrying 35-40lb backpacks while pulling a 60lb sled.
“The East Ridge of Kahiltna Dome is an excellent training climb in preparation for Denali’s West Buttress route. In many ways the Kahiltna Dome climb mirrors a Denali climb: it is outfitted the same, flies to the same landing strip, and shares the lower portion of the West Buttress route.”
—Colby Coombs
