So as I've been educating myself about mountaineering through books, magazines, websites, etc, I've come to realize there's a lot to know! Duh right? And the more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know. I suppose that's the way it is with any new subject that someone attempts to learn though. Thinking about this dilemma I finally decided that it would be in my best interest to expand my knowledge and gain some much needed hands on experience. So I decided to sign up for a beginner mountaineering course.
Although the West Face of Shasta which I will be doing for my Summit for Someone climb is not a super technical climb it will require some skills. Shasta Mountain Guides, the guide service that I will be climbing with for my Summit for Someone climb at the end of June would definitely have provided me the instruction I needed to get to the summit and down with them safely. However, by taking a course I feel that I will end up with the knowledge and skills to go up other more technical mountains as part of a team in the future.
With that being said, my next decision was who to learn from? After much research and thought I finally decided to go with American Alpine Institute (AAI). Specifically their Alpinism 1 - Introduction to Mountaineering course. AAI has been around for 40 years and is highly respected for their climbing courses and guiding services. They had the right course for the right price at the right time, so I pulled the trigger and signed up for their May 15th session which will take place around Bellingham, WA. The course that I am taking has a focus on the following skills: - Selection and use of personal equipment
- Selection and use of ropes, knots, and harnesses
- Selection and use of rock, snow, and ice anchors for belays and intermediate protection
- Belaying techniques on rock, snow, and ice
- Free climbing techniques on low and high angle rock, snow, and ice
- Principles of glacier travel and route finding
- Self-arrest; rappelling, and prusiking
- The concept and application of the self-belay
- Individual and team crevasse rescue techniques
Wow! That's a lot of stuff right? Like what the heck is prusiking? Well the class takes place over six days in the northern Cascades where I will find that out. There is plenty of snow and ice up there which makes it a perfect place to learn. The really cool part is that on the last day of the course if the weather is good we get to make a summit attempt on Mt. Baker, the third highest mountain in WA.
This brings me to my next hurdle. Along with signing up for the course, AAI sends you a list of "required equipment". Now as of the start of this whole Summit for Someone venture back in December of 2015 I had absolutely no mountaineering gear. I had a few odds and ends from hiking, and some winter clothing laying around, but nothing very substantial. It turns out mountaineering gear is expensive! Who knew? Good thing I drove dog sled tours all winter. So after months of research and with the deadline of my course coming up on May 15th I have started purchasing some of the essential equipment that I am going to need. I have worked quite a bit with Nomad Ventures in California and they have been awesome with sharing all of their knowledge with me. Thanks guys! I still have a few things to pick up, and when I have my complete set of equipment I will make sure to let all of you know what I have decided on in another blog post.
Until then thanks for reading and I hope you continue to follow along. And remember I'm still raising money for Big City Mountaineers with my climb of Mt. Shasta at the end of June. You can donate through the widget on the right side of my blog by clicking the Donate Now button. Or if you are viewing the mobile version of my blog then you can go to my Crowdrise Page and donate from there. I'm 24% of the way to my goal of $3,600. Less than two months left! We are getting there! Thanks to everyone who has already donated. It means a lot to me and to the kids who it will benefit.
Until next time,
"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves."
-Sir Edmund Hillary
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