Advanced Mountaineering Day School Itinerary

We begin the day at 8:00 a.m. sharp with a meeting and introductions at our Ashford location. Any rental needs are taken care of at this time, no need to reserve in advance.

Once preparations are complete, we will head up to Paradise where we begin our hike to the training location. This hike usually takes about an hour and a half to reach the lower Nisqually Glacier. Once at the edge of the glacier, we will rope up and continue to the training site. In early season, other training areas may be selected closer to Paradise to conserve time and utilize the best available terrain. The group will work on "French technique" (flat footed) cramponing skills, belayed climbing and use of ice tools on steeper terrain. We will take a short break for lunch during which we discuss anchors, belays and other rope management skills. After lunch we will complete our training with practice setting anchor systems, rappelling, lowering from fixed anchors and descending steeper terrain.

At end of day, we climb back up off the glacier, then continue down to Paradise and then back to IMG HQ in Ashford. Typical return time is 5:00pm.