Basic Mountaineering Course
 

So i just took a leap and blew $400 on a mountaineering course. It's through a national organization here in the states called The Mountaineers. I start in January and graduate in Fall 2009. It covers glacier hikes, crevasse crossing, backcountry medicine, rock climbing, navigation and more. i'll be in classes for the rest of winter and part of spring. Then i'll be going on alot of crazy guided hikes here in the Pacific Northwest in order to obtain my certification. the next class after this is to learn how to lead hikes on glaciated mountains. i'm definitely not ready for that class, but i'm working towards it. i want to hike Mt. Rainier here in washington which is pretty intense.

thought i'd share the info and post about the process for people interested in similar endeavors. i'm already weight-training and running everyday. i want to walk into that place and hold my own with the boys. :boxing: wish me luck!!

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...orian/cake.jpg

Wow, sounds intense! Good going for you Beth. I'm sure you'll be great at it. :)

awesome! That's one of my goals too....must climb a relatively significant mountain (for me...this doesnt have to be everest!) before I die. Sounds like fun!!

thats cool beth, what is The Mountaineers? are they like the american version of the BMC (British mountaineering Council)? sounds like a fairly intensive course. i've found it always helps to go out there and do it yourself outside of the courses as well, to help consolidate your skills and that.

keep us updated on how it goes

Wow, way to go Beth ! That is taking your passion to another level ! :thumbup: I have faith in you, I don't think you need us wishing you luck. Can't wait to hear from your classes !

Also, thanks for sharing the link. :)

might be the same roz. it's an organization that anyone can join and pay dues. then you can meet up with people for hikes, or take classes like the one i am taking. they also put time and energy into conservation and preservation efforts. they are a big name in the states among backcountry enthusiasts.

thanks for the well wishing and i'll keep y'all posted, though it may be a couple months still i have anything to post. just excited i guess. :p

Sounds right up your alley Beth! Congrats on taking a leap of faith and going after something you love.

By the way, that pic of you on the mountain....your body looks HOT! Have you been working out!!??;)

sounds cool! $400 seems pretty cheap for a class that is going to stretch about 9 months! And I agree with brooke that pic of you is Hawt! :) In the future are you leaning towards guiding?

^dude, i totally wouldn't mind hiking and getting paid for it. shiii-it. :)

but, i still have a long ways to go. i hike alot and being out here in the pacific northwest opens up alot of experienced hikes and hikers to me. we'll see i guess. can't put all my eggs in one basket. i'm still trying to finish up my degree. (one more year!:stoked: ) and then i'll try to avoid a nine to five for as long as possible.

oh and, thanks for the compliment girls.:wub:

Now that's what I'm talking about!! Good on you for jumping right in there! I'm very interested to hear how it goes and see some photos of your adventures. $400 seems very bloody cheap, lucky bugger.

Very very true, you really find out just how much you've learned when you have to do it all by yourself. Also, knowing that you are going to be doing it on your own certainly provides you with some extra motivation to pay attention in class :)

^good advice. i'll keep it in mind once i start the course.

which i was accepted for just last week!! :stoked: you have to apply to get in and not everyone makes it. the two guys that signed up for the course with me got wait-listed and i was accepted. kind of made me feel hardcore since these guys do a fair amount of climbing.:wub:

session starts after i get back from my trip to new york and new mexico in january.

**oh, and the class is this cheap b/c you are expected to have to buy ALOT of gear. it's going to be a nice chunk of change once january rolls around. but it's all gear i have been wanting to purchase anyhow. just have to pony up now.

That's very nice of them to take into consideration the amount of gear you will have to buy. And I guess they assume that if you take the basic course and buy all the gear then you're going to eventually want to take more advanced courses through them as well. But, they are the first company that I've heard of that does this, most places still charge a fortune regardless of whether or not you need to buy gear. Good find mate!

And congratulations on being accepted!

holy crap, i just received my gear list for the course. it's like pages long. :o i don't even know what half of it means. hopefully it will make more sense after the first class. talked to the instructor and he said there are 5 women in our class of 12, so that makes me feel pretty good. and 2 of the 7 guys are friends of mine. i'm nervous and excited. my next quarter is going to be insane with going to school full time, working 30 hours a week and climbing on the weekends. :cool: this is what it's all about though, right? what better way to so spend a single life than blowing all your time on everything you can possibly dream up. ;) i'm excited.:D

Sounds great!

I just read the description in your first post...you get all that for $400??? Or is that just the first payment? It sounds like a pretty long program...

yeah, just $400, and you have to join the mountaineers, which is $68 with student discount. Most of your money is spent buying gear, which is why i think they keep the price pretty low. yeah, all in all, a pretty good deal.:)

Amen!

Ok, just to give you an idea of how bloody excellent your $400 course fee is, I'm doing a 5 day ice climbing course right now and it is costing me $1000! Plus, I had to buy around $1000 worth of clothing to do it. And that's just for 5 days! You should be very happy with your $400 course fee.

^looks like you should be in seattle mate. ;)

yea, i thought that it was alot of money at first b/c, really, what isn't when you make $900 a month, but i'm really starting to get an idea for what a great deal i have gotten here. i just can't wait to dig in and start learning some new stuff. and the getting into the mountains every other weekend will be excellent.:)

what gear do you need? unfortunatley its an expensive sport.

i just did my first winter route on sunday, a 14 hour day, with 12 1/2 hours on the hill and 9 1/2 hours on the face itself, 5, 50 metre pitches, hopefully the condition of the snow pack will continue to improve later in the week.
we've got what looks like the best winter for 4 years here in the Lakes so you have to take advantage.

" Let not get a living be thy trade, but thy sport. Enjoy the land, but own it not."

^ the list is uber long. they said to look at spending about $2000 on gear. :mellow:

so i had my first class today. it was eight hours long! we learned basic knots: double fisherman, few different figure-8 knots, few different bowline knots, munter ect. i also learned about how to tie off my climbing partner and release myself from a line if my partner hurts themself and i need to go for help. i learned alot more about gear as well and went and blew $400 today for mountaineering boots, a harness, helmet, carbiners, prusiks, runners and gloves. i did pretty good for how much that gear usually costs. gotta love REI basement. :)

the people in my class are great. smart, fun and not cocky. and there is an equal amount of men and women if you don't count the instructors. all and all, a great first class. :D i can't wait til our field trip to a crevasse on mount rainier in a couple months. :D

that's so awesome! Reminds me of my old colorado crew!