More AltitudeSM

Students Per Instructor: 1 or 2
Course Length: 2 Days (approx. 8 hours per day)
Seasons Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall
Alpine Mastery Method: Rock Mastery - Level II
Prerequisites: Gaining Altitude or A Week On the Rock I, or comparable experience

Course Summary: Building on lessons presented earlier in Level II, this course adds essential multi-pitch rock climbing skills to your repertoire. After acquiring these skills, you should feel comfortable following experienced leaders on multi-pitch climbs.

Reservations

Course Description:
Designed to follow Gaining Altitude or A Week On The Rock I, this course is devoted to reinforcing your movement and rope-handling skills in a multi-pitch setting. In addition to challenging your climbing abilities, we'll teach you methods for efficient multiple rappels and some of the rope-handling skills needed to cope with special multi-pitch climbing circumstances, such as escaping from a loaded belay.

This course also includes comprehensive treatment of belay theory and application. Far beyond the basics of how to belay, this information will help you understand how the forces of climbing falls are generated, and how belaying systems and techniques can be employed to deal with them. We explain the basic mechanical physics that governs climbing falls and immediately apply this knowledge in the controlled seting of our indoor climbing wall. You will practice catching your instructor's falls with a variety of belay techniques and devices. In this manner you can observe real-world differences and similarities in belay methods. Solid belaying skills are absolutely essential if you wish to become a competent and safe climber and far too many climbers never acquire them.

We'll wrap up the course with our Following Skills Evaluation; an opportunity for you and your instructor to review your learning progress.

If your goal is to move on to our Level III offerings, this course will complete your collection of requisite skills.

Suggested Reading: Mountaineering: The Freedom Of The Hills, The Mountaineers, 7th Edition, 2003. Parts 1, 2 & 3.