Phone: 403 678 4164 - 1 866 678 4164
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Dates and Prices

Price

$1450 Canadian includes instruction, hut accommodation, Park Permits, out-trip meals, local transfer to trailhead and use of technical gear.

Not included: Canmore accommodation, boot rentals (if required), Gratuities & 5% GST.

Trip Cancellation Insurance is available through the Simpson Group.

Optional pre and post trip accommodation packages  are available from $80 per person per night for shared room lodging ($160 for single occupancy). Purchase with booking. Subject to availability.

Is it for you?

The peaks attempted on this course are of moderate difficulty, in fact it is often appropriate to allow students the lead. You will need to be fit and it is a 'hiking' fitness that you will need as you will be traveling several kilometers of glacier each day, often having to break trail in soft snow. Whilst we generally pre place food and equipment in Bow Hut you may still end up carrying 40lbs or more on the first day. Any training you can do in advance, particularly that involving hiking up steep terrain, will really enhance your enjoyment of this program. No prior mountaineering experience is needed.

Read a Trip Report from Summer 2009 on our Blog

Building Skills and Friendships on the Wapta - Abby Watkins

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Home >> Mountaineering >> Beginner Programs >> Women’s Intro to Mountaineering

Women’s Intro to Mountaineering

This beginner mountaineering course mirrors the curriculum of our Intro to Mountaineering program but is for women only and taught by Yam Guide Merrie-Beth Board. This fun week is ideal for adventurous women who prefer to learn skills and experience the mountains with other women. Like our other week long beginner courses, this program is based in Banff National Park on the Wapta Icefields.

This program is notorious for a being fun, relaxed and challenging week that is filled with laughter and achievement.

Course Agenda

Day 1: We meet at the Yamnuska Office in Canmore at 8:30am for introductions, a review of course goals and itinerary and an equipment check. After packing up, it's an hour and a half drive north to Bow Lake where we commence the hike to Bow Hut, which is located at 2350m on a shoulder adjacent to the snout of the Bow Glacier. This will take us between 3 and 5 hours. We travel 6km and climb 610m.

Day 2 - 5: The Bow Hut is our base for the week. Its proximity to the glacier and to several peaks makes it easy for us to get out on to suitable instruction terrain every day. It's a perfect area for instruction. We may spend nights in one of the other huts in the region. Peaks often climbed on the course include Mt. Olive (3110m.), Mt. St. Nicholas (2900m.), Mt. Gordon (3200m.), Mt. Thompson (3050m.), Mt. Balfour (3230m.) & Mt. Rhondda (3110m.)

Note: From Day 2 the course agenda and the amount of time spent on each subject will depend upon conditions in the program area, the weather, group and individual abilities and learning speeds.

Day 6: Final day. A last chance to review techniques before we hike back down to Bow Lake and return to Canmore in the late afternoon.

Curriculum

There is considerable flexibility built into the delivery of this course, no course is exactly the same. Snow and weather conditions will dictate the order of presentation to some degree given we are based on a glacier for the week. The course may also move over to other huts. Key topics will be constantly revisited during the program.

Topics include:

  • Snow School: - Movement on snow - Use of Ice Axe - Self Arrests - Snow Anchors
  • Ice School: - Walking with Crampons - Ice Anchors
  • Glacier Safety: - Glacier Morphology - Choosing a Safe Route - Rope Use for Glaciers - Crevasse Rescue
  • Navigation: - Map and Compass Use - Whiteout Procedures - Route Planning
  • Safe Movement: - Trail Techniques and Pacing - Use of Rope on Snow, Ice and Mixed Terrain
  • Accident and Emergency Procedures
  • CLIMBS!!! 'Introduction to Mountaineering' is a 'hands-on' course. Skills are explained, demonstrated in the field and then put into practice by participants during glacier crossings and peak ascents. Expect to be sharing the lead, solving route finding problems and fully involved in decision making.
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