MOUNTAINEERING IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES

HOME MOUNTAIN SKILLS SEMESTERS CANADIAN SEMESTERS CANADA - NEW ZEALAND SEMESTERS ONE MONTH SUMMER MOUNTAINEERING PROGRAM SEMESTER FAQS REQUEST INFO PACKAGE MOUNTAINEERING ROCK CLIMBING SKI MOUNTAINEERING, BACKCOUNTRY SKIING & HUT TO HUT TOURS ICE CLIMBING AVALANCHE COURSES HIKING IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES WILDERNESS FIRST AID GENERAL INFORMATION CONTACT

Mountaineering, Climbing, and Skiing In The Canadian Rockies

3 months of mountaineering & leadership training

Canada - New Zealand Semester

This is an absolutely unique program that gives unparalleled training in snow and ice mountaineering as well as in ski mountaineering, rock climbing and the other skills associated with the Mountain Skills and Outdoor Leadership Semester.

The concept is to do the winter training in Canada where the waterfall ice climbing and backcountry skiing is arguably the best in the world. In keeping with this theme we then transfer the group to New Zealand's Southern Alps where there are incredible opportunities for mountaineering training on high glaciated peaks.

This combination of superlatives has worked extremely well in the past and we encourage you to consider this as an accelerated path towards mountaineering excellence.

printer friendly version

Request an information package

Date & Price

2009: January 3 - April 3 ... $14,000 CDN, ( cancellation insurance $840)

• Minimum enrolment is 6 students, an amended program may be offered should enrolment be less.

• Tax Receipt issued for tuition costs.

• $100 refundable gear damage deposit required from all students.

Price includes:

• All accommodation.

• All meals except on days off in NZ.

• All transport.

• Instruction.

• Use of all technical gear.

• All group camping gear (tents, stoves etc).

• Park fees.

Price does not include:

• $420 Goods & Services Tax on Canadian portion.

• Air ticket to New Zealand

View cancellation insurance details

Currency Exchange Calculator

Program Objectives

These are the same as for our wholly Canadian programs; namely to develop all round competence to an advanced level across the spectrum of mountain skills with particular emphasis on snow and ice mountaineering. This will be in tandem with development of individual and group leadership skills. The New Zealand segment will further allow participants to learn about a different country and lifestyle and to deal with very different mountains.

On completion of the program you will be eligible for the "Yamnuska Mountain Skills Certificate", the "Avalanche Safety Training 2 Certificate" and the "Wilderness First Responder Certificate".

Course Location 

Canada

The winter component of the course is based in Canmore, Alberta in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains just minutes from Banff National Park which is just 120km west of Calgary, Alberta. Section locations vary according to conditions but we typically operate in Kananaskis Country, Banff National Park and west to Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park in the Selkirk Range in British Columbia.

New Zealand

The summer component is run in the Southern Alps of New Zealand from a base in the mountain town of Wanaka, just north of Queenstown in the Southern Lakes District. Sections also take place in Mount Aspiring and Westland National Parks. Operating the New Zealand portion of the program are Alpine Guides (Mt. Cook) Ltd. , New Zealand's oldest guiding company and mountain school. New Zealand Map

Return to Top

Sample Agenda

We use the term "sample agenda" because especially during the New Zealand section of the Semester we wish to maintain program flexibility to allow us to can adapt to the occasional unstable weather patterns experienced in the Southern Alps. Thus when it's bad in the high mountains it's often possible to rock climb in the rain shadow regions to the east of the peaks. Hence the order of activity outlined below may be changed at short notice.

Day 1: Welcome, introductions and dinner in Canmore.

Introduction to Back Country Skiing (Boarding)

During the ski/boarding sections we work with telemark, alpine touring gear and snowboards. We suggest you use Alpine Touring gear and not use telemark gear unless you are already an expert skier in powder and crud conditions (on alpine or telemark gear). Likewise only experienced riders should consider using a board and then it must be a "Split Board".

It is on this section that you will first learn the skills of outdoor living and traveling in winter. You will learn winter camping and shelter building skills, navigation, 'Leave No Trace' environmental ethics, the basics of avalanche terrain and snow pack assessment and review simple ski and board skills. 

Day 2: Ski Preparation day.
Check gear thoroughly, obtain gear if necessary, prepare for next sections.

Day 3: Ski familiarization.
At local ski hill practice and review ski skills, familiarization with ski touring gear.

Day 4: Backcountry Ski Tour (day trip)
A chance to try out ski gear and get any problems fixed, review basic backcountry techniques and begin on navigation and avalanche awareness field skills.

Day 5: Avalanche Awareness.
The sooner you start learning this the better for you'll be able to apply this knowledge throughout the rest of the program. Mainly in the Yamnuska classroom covering avalanche theory, route finding, stability assessment and rescue techniques.

Day 6 - 8: Backcountry Ski Tour
We spend three days backcountry in Banff National Park and begin to build up our winter camping experience in addition to more practice in terrain and travel skills.

Day 9: Day Off in Canmore.
A well-earned rest and the chance to do washing and to catch up on correspondence.

Ice Climbing & Mixed Climbing

Day 10 - 13: Ice Climbing Part 1.
Four days of training, starting with basic skills, near Canmore. We introduce movement skills on progressively steeper ice and start learning the rope safety techniques that we will apply throughout the program.

Day 14: Day Off in Canmore.

Day 15 - 19: Part 2, Advanced Ice Climbing.
For this section we relocate up the Banff /Jasper Parkway to some of Canada's most famous frozen waterfalls.  Continuing on from the first 4 days of training the pace is stepped up according to individual abilities. To allow for multi-pitch climbing the instructor ratio will drop as low as 1:2 at times.

Mixed Climbing is an integral part of the program featuring use of ice tools and crampons to climb rock that may be unclimbable by conventional means.

This last segment is based out of one of the nearby youth hostels.

Day 20: Day Off in Canmore.

Wilderness First Aid

Day 21 - 30: Wilderness First Responder.
This 80-hour professional level certification course is supplied by Wilderness Medical Associates, North America's leading supplier of wilderness first aid training. It includes extensive outdoor simulations and oxygen therapy. Those passing the exam are certified for three years. There will be a day's break during the program which is intended for course study.

Day 31: Day Off in Canmore.

Advanced Avalanche Safety,  Backcountry Skiing (Boarding)

Day 32: Prepare and plan for 5-day field trip.

Day 33 - 37: 5-day field trip.
This segment is more focused on avalanche awareness as we head into the steep and deep of the Rockies or the Purcell Mountains. We look at practical application of recognizing, evaluating and avoiding avalanche hazard. Integral to this component are route finding and track setting skills. This is not to mention the often fantastic powder skiing which accompanies this. At the end of this segment you will have completed the fieldwork necessary to qualify for the AST 2 Certificate. The group will either be camping or using snow shelters at higher elevations near treeline.

Day 38: Day Off in Canmore.

Glacier Ski Mountaineering

Culmination of the ski section is a 6-day glacier ski mountaineering trip to the Wapta Icefields. This  is where you begin on the high-altitude mountaineering skills common to both summer and winter. These include glacier travel and crevasse rescue as well as advanced navigation. High summits and long glacier descents in magnificent country, are happy by-products.

Day 39: Prepare and plan for field trip.

Day 40 - 45: Ski mountaineering training on  Wapta Icefields.

Semester group on Wapta Icefield

Day 46 - 47: Days off, pack for New Zealand.

Day 48: Depart for New Zealand. (In 2008 this will be February 19).

Day 49: Lost Crossing the Dateline!

Day 50: Arrive Christchurch, NZ.,
You will be met and welcomed by our partners. Stay overnight in Christchurch.

Day 51: Travel to Wanaka.

Wanaka, New Zealand

This small resort town, in the Southern Lakes region near Queenstown, is the perfect base for the NZ section of the program.

The 5-hour drive from Christchurch is a highlight in itself. The coastal plains surrounding Christchurch are followed by grassy foothills with occasional small towns then you cross Burkes Pass into the arid high plains of the 'Mackenzie Country' with its huge sheep 'stations'. If the weather is good you probably wont be looking at the plains so much as the huge glaciated peaks looming on the horizon ... Mount Cook and the Southern Alps! You'll be visiting these peaks later in the program. Continuing south you pass the giant lakes of this region then cross Lindis Pass into the headwaters of the Clutha River, to Central Otago with its dry rocky hills. On arrival you'll be wanting to head straight to the Lake for a swim followed by a welcome BBQ.

Advanced Mountain Hiking

Wanaka is immediately adjacent to spectacular Mount Aspiring National Park, named for the impressive white spire that dominates the region. It will be in this area or in the area of the Hopkins Valley to the north that you will first experience the Southern Alps. The objective of this trip will be to learn the travel skills required on mountain approaches in these very rugged and demanding mountains. This is not as simple as it sounds. Expect to encounter densely forested gorges, challenging river crossings and difficult route-finding. The skills learnt here transfer directly to mountaineering.

Day 52: Prepare and plan backpacking trip. This will enable us to leave first thing the next day.

Day 53 - 58: Advanced Backpacking Trip.

Hiking section, Canada - New Zealand Semester. P. Potvin

Day 59: Day Off.

Rock Climbing

Day 60 - 65: Rock Climbing.
We climb on Central Otago's unique schist rocks. Wanaka is surrounded by several good climbing areas for initial training which will be followed by a trip to Queenstown's famous Remarkable Mountains where there are longer routes to climb.

The rock climbing will be an intensive study in solid basic technique. Good rope skills will be emphasized - rescue, knots, lowering, rappel - in addition to full-on rock climbing.

Day 66 & 67: Rest Days.
You'll be getting tired by this point so we have scheduled in an extra rest day. If you have extra energy you can sample some of the other adventure activities available locally such as canyoning, bungy jumping and tandem paragliding.

Snow and Ice Mountaineering

Day 68 - 74: Glacier Mountaineering
NZ mountains are much more heavily glaciated than their Canadian Rockies counterparts and this makes them an ideal  place in which to learn and perfect alpine snow and ice mountaineering skills. This section will likely be run on the high glacier snowfields at the head of the Franz Joseph Glacier in Westland National Park. Due to the rugged and difficult terrain at the base of the glacier the group will fly by helicopter to a high alpine hut which will be their base for the section. All round competence to safely travel and climb on heavily glaciated peaks is the objective. All aspects of glacier mountaineering will be covered: movement on snow, ice and mixed terrain, use of ice axes and crampons, glacier travel and crevasse rescue, anchor building and rope use. You'll also climb some of the most beautiful peaks on Earth!

Semester mountaineering above Tasman Glacier. P. Potvin

Day 75: Day Off.

RESCUE SKILLS

Day 76 - 78: We will expand on the rope rescue techniques introduced on the rock climbing section and introduce you to more advanced techniques and to the skills needed to extract victims from remote settings and steep terrain.

Day 79: Day off

Day 80 - 88: Final Expedition.

Mounts Haast, Lendenfeld & Tasman above Fox Gl. Canada - New Zealand Semester

Where it all comes together! The group will, in nine days, show off skills acquired in the previous 80 days. All this in a truly magnificent wilderness venue, which will require fitness, thought, teamwork and all the 'tech' tricks too. This section can be held in one of many suitable locations in the Southern Alps. Past Semester groups have climbed in the Mount Aspiring area, Fiordland's Darran Mountains and near Mount Cook. At section end travel to Mount Cook where the Semester will wrap up with a program debrief and final banquet.

Day 89: Debrief & Final Banquet at Mount Cook.

Day 90: Semester ends at Mount Cook. Transport back to Christchurch can easily be arranged for you (not included in price). Most participants plan to stay longer in New Zealand.

Return to Top

 Instructors & Group Size 

Yamnuska is proud to work with many of the very best instructors and guides and the caliber of our staff differentiates us from our competition. In addition to being certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and by the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association our staff are top, often famous, climbers who themselves set the pace in the field of mountaineering. First-Aid Instructors also possess valued credentials in their fields.

Minimum group size is 6, maximum is 12. In Canada the average ratio is 1:6 with extra instructors joining the group for multi-pitch ice climbing days.

In New Zealand the ratio is often 1:4 due to the more demanding mountain terrain.

Return to Top

Climate 

Canmore and the Canadian Rockies have a continental or inland climate that can see great variation in temperature and weather. During this Semester we can experience temperatures as high as 10⁰C during a 'Chinook' and as low as -30⁰ should the 'Arctic Front' descend upon us. Snowfall amounts can vary greatly in the Rockies year to year depending upon 'El Nino' and other weather phenomena. Not far to the west, in areas such as Rogers Pass much great amounts of snow accumulate. Bottom line is to be prepared for both extremes.

By contrast NZ has a maritime climate and the mountains are very close to the sea. We go to NZ at the driest time of the summer and whilst our groups have encountered minimal amounts of bad weather, it is always a possibility. When you are caught in a mountain storm you will be surprised at its ferocity and intensity as high precipitation combine with very high winds. Sitting out a storm in a hut you will immediately understand why camping on the glaciers is not so popular. Conditions range from sunny, hot (high 20s Celsius) and dry, especially around Wanaka to sub-zero and moist during alpine storms on the glaciers. Again you need be prepared for both. Also expect very high UV levels in NZ and be religious in applying strong sun-block.

Return to Top

Travel and Transport  

Local Transportation

During the program all transportation is supplied. The group will have a minibus, which will be used to reach program areas.

Travel to New Zealand

Your destination in New Zealand is Christchurch. Return airfare to from Calgary to Christchurch, New Zealand is NOT INCLUDED in the course cost. Airfares will vary in price depending upon where you come from. If coming from outside North America we suggest you get a 'round the world' ticket with stops in Calgary, Canada and Christchurch, NZ. If coming from North America you will need a return ticket to NZ from Calgary, Canada. In association with our travel agents we are happy to organize flights for North Americans to NZ.

We will advise you all as to which flights we prefer you take from Calgary to NZ as it is best to get the entire group on the same flight. You can customize your return arrangements to allow for a longer stay in New Zealand.

Travel Documents

Canadian, US and EU citizens traveling on a valid passport, planning to stay less than three months do not require a visa. The same applies to Canada. If there is any reason why you may be denied admittance to Canada or NZ please check with both countries consulates beforehand.

Accommodation & Meals

During the Canadian segment the group will be based, between sections, at the Alpine Club of Canada Clubhouse. This comfortable hostel features bunk room sleeping areas plus communal living, cooking and washing facilities. It also has a coin operated Laundromat, a sauna and storage lockers where excess belongings can be left. It is located 3km from downtown Canmore.

When between sections in NZ you will be based in a hostel in Wanaka within walking distance of shops, restaurants and the lakefront.

When out on the various sections you will be staying in tents, mountain huts, remote hostels and maybe even snow shelters and rock "bivvies" ! All accommodation costs are included.

All food is supplied except on Days 46, 47, 48 & 49 and on 'Days Off' in NZ (many restaurants and cafes or you can buy and prepare your own). Since this program is about developing all-round mountain and outdoor skills you will be involved in menu planning, food packing for trips and meal preparation. The exception to this will be in Canmore, where on the first night back from a section a fully-prepared meal will be supplied.

Rock "bivvy" in NZ, 2002 Semester. P. Potvin

The food will be healthy and nutritious with an emphasis on simplicity. Do not expect a lavish menu but also do not expect to starve, you will eat well. Allowance will be made for vegetarian diets but we may not, particularly on the NZ segment be able to cater to more difficult diets.

Food in Canada will be largely North American in style whilst in NZ expect a slightly different flavor. Participants are expected to adapt to the local food, which is essentially little different from that in Canada save that many fruits will be in season.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are a regular vegetarian (no meat but dairy and eggs OK) and wish to remain so please let us know when you book. We can not cater to more specialized diets ('vegan', 'wheat free', 'no fat', etc..) If you follow such a diet, bring extra money to buy supplementary foods.

Course Breaks

This program, especially during the NZ section, is very demanding and it is important to have sufficient time off in which to relax and get ready for the following sections. Thus regular days off are scheduled throughout the program and they are often followed by less demanding preparation days.

Return to Top

Equipment and Clothing

All group camping and all technical gear is supplied with the exception of ski gear, rock shoes and climbing boots. Reasonably priced climbing boot rentals can be arranged during the course but you must let us know in advance if you require ski gear. You will need to bring your own outdoor clothing and footwear, backpack, sleeping bag and ski gear. Download Gear List

There are also several outdoor stores in the area from which you can buy gear and clothing during the Semester.

Return to Top

Cancellation, Travel and Health Insurance

Whilst in Canada and NZ you are covered for the cost of rescue. In NZ you are also covered for the medical and other costs associated with accidental injury. You will need basic illness coverage however. In Canada you will need insurance to cover you for those costs not covered by your existing health plan.

We strongly advise that you take Cancellation Coverage in case you are forced to cancel before or during the program due to personal injury or illness. This costs an extra $835 which must be taken on booking. See sample of policy.

We also strongly advise you to purchase cancellation insurance from your travel agent to cover the cost of your airfare should you be forced to cancel.

Booking Information

You can apply for this semester on line by using the button below.

We will also need you to confirm your booking by downloading the Semester Application Form, complete it after reading the conditions of registration and mail or fax to Yamnuska. Alternatively you can call to book by phone.

Along with all relevant receipts we will send you a full trip logistical kit (containing meeting times, a list of what to bring and info on how to get here) and a sample copy of our waiver (see sample waiver)  which we will ask you to sign when you meet us.

Following interim acceptance of your application you will also need to download the applicant questionnaire for you to fill in and our medical form which we will need your physician to complete. Return both by fax or mail.

• Click here for applicant questionnaire

• Click here for medical form

• Click here to see cancellation insurance policy.

Jason Wiech's website from 2006

SEMESTER FAQs

printer friendly version

Return to Top