Foundation — Level 1
For people who are relatively new to alpine mountaineering & Climbing and want to build a solid foundation of skills.
Foundation introduces the core skills needed to move safely and confidently through alpine terrain. The emphasis is not simply on learning individual techniques, but on understanding when and why we use them.
During the week we work with skills such as movement on rock, snow and glaciers, crampon and ice-axe technique, basic rope work, scrambling and climbing, abseiling, route planning and mountain safety.
The aim is to give you a broad toolbox of mountaineering and Climbing skills that you can continue to develop through your own mountain adventures.
Best suited to: People with good general mountain fitness who are new to technical alpine mountaineering, or who have some experience but want to build a stronger foundation.
Progression — Level 2
For mountaineers and climbers who already have some experience and want to tackle more technical and challenging mountain terrain.
Progression builds on your existing skills and starts bringing them together in more demanding mountain situations.
We develop efficient rope work in ascent and descent, belays on rock, snow and ice, scrambling and climbing, glacier travel and rescue, movement on steeper snow and ice, abseiling, route planning and risk assessment.
There is greater emphasis on making your own decisions. Rather than simply being shown what to do, you’ll increasingly be involved in deciding how we approach the mountain and why.
The objective is to make your existing toolbox bigger, but also to become better at choosing the right tool for the situation.
Best suited to: People with previous mountaineering experience, including those who have completed our Foundation course or have gained equivalent experience elsewhere.
Advanced — Level 3
For experienced mountaineers and climbers who want to become more efficient, capable and independent in serious alpine terrain.
Advanced is less about collecting new techniques and more about bringing everything together.
We work on efficient movement through complex terrain, advanced rope work, climbing and moving together, glacier travel and rescue, snow, ice and mixed terrain, self-rescue, route planning and balancing speed with safety.
Where conditions and the group allow, the course can include longer and more committing mountain days and challenging alpine objectives.
At this level, you should increasingly be taking part in the planning and decision-making. We’ll discuss what worked, what didn’t and what we might do differently next time.
The aim is not simply to follow an instructor up harder mountains. It is to develop the judgement, efficiency and confidence needed to undertake bigger objectives yourself.
Best suited to: Experienced mountaineers and climbers with a solid technical skill base and good mountain fitness who want to push their abilities further.
Not sure which level you are?
That’s completely normal — and you don’t need to decide on your own.
I speak with everyone before they join an Alpine Dragons course. We’ll talk about your previous experience, fitness, what you’ve done in the mountains and what you’d like to achieve.
This also gives us a chance to get to know each other and helps me put together small groups of people with compatible experience and expectations.
Sometimes I’ll suggest a different level from the one you initially had in mind. The important thing is finding the course that will give you the best experience and the greatest opportunity to develop.
Get in touch and let’s talk about what would suit you.
Combine it with other courses
This is a self-sufficient course. However, it can be combined as part of our alpine mentoring program.
Difficulty
Endurance
Equipment list:
Upon registration we will send you a complete equipment list.
Boots: You will need your own mountaineering boots that can take crampons. If in doubt send us a picture of your boots so we can give the thumbs up. Boots_summer
In the rucksack: As a general guide the following is recommended In the rucksack
Mountaineering equipment (All this can be borrowed from us): Equipment to courses
Accommodation
The Mountain Cottage is include in the price.
Flights, train and getting there
From the Oslo Gardermoen Airport, you can take the “flytoget” which is an express train to Oslo central station. From there it is a short walk to the bus station. You can take the Valdres Express bus or VY-Buss From Oslo central to Fagernes Skysstasjon which is about 20min from my house. The bus is comfortable, has free wifi and takes about 3 hours. I like taking the bus to Oslo as I can look out the window and see all the waterfalls and dream about ice climbing 🙂
Nearly all participants on previous courses have travelled by the above method, and they have described it as straightforward and easy.
Equipment hire
If you need to rent equipment, that is no problem, just let us known in advance. You will receive a list of required items upon booking.
A typical week — Foundation
Every course is slightly different. The weather, mountain conditions and the experience and progress of the group all influence what we do and when we do it. However, a typical Foundation week might look something like this:
Day 1 — Snow & winter skills
We start by getting to know each other before heading onto the snow. We’ll look at moving safely and efficiently with and without crampons, using an ice axe correctly and what to do if you slip or fall.
We’ll also introduce snow anchors: how to build and assess them, and how they can be used for belays, safeguarding ascents and descents, and rescue situations.
Day 2 — Rock climbing & rope skills
A day introducing the fundamentals of climbing and rope work. We’ll look at harnesses, tying in, belaying and handling the rope safely and efficiently.
We’ll introduce traditional climbing equipment such as nuts and cams, basic climbing movement and the routines that help a group work safely together.
We’ll also look at techniques useful in the mountains, including direct and body belays, the Munter hitch, safeguarding descents and extended abseiling.
And, of course, we’ll get some climbing done!
Day 3 — Mountain journey
Time to start putting everything together.
We’ll aim to climb a suitable mountain, ideally involving a mixture of alpine terrain such as snow, glacier travel, scrambling and easy climbing.
Along the way we’ll look at route choice, navigation, decision-making and how to move efficiently through changing terrain.
This will normally be our longest day of the week — approximately 8–9 hours in the mountains.
Day 4 — Multi-pitch climbing
Back onto the rock, this time developing the skills needed for longer mountain routes.
We’ll look at multi-pitch climbing, building and organising belays, managing ropes and looking after both yourself and your climbing partner while moving through a route.
We’ll also look more closely at descending safely, including how to find, assess and test existing abseil anchors in the mountains.
Day 5 — Rescue skills & climbing
Our final day gives us an opportunity to explore some of the techniques used when things don’t go quite according to plan.
Depending on conditions and the needs of the group, we may spend the day on a glacier looking at crevasse rescue, or at a climbing crag introducing self-rescue techniques.
We’ll also try to fit in some more climbing and consolidate skills from throughout the week.
The week is flexible
This isn’t a rigid timetable. Mountains don’t work like that.
Weather and conditions may mean we change the order of the days, spend longer developing a particular skill or take advantage of good conditions for a mountain journey.
The important thing is that by the end of the week you’ve not simply practised a collection of techniques — you’ve begun learning how and when to use them in the mountains.
