Mountaineering Mastery Method

The Mountaineering Mastery Method is our own unique methodology for teaching non-technical (no ropes) and semi-technical (infrequent rope usage) mountaineering. Employing structured experiential learning, it offers an efficient learning path hikers and climbers can follow from their first day in the mountains to scrambles in the world’s great ranges. 

The Mountain Mastery Method was designed to help you learn how to wisely explore mountains throughout the world. This teaching methodology is intended to help you gain the skills required to become independent, so you will not need to engage a more experienced partner every time you go to the mountains.

To accomplish this goal, instruction is aimed at helping you acquire the skills required to reach specific “achievement milestones”. This approach to incremental skills acquisition allows you to learn as quickly as your talent, motivation and schedule will permit.

Our Mountain Mastery Method does not employ the system of ability levels used to help structure our other climbing and skiing programs. This is because, beyond the basics, summer mountaineering evolves into Rock Climbing and winter mountaineering evolves into Ice Climbing or Backcountry Skiing.

If you wish to take the technical aspects of mountaineering beyond the basics, we offer many programs to help you do this. If your aspirations include technical alpine climbing or high-altitude climbing, you will need to acquire skills taught in our rock and ice climbing programs. 

To learn more about the rationale behind our teaching methodologies please go to our Facilitating Effective Education page.

Mountaineering – Summer Courses
This instruction is designed to help you become a competent off-trail hiker and scrambler. If you choose our overnight course, instruction will also include techniques required for efficient, environmentally-aware backpacking. We begin by teaching you what you need to carry to be prepared, and why you need to carry it, whether you’re going for a day or a week. We also introduce the essentials for navigation and trip planning.

In the Adirondacks, we are fortunate to have many rock slides that provide an ideal environment for learning to move on open rock, generally without requiring the complexities of ropes, belaying or other safety techniques. This is where we teach basic techniques for climbing slides. And, we make sure you have an opportunity to put your new skills to the test during an ascent of a nearby summit. To learn about courses that offer this instruction please visit Mountaineering – Summer Courses.

Mountaineering – Winter Courses
Our winter mountaineering instruction is designed to introduce the skills required for midwinter ascents to non-technical or semi-technical mountain summits. If you choose our overnight course, instruction will also include techniques for winter camping. Crampon and ice axe usage, along with cold weather dressing and the essentials for navigation and trip planning are taught and practiced. An ascent of a nearby peak allows you to put your newly-learned skills to the test. 

The crampon and ice axe skills we teach in our winter mountaineering courses are fundamental to snow and ice travel anywhere in the world. Accordingly, this instruction is a great way to prepare for a trek where basic snow and ice travel skills are required. To learn about courses that offer this instruction please visit Mountaineering – Winter Courses.

Mountain Navigation Courses
Our mountain navigation courses are designed to take you from basic skills, such as learning how to use a map, compass and altimeter, to advanced methods for incorporating computerized mapping and the global positioning system into the planning and execution of your adventures.

Although most outdoor enthusiasts have a general idea of how to get where they are going over obvious terrain in good conditions, many are unprepared to navigate under difficult conditions, such as white-outs or featureless terrain. Our mountain navigation instruction presents a comprehensive, systematic approach to navigation anywhere, under any conditions. We teach practical, straightforward techniques that get the job done efficiently in the mountains. To learn about courses that offer this instruction please visit Mountain Navigation Courses.

Mountaineering Guiding
As we often point out, guiding is not instruction. Guiding focuses on adventure objectives, not learning objectives, but this does not mean that guiding and instruction are mutually exclusive. 

Mountaineering Guiding works well for people who want a bit more mileage to hone their skills in a real-world setting. In this manner you can gain the practice required to perfect your skills while simultaneously pursuing an adventure objective. If you already possess solid skills, guiding can focus on an adventure objective without instruction as a secondary goal. To learn about guiding opportunities please visit Mountaineering Guiding.