2008 Basic Climbing Committee:

Chair: Lisa Berntsen, 253-857-2569,lisaberntsen@hotmail.com
Lectures: Greg Gagliardi,gagliard@u.washington.edu
Field Trips: Bill Hecker, 253-876-0658,gumbidamit@msn.com
Critical Skills: John Hazelton,jjhazelton@comcast.net
Manuals: Eileen Lewis,elewis2-11@comcast.net
Climbs: Mark Lemon,marklemon@centurytel.net
Mentoring: Peter Elling,peter.elling@gmail.com
Records: Bud Truitt,truittbljt@comcast.net

We have a new climbing course program this year. Participants in the Basic Rock and Glacier Climbing class must have passed Alpine Climbing and Scrambles or have met equivalency prior to signing up for the class.

Past Basic Course Graduates: Basic grads are encouraged to participate on Basic climbs, particularly alpine and glacier outings. Review all of the climb listings and call the leader if you find something that interests you. The intent is to create opportunities for you to be involved, to share your knowledge and experience with others, and to improve or maintain proficiency of your skills.

2007 Records: Graduation materials (forms for completed MOFA, trail maintenance, etc) should be sent to Carol Miltimore, 21509 SE 416th St., Enumclaw WA 98022.

Jan. 9, Wed. - Information Meeting: If you are unsure about whether you meet the eligibility requirements and/or want more information about the course, you should attend an information meeting at the Tacoma Clubhouse, 7 p.m. At the January meeting, representatives of the Alpine Climbing and Scrambles course will also be there. Please note that we have a new course program this year and participants in the Basic Rock and Glacier Climbing class must have passed Alpine Climbing and Scrambles or have met equivalency prior to signing up. Attendance at the Information meetings is not required; however, junior members (age 15-17), and their parents or guardians must attend.

March 19, Wed. - Tacoma’s Basic Rock and Glacier Climbing Course starts. This is a one or two year course of classroom instruction, field instruction and climbing experience designed to provide the basic skills necessary to safely climb rock, snow and glaciated peaks in the Pacific Northwest. The course builds from the fundamentals of alpine travel taught in the Alpine Climbing and Scrambles course, and both modules can be completed in the same season (students should sign up for the first Alpine Climbing and Scrambles offering). This course covers selection and care of equipment, wilderness travel, roped and glacier travel, belaying, rappelling, rock climbing, crevasse rescue, and many other topics. During field trips and actual climbs the student will put these skills to practical use with experienced mountaineers. Solid physical conditioning and psychological commitment is essential

Second Year Participants: If you require a second year to complete the course requirements you must notify the Course Chair, Lisa Berntsen, by phone or e-mail. The fee is $40. (plus $15 if you want a 2008 student manual). Second year participants are required to attend the full day Proficiency Evaluation not yet scheduled. This is not a test! At this time we will determine where in the lecture or field trip sequence the participants may re-enter the course, based on what knowledge and skills they have retained from the previous year. A conditioner, with a Tacoma Branch leader, must be successfully completed before participating on a Basic climb or the crevasse rescue field trip.

Eligibility Requirements: You must be a member of the Mountaineers. Experience in off-trail hiking and camping is helpful and you should have a desire to learn technical mountaineering skills. Non-members who are considering applying for the course should join the Mountaineers without delay. Non-members may call the Clubhouse Secretary, 253-566-6965, to request a “New Member Packet”, or download the packet from http://www.mountaineers.org/tacoma/html/info.html Prospective participants should be aware that this course requires a significant investment in time, energy, and money. The dropout rate for this course is often 30%. Scheduling conflicts, inadequate physical conditioning, and inadequate background experience contribute to the participants' dropping out of this course. Solid overall physical conditioning and psychological commitment to enable the student to carry a heavy pack in difficult terrain with vertical exposure and adverse weather conditions is essential.

Juniors: Members under 18 years of age must complete the Junior Application Supplement and attend an information night for a Junior Interview. A parent or legal guardian must accompany you. To receive the Junior Application Supplement, contact Lisa Berntsen by phone or e-mail.

Registration: Registration should be completed online at www.mountaineers.org The course size is limited to 100 participants. If the course has already filled before your registration is received, you will be notified and will receive a full refund for course fees.

BRGCC Course Fees: Course fee is $275 for members and $375 for non-members, which includes the Alpine Climbing and Scrambles module if completed in the same year. A credit card can be used only if registering online. If registering by mail, this fee can be paid by check or cash. The additional required text is “Mountaineering, the Freedom of The Hills”, 7th Edition, which lists for around $38 and is available at the club bookstore for a 20% discount (to order by mail, call Mtrs 1-206-223-6303). The text can be found at other booksellers. Refunds, less $35 handling and materials fees, can be made if you withdraw from the course and notify the chair in writing prior to the second lecture. In order to receive a refund, your written statement of withdrawal must be received by the close of business on April 1, 2008 by Lisa Berntsen, 13339 Shoreline Dr, SE, Olalla, WA 98359; or by e-mail, lisaberntsen@hotmail.com. The Basic Course fee does not include the cost of the required Mountaineering Oriented First Aid (MOFA) course or the fee for the required Navigation course.

Getting off to a fast start: The course gets off to a fast start. As you plan on preparing for the course, take a look at your conditioning program. If you are not getting some strenuous aerobic activity 3-4 times weekly, now is the time to start. Your conditioning is important for your safe enjoyment of basic climbs and for the safety of your team members. Likewise, one of the first skills to be mastered is tying the basic knots used in Mountaineering. Find time before the course starts to practice the knots depicted in “Mountaineering - Freedom of the Hills”. Navigation and MOFA is required for graduation of the BRGCC. You are encouraged to complete those courses as soon as possible.

Controlled Risk: Participants must be aware that mountain climbing can be a very hazardous activity, and that participation in course field trips, conditioners, and experience climbs does expose you to hazardous conditions and a possibility of serious injury or death.

Climbs: During the course 100+ Basic Experience Climbs and Conditioners are offered. To participate in climbs, Basic participants must complete the appropriate prerequisite field trips (as detailed in the course manual) and have successfully completed one conditioner. Many climbs are available for on-line signup; some require permission directly from the leader. Popular climbs fill quickly. Successful participants are flexible when selecting climbs from the offered destinations and are flexible with their personal schedule.

2008 Course info: Lectures are Wednesdays at the Tacoma clubhouse. They will begin promptly at 7 p.m. and run until about 10 p.m. Arrive by 6:30 p.m. for Lecture #1 for distribution and review of course materials. All lectures and field trip preps are required and prerequisites to attend field trips.

Throughout the course there will be opportunities for additional skills practice with a mentor both at the clubhouse and in the mountains.

For more information contact Lisa Berntsen, 253-857-2569, lisaberntsen@hotmail.com

Basic Climbs

Current climbs can be searched using the new Mountaineers web site using the following link: Current Climbs.

Contact Mark Lemon, marklemon@centurytel.net for further information

Credit Requirements for Basic Climbs

1. The trip must be on the Tacoma Basic Climb List or meet the appropriate Tacoma Basic Climb Definition in the Basic Student Manual as pre-approved by the Basic Mountaineering Committee.

2. The trip must be listed with the Basic Mountaineering Committee climb coordinator, and confirmed by publication in the Mountaineer Go Guide publication, by publication in a class handout and/or by announcement made by the Basic Committee climb coordinator.

3. Participating students must have completed the appropriate prerequisites.

4. Participating students must wear crampon compatible mountaineering boots. (Rock shoes are not allowed.)

5. Participating students must carry a pack of at least 25 pounds or 20 percent of body weight (whichever is greater) for Basic conditioners. The student must carry all appropriate personal equipment plus an assigned share of group equipment for Basic climbs. Students who refuse to carry group equipment will not receive credit.

6. Participating students must reach the listed objective.

7. The climb leader must subjectively evaluate the student as successfully completing the climb with respect to safety, skill, conditioning and attitude. Evaluations are to be recorded on leader sheets provided when climbs are confirmed.
Exceptions:
1. If on a rock climb or glacier climb, the party completes a majority of the technical elements but does not reach the summit due to an objective hazard (e.g. weather or conditions), the climb leader may appeal to the Basic Mountaineering Committee for Basic Alpine climb credit. Individuals who do not continue with a party to the summit are not eligible for this exception.
2. If a student is evaluated as having unsatisfactory performance, and the student believes the climb leader is in error, the student may appeal to the Basic Mountaineering Committee for reconsideration of credit.

Multi-credit climbs:

Basic students may receive up to two climb credits for a multiple summit trip if the summits are climbed on separate days. Each summit must be worthy of credit per the Basic Climbs Definitions when starting from base camp. There is a limit of one multi-credit climb toward graduation requirements per student.

Examples: Mt Cruiser, SW Corner (R) and The Fin, NE Face (R)
Mt Anderson, Anderson-Eel Glacier (G) and Mt Lacrosse, Rt 2 (A)
Cathedral Rock, SW Face (R) and Mt Daniel, Lynch Glacier (G)
Sharkfin Tower, E Face (R) and Sahale Peak, Quien Sabe Glacier (G)

2008 Course Schedule:
Jan. 9 - Information night for both Basic Climbing AND Alpine Scrambles Courses -7 p.m.

Lecture Schedule:
Mar. 19 – Equipment, Safety, Roped climbing overview
Apr. 16 – Rock Climbing Techniques
May 14 - Snow Travel, Crevasse Rescue
June 11 - Final exam at clubhouse
June 25 - Exam review & course critique
Oct. 12 - Graduation and Course Potluck 6:30 p.m.

Field Trip Schedule:
Mar. 24 or 26 - FT 1 Preparation at Clubhouse: Fundamentals, Prusiking, Knots
Mar. 29 or 30 - FT 1 at Clubhouse: Fundamentals, Prusiking, Knots
Apr. 12 or 13 - FT 2 at Irish Cabin: Belay and Prusik Test
Apr. 26 or 27 – FT 3 Preparation at Spire Rock: Rock Technique
May 17 or 18 – FT 3 – at Leavenworth: Rock Technique Test
May 28 – FT 5 Preparation at Clubhouse – Crevasse Rescue
Jun. 7 and 8 - FT 5 at MRNP or other: Crevasse Rescue and Hard Snow

Graduation Requirements:

You have two years to complete the course (there is an administrative fee for returning 2nd yr students).

1. Attend all lectures and field trip preps, and pass final examination.
2. Satisfactorily complete all field trips.
3. Satisfactorily complete one conditioner hike, and four Basic Experience climbs, including one Rock and one Glacier climb.
4. Successfully complete the Navigation course.
5. Participate in a day's conservation activity/trail maintenance offered by the Mountaineers or other recognized organization or agency.
6. Hold a current Mountaineering Oriented First Aid (MOFA) card by the date of graduation.
7. Apply for graduation as described in the course manual.

Basic Climb Definitions

Basic Conditioners (BC) -- Not a climb, but a qualifier for students to participate in crevasse rescue and hard snow field trips and for future participation in Basic climbs. These include travel over established trails or travel off-trail on up to class 2 terrain. Conditioners may include limited travel (less than one hour) on up to 30 degree snow slopes and use of an ice axe. They must include elevation gain of at least 2,500 feet or at least two hours of sustained elevation gain in strenuous conditions. Participants must carry a pack of at least 25 pounds or 20 percent of body weight (whichever is greater).

Basic Alpine Climb (BA) -- Climbs that include travel over a significant amount of at least class 3 but not higher than class 4 rock and/or exposed 30 degree or greater snow slopes. Ascent on exposed terrain is planned to be at least one hour. Roped travel on rock is planned to be less than one pitch. Roped travel on crevassed glaciers is planned to be less than one hour. Significant use of hands or ice axe is planned to be required for safe travel. Basic Alpine climbs are normally scheduled after the soft snow field trip.

Basic Rock Climb (BR) -- Climbs that include travel over a significant amount of at least class 4 but not higher than class 5.6 rock. Roped ascent on rock is planned to be at least one pitch but not more than four pitches. Each student must clean protection on at least one pitch and perform at least one rappel. Basic rock climbs are scheduled to follow the Leavenworth rock climbing field trip.

Basic Glacier Climb (BG) -- Climbs that include travel over a significant amount of crevassed glacier. Roped ascent on a crevassed glacier is planned to be at least one hour. The climb must include at least one overnight camp in the back country. Basic glacier climbs are normally scheduled to follow the crevasse rescue field trip.

Basic Climbs is a PDF downloadable list of recommended basic level climbs for your information and reference. Many of these climbs will be listed each year ...sometimes many time on the popular climbs like "The Tooth" and "Mt Rainier".

Eligibility for participation is subject to students completing required activities in accordance with the Basic Course Manual and leader permission.

Climbs are open for registration for Tacoma Basic students at 8 a.m. on the date of the climb, one calendar month prior to the climb, and open to students from other branches two weeks prior to the climb. Register with the climb leader directly, as a courtesy, do not call after 9 p.m.