Browse upcoming Climbing activities You must be a basic or intermediate climbing course graduate, student, or have equivalency to register for a climb.
The Basic Climbing Course 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 the glaciated peaks of the Pacific Northwest. 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.
If you are unsure about whether you meet the eligibility requirements and/or want more information about the course, you should attend one of our Information Nights at the Anna Lemon Wheelock Library in Tacoma. Attendance at the information meetings is not required; however, junior members (age 15-17), and their parents or guardians must attend one of the three meetings offered.
Eligibility Requirements: Experience in off-trail hiking and camping is helpful and you should have a desire to learn technical mountaineering skills. 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 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 Lonna Frans by phone or e-mail.
Course Registration and Fee: Registration is currently open and will close on February 8th.
Course fee is $400; club membership is required. Membership and course registration are available through the main website and Member Services (206) 521-6001. If you are already a member of the Mountaineers, click here to register now: Sign up.
The required text for the course is "Mountaineering, The Freedom of The Hills", 8th Edition, which lists for around $38 and is available at the Mountaineers Bookstore in Seattle for a 20% discount to members (to order by mail, call 206-284-6310 or 800-573-8484).
The BCC fee does not include the cost of the required Wilderness First Aid (WFA) or Navigation courses, which are required for graduation.
Second Year Participants: If you require a second year to complete the course requirements you must notify the Course Chair, Lonna Frans, by e-mail (lmfrans@yahoo.com). The fee is $50. (plus $20 if you want a 2012 student manual).
Second year participants are required to attend the full day qualifier February 6th, 2012 (location TBA). At that time we will determine where in the lecture or field trip sequence 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 BCC climbs or the crevasse rescue field trip.
2012 Course Info: Dates are subject to change until January 18th, 2012. Lectures are Wednesdays location TBD while the Tacoma clubhouse is being remodeled. They will begin promptly at 7 p.m. and run until about 10 p.m. Arrive by 6:30 p.m. to Lecture #1 for distribution and review of course materials. All lectures and field trip preps are required as prerequisites to attend field trips.
Lecture Schedule:
February 4 - Second Year Qualifier
February 15 - Lecture 1: Course Expectations, Conditioning, Equipment
March 7 - Lecture 2: Snow Travel, Avalanche Hazards
March 21 - Lecture 3: Accident Response, Mountain Rescue, Health, Nutrition
April 4 - Lecture 4: Rock Climbing
May 9 - Lecture 5: Glacier Travel, Crevasse Rescue
June 13 - Final exam
June 27 - Course review
November 3 - Climbing division potluck
Field Trip Schedule:
Feb 29th or Mar 1 - FT 1 Prep: Fundamentals, Knots, Prusiking
March 4 - FT 1: Fundamentals, Knots, Prusik Test, Belaying
March 18 - FT 2: Belay Test
March 31 and Apr 1 - FT 3: Winter Overnight
April 21 or 22 - FT 4: Rock I - Knots, Rock Climbing, Rappelling
May 19 or 20 - FT 5: Rock II - Rock Climbing, Rappelling
May 30 - FT 6 Prep: Crevasse Rescue
June 9 and 10 - FT 6 and 7: 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, see above).
Attend all lectures and field trip preps, and pass final examination.
Satisfactorily complete all field trips.
Satisfactorily complete one Conditioner, three Basic Climbs, including one Rock and one Glacier climb.
Hold a current Wilderness First Aid (WFA) card by the date of graduation.
Apply for graduation as described in the course manual.
Climbs: During the course 100+ Basic 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 online registration; 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.
Peak Awards
To promote interest in trails and climbs across Washington and into California, Oregon and Canada, the Mountaineers have established Hiking and Peak Awards. The awards are available to members that complete the requirements listed for a particular group of destinations.
