Classic AlpinISM
Level 2: Instructional Course
Our Classic AlpinISM course is for those who wish to develop their existing summer alpine mountaineering skills and to grow as an independent mountaineer.
Classic AlpinISM is a perfect progression leading on from either our Monte Rosa 4000ers or Classic 4000ers courses, where you'll have gained experience and had the chance to practice and develop the basic skills learnt on your introductory Summits & Skills 4000m course. You'll now feel ready to grow and develop your skills and techniques further and with expert coaching and instruction from ISM guides, we'll give you opportunities to plan, start making decisions on route choice, and techniques used on the varying alpine terrain, building safe anchors and to lead from the front, helping you to become a more independent alpine mountaineer.
An ISM Level 2 certificate will be awarded at the end of this course.
Course Highlights
A structured week of instruction
Learning key skills to become more independent
Expert instruction and coaching from experienced ISM Guides
Price includes uplift, breakfasts and evening meals, transport and accommodation
ISM certificate on completion of the course
Is This Course For Me?
Do you have the basic skills of walking in crampons, using an ice axe, glacial travel, basic roped scrambling techniques and have climbed an
alpine summit? And if so want to develop those basic alpine mountaineering skills and want to become more independent in the summer
alpine alpine environment? Then this Classic AlpinISM course is perfect for you. With a low client to ISM Guide ratio, we'll give you a structured week of instruction and coaching which will refresh your key skills such as crevasse rescue and prussiking, and then start to develop your skills and experience whilst also helping you build confidence, knowledge and understanding in this bigger mountain environment. Decision making and judging the terrain ahead, and then chosing the correct techniques and roped skills to move safely over that terrain is key to moving safely and efficiently in the alps and by the end of the course you will of had time spent leading sections of many of the days and start to understand and have developed the skills to better manage the varying alpine terrain such as alpine rocky ridges, icy slopes in ascent and descent, navigating and route finding, glacier travel.
Developing your mountaineering skills
ISM has structured this course around an initial day of developing your rock climbing and rope work skills, before we go into the mountains. We refresh all the key elements around crevasse rescue and glacial travel, which will give you the important skills and confidence to move over a glacier safely. You will get opportunites to 'lead' the rope, learning through a hands-on approach practising route finding, short roping techniques, pitching, building safe anchors and understaning more about the environment around you. The routes and summits you climb through the week will give you the experience to understand more, develop as an alpine mountaineer and over time become more indpendent.
Course Content
This is our Level 2 - Instructional course
- Understanding the weather forecast and current conditions
- Planning a day and week
- Climbing and safety equipment
- Developing your rock climbing and rope work
- Refreshing crevasse rescue techniques
- Safe glacial travel
- Route finding and navigation
- Short roping and short pitching techniques
- Multi-pitch rock climbing rope work and techniques
- Abseiling and prussiking
Sample Programme
Sunday evening
The course starts with a briefing at 6.45pm at the hotel in Leysin. This is a chance for you to meet your team mates and Guide and go through the details of the course. There will also be time for you to sort out any equipment you need and for you to ask questions. Dinner will follow the briefing.
Monday
Today we go to a high alpine hut, where we will spend the rest of the week. This is normally in the Trient region (the Swiss side of the Mt Blanc massif) which is an ideal venue as it has a range of suitable climbs for the next days. A short drive to Champex and a chair lift take you up to La Breya from where a couple of hours' walking gets you to the Orny glacier. We will stop on the glacier for a session reviewing basic crampon and ice axe techniques and roped glacier travel. We demonstrate and coach your ice climbing technique with some ‘ice bouldering’ and look at the use of ice screw and Abalakov belays, before continuing up to the Cabane d'Orny where we stay the night.
Tuesday
From the hut we head directly up and have a multi-pitch rock climbing day, climbing the west ridge of the Aiguille d'Arpette. This allows us to deliver many of the elements around having a safe and fun alpine rock day. You will develop your understanding of the hazards around you, route finding, the rope work and techniques for the different types of rock terrain that you're moving over (helping efficiency in the mountains), placing traditional protection and choosing anchors. On the descent we'll also include safe abseiling techniques, thoughts around lowering and other techniques for the changing terrain to help you get down from a climb safely. It is a great area to really help develop your independence in this environment. We'll spent a second night at the Cabane d'Orny.
Wednesday
We make an alpine start before dawn, as it's best practise to be up on the Trient Glacier whilst everything is still frozen. Once on the glacier, we'll head across the huge Trient Plateau and climb the Tête Blanche (3421m) either via the east or north east ridge. Today we'll focus both on safe glacial travel and mixed climbing. During the day we give thought to the weather and conditions around you, route finding, and adapting the rope techniques for the terrain that you're moving over. You will have the opportunity to refresh skills, such as taking coils and techniques around moving together, short roping and short pitching. You'll be working as independent teams gaining experience around route finding, choosing safe anchors, placing traditional gear, different ice axe and crampon techniques and rope work. We descend via the Col Blanche, experiencing how to manage a steep section of glacier safely, perhaps looking at snow belays and abseiling, before heading across the Trient glacier to stay the night at the Cabane du Trient which is a fantastic hut overlooking the whole Trient glacier basin.
Thursday
Today we'll look at another alpine rock objective but this time one where you have a glacial approach to get onto it. It's a great chance to consolidate the skills you have learned so far and to work independently to climb the south ridge of the Aiguille Purtscheller (3475m). This route gives classic alpine ridge climbing on perfect granite – all in a fantastic setting! The climbing is all in pitches (up to grade IV alpine) with an awkward chimney to finish and a narrow rock summit. On the awkward sections your ISM Guide will be there to coach you through any sections and to safeguard them as you move through. It's again a chance to develop your independence at this grade in this alpine environment. We descend with several abseils down the mixed ground on the North East side of the peak back onto the Trient plateau. After crossing the Trient plateau we may have some time to refresh and develop your skills and knowledge around crevasse rescue including holding a fall, snow anchors and the rope work needed to help someone safely out of a crevasse. We spend a second night at the Cabane du Trient.
Friday
This last day is a chance for you to take real ownership of any glacial travel, route finding and rope techniques needed for getting to a summit safely. Your ISM guide will coach you and give you feedback when they feel it's appropriate. We hope that this day will really help you to develop that feeling of confidence and indenpendence moving forward. In the hut the night before the ISM guide will have discussed the weather and conditions, looked at the map, chosen a suitable summit, and a plan of how the day could play out. One of the summits could be the Aiguille du Tour (3542m) which is a lovely alpine summit to finish on, sitting high above the Trient glacier with great views of all the surrounding peaks and valleys. The descent is back down one of the ridges, again giving you chance to practise different rope techniques on your way back to the Trient glacier.
After crossing the Trient plateau and descending the Orny glacier, we descend to the valley and return to the hotel in Leysin in the late afternoon.
Saturday morning
Breakfast at the hotel is included before departure.
Course Dates & Booking
Meet the Team
Steve Jones
IFMGA British Mountain Guide
Perhaps the most experienced British guide working in the Alps, Steve has lived in Switzerland for more than 30yrs. He is a member of the Swiss Guides association as well as the British Mountain Guides.
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Adrian Nelhams
ISM Director and IFMGA British Mountain Guide
As a Director of ISM, Adrian splits his time between guiding, the ISM office, family and climbing for himself. During his 30+ year commitment to the team, Adrian has played a key role in the development of ISM.
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Carlo Cosi
IFMGA Italian Mountain Guide
Carlo Cosi was born in Padua, northern Italy, and has been a Guide since he was 23. He is a National Climbing Instructor and has a degree in Physical Education.
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Vital Information
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