Helping you plan your Alpine Goals

ISM Instructional Courses

Level 1 - Summits & Skills 4000m - our introduction to alpine mountaineering

No prior climbing or alpine mountaineering experience necessary.

Must have good, general level of aerobic fitness.

Advised training:

Maintain a good, general level of aerobic fitness.

Optional:

A day or weekend in the Lake District to help prepare for your course.

Level 2 – Classic AlpinISM - Developing alpine skills to gain independence

Must have attended the ISM Summits & Skills 4000m course or equivalent introductory alpine mountaineering course.

Must have good, general level of aerobic fitness.

Advised training:

Maintain a good, general level of aerobic fitness.

Completed a classic guided week such as Classic 4000ers to help develop those basic skills and gain some experience in the alpine mountaineering environment.

Optional:

A day or weekend in the Lake District to refresh and develop key climbing skills to get the most from this level 2 course.

Level 3 – Technical AlpinISM - Developing alpine skills to become an independent mountaineer

Must have attended the ISM Classic AlpinISM course or equivalent level 2 alpine mountaineering course.

Must have a particularly good general level of aerobic fitness.

Advised training:

Maintain a particularly good general level of aerobic fitness.

Good level of lead climbing skills.

Completed a technical alpine week such as Technical Alpine Ascents to help develop more technical lead climbing skills and gain more experience on more technical terrain.

Optional:

A day or weekend in the Lake District to develop further lead climbing skills, helping you to get the most from this level 3 course and to become more independent.

ISM Guided Climbing

Level 1 – Mt Blanc Ascent

No prior climbing or alpine mountaineering experience necessary.

Must have a particularly good general level of aerobic fitness.

Advised training:

Maintain a particularly good general level of aerobic fitness.

Competency to move over mountain terrain in mountain boots.

Optional:

A day or weekend in the Lake District to help prepare for your course.

Level 2 – Monte Rosa Traverse & Classic 4000ers

Must have attended an ISM Summits & Skills 4000m course or equivalent introductory alpine mountaineering course to learn the basic skills.

Must have a good, general level of aerobic fitness.

Advised training:

Maintain a good, general level of aerobic fitness.

Optional:

A day or weekend in the Lake District to refresh and develop key climbing skills to get the most from this level 2 course.

Level 3 – Technical 4000ers & Technical Alpine Ascents

Must have attended any one of our Level 2 ‘Classic’ courses or equivalent level 2 alpine mountaineering course.

Must have a particularly good general level of aerobic fitness.

Must have a strong competence to move over broken rocky terrain safely.

Have an ability to rock climb to a moderate level in mountain boots.

Have some experience wearing crampons and using an ice axe, although not essential.

Advised training:

Maintain a particularly good general level of aerobic fitness.

Develop moderate climbing skills and rope work.

Complete perhaps a couple of level 2 ‘classic’ courses.

Good level of scrambling and moderate climbing, wearing mountain boots both in ascent and descent.

Optional:

A day or weekend in the Lake District to develop your rope work, climbing and scrambling skills, helping you get the most from this level 3 course.

Private Guiding

Private Guiding - 1:1 private guiding, with a focus on climbing a peak or route of your choice

Must have a particularly good general level of aerobic fitness.

Must have a strong competence to move over broken rocky terrain safely.

Have an ability to rock climb to a moderate level in mountain boots.

Have some experience wearing crampons and using an ice axe, although not essential.

Advised training:

Maintain a particularly good general level of aerobic fitness over a long mountain day.

Good level of scrambling and moderate climbing, wearing mountain boots both in ascent and descent.

Optional:

Two days in the Lake District, accessing the high mountain crags, practising short roping and pitch climbing skills and becoming more familiar with the type of terrain expected on the Matterhorn both in ascent and descent.

Other Private guiding objectives could be any number of the more technical alpine summits or routes requiring 1:1 guiding such as the Matterhorn, Eiger or the Weisshorn.

Please get in touch if you would like help planning your next alpine objective.

Many clients book 1:1 guiding, so that their time with us is specifically tailored to themselves, based around pace, specific skills they wish to learn and coaching in their climbing, which doesn't have to be on harder or higher technical routes or summits.

Custom Courses

Custom Courses - Would you like something a little more bespoke? Perhaps you are organising or planning a trip for a student or friendship group, or would like alternative dates to the ones we advertise?

ISM can help you plan and arrange custom climbing and mountaineering weeks, both instruction and/or guided climbing, on a bespoke basis. We will tailor the trip to suit your goals and ambitions.

UK Instruction and Preparation

Alpine Preparation courses in the Lake District

The Lake District is a great venue, with access to high mountain crags helping fully prepare you for your trip to the Alps. You can practise some basic alpine roped skills and easy climbing in big boots to help you get the most out of one of our alpine courses, or perhaps prepare for a specific summit such as the Matterhorn.

Scrambling Skills courses in the Lake District

Enjoy a day or two in the Lake District to learn the basic short roping skills to better safeguard yourself on rocky terrain, perfect for UK scrambling, Alps ridges and any climbers getting to and from rock climbs safely.

Scrambling can be an activity in its own right and you will learn the basic short roping skills to enable you to go scrambling more safely. These 'short roping' skills are also perfect if you wish to venture onto alpine ridges or for climbers getting to and from mountain crags. The rope work will allow you to move over this moderate rocky terrain more safely.

Rock Climbing Improvers courses in the Lake District

Develop your outdoor traditional rock-climbing skills and learn the essentials to become more independent at a single-pitch crag in the beautiful Lake District.

If you're looking to develop your personal climbing and to be more confident in going outdoors climbing independently, then we offer the perfect progression of skills delivered, and coaching for you to turn up to a single-pitch crag with friends and go climbing.

Please note –

Good general level of aerobic fitness

This should include activities such as brisk walking, swimming, running, or cycling. You probably know it as “cardio.” By definition, aerobic exercise means “with oxygen.” Your breathing and heart rate will increase during aerobic activities.

The longer the duration of aerobic fitness then the more helpful it is for longer mountain days.

Time spent wearing a backpack and hill walking wearing mountain boots is also very valuable training.

A particularly good general level of aerobic fitness

We recommend this higher level of aerobic fitness, for those clients joining more technical courses or booking ‘Private Guiding’ , which can be more demanding.

This could mean that the duration of a mountain day is longer and perhaps more committing, the altitude that you’re generally climbing may be higher, or the activity is more intense, such as where you’re practicing skills to become more independent and leading a rope or being guiding over technical terrain.

If you do need help with any training plans with specific goals or objectives in mind then please get in touch with the ISM Office.