Technical difficulty
Technical ice to vertical

ice axePhysical difficulty
Moderate

Length
2 days, 1 night

Dates
2008. Jan 5-6, Feb 2-3, March 1-2 or custom programs at any time.

Price
$425 per person

Ratio
Day 1 is at 1 guide : 5 participants
Day 2 is at 1 guide ; 2 participants

Prerequisites
Our Introduction to Waterfall Ice Climbing or equivalent. Prior multipitch rock climbing experience is helpful.

Inclusions
Price includes guiding, permits, group climbing gear, demo models of all best equipment with ice tools and crampons from Black Diamond and Charlet Moser, helmets and snowshoes (if necessary).

RESOURCES
Details, itinerary and equipment list
Map
Read about out Recent Trips


CONTACT US
174 West Line Street
Bishop, CA 93514

tel. (760) 873-8526
fax. (760) 873-4800
office@sierramountaincenter.com

 

Advanced Ice Climbing

 

If you have done our Introduction to Ice Climbing course or have climbed ice before this is the next step. The goal of this course is to get out onto steeper terrain and give you a chance to push your limits more on technically difficult ground and also introduce the skills necessary for undertaking longer and more difficult routes. We will refine the steep ice skills, the art of placing protection and work on creating safe belay anchors on multi pitch routes, as well as rope management. Mixed climbing is popular these days and we will also introduce the skills for this medium practicing dry tooling and thin ice techniques.

We base this course from Lee Vining and climb in Lee Vining Canyon unless storms preclude climbing here. This canyon has a significant avalanche danger and if there is very bad weather we will most likely climb in the June Lake area. In a good season Lee Vining has challenging long routes that are certainly the best in California offering ascents up to three of four pitches in length on short vertical pillars and sometimes with mixed rock and ice sections.

Itinerary

Day One

Slideshow image
Techniques for steep ice
Belaying on steep ice
Anchor construction
Belay stance organization
Practice on a short multi-pitch climb

Day Two
Multi-pitch climbing on the Bard-Harrington wall or similar.

Notes
We do not include accommodation in the pricing but we have an arrangement with Murpheys Motel in Lee Vining for our guests to stay there. The motel is on the west side of Highway 395 at the north end of Lee Vining. The phone number here is (760) 647-6316 and the manager is Nancy.

We have harnesses available to rent. We do not rent ice boots but these can be rented from Wilson’s Eastside Sports in Bishop but you need to make the arrangement, and pick them up/return them. (Wilsons: 760-873-7520)

ice climbing bookThe best and only guidebook is our own SP Parker’s “Eastern Sierra Ice”.
Get it from Maximus Press

 

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