Mountaineering School in Patagonia

Active Adventure

An expedition unlike any other. For 42 days, your home will be the remote Campo Hielo (Ice Cap) of Patagonia, Chile. Here, surrounded by virgin peaks, sheer rock faces, crystal blue lakes, and the unpredictable Patagonian weather, you will acquire the skills needed to thrive in the mountains, and ultimately to feel confident planning your own mountaineering expeditions in the future. Skills range from route planning to crevasse rescue, expedition leadership to preserving the precious landscape you are living in.

The Patagonia Mountaineering School Mountaineering courses are expeditions in the truest sense. From the time we leave base camp until the time we return five and a half weeks later, we will be completely self sufficient in wilderness. Each expedition has a strong exploratory component; where we are creating our own way, not following in someone else's footsteps. Together with your instructors, you will experience the continual journey of discovery that can only come from setting your own route. There will be days of triumph and days of disappointment but you can be sure every day will be an adventure. You will be fully involved in the frequent discussions about route selection, risk management and goal setting. This intense involvement in all aspects of the trip means that what you learn, you will learn fully, so you can translate these skills into your own adventures later on.


No previous mountaineering experience is necessary for this course. Just a willingness to learn and desire for adventure and challenge. We start at the beginning, teaching you the basic day to day skills of mountain life: moving with a heavy backpack, selecting and securing a campsite, and staying warm and dry in inclement weather. As the course progresses, you will take an increasingly active role in the running of the expedition, ultimately having the opportunity to develop your leadership skills by taking on the role of group leader. (With close support from your instructors).

What makes this course so special, is not just what you learn, but where you learn it: In the most amazing classroom in the world. Patagonia has a magical reputation and deservedly so. It is a place of breathtaking beauty and remoteness. Here you can stand on a mountaintop encircled the wilderness and feel like you are the only person in the world.

A mountaineering expedition with The Patagonia Mountaineering School will be a rich and rewarding experience. We will go to places few other people go, see things few other people see and face challenges you might once have thought you were not capable of.

You Can Do Extraordinary Things.

Typical Day

Waking up in the morning, you're greeted with a view of the Patagonian Ice Cap just outside your tent door. You put on your plastic boots, walk over to the kitchen tent, and begin to make breakfast (cinnamon rolls today).

Two hours later, after packing your bag, we put on our crampons and begin crossing the Exploradores Glacier. Our goal for the day is to walk 10 km (about 6 miles) up the glacier, to the base of an unclimbed ridte. Tomorrow we will climb this wall of ice, to the summit of a spectacular peak.


Nine hours later, you collapse in camp, tired and happy. Picking your way amongst the crevasses of the glacier was difficult, but not as hard as you thought it would be.

As you get into your sleeping bag, having just eaten a delicious curry, you go to sleep tired, happy, and ready to do it again the next day.

Age range, type of group

Most of our clients are between 18 and 45, although we've had clients as old as 66 (we won't take anyone younger than 18). People normally come by themselves or with a friend/partner. Living and working together for so much time brings the group close together, and you are sure to make friends that will last a lifetime.

Sleeping and meals

Apart from the first and last night, all nights are spent camping in remote areas. You will be in the field for the duration of your expedition (no showers), but you really begin to learn what it's like to live in the wilderness. You will cook meals in cook groups of two or three, and will recieve multiple backcountry cooking lessons (meals range from simple pasta dishes or oatmeal to cinnamon rolls, cakes, and pizzas, all cooked on camp stoves).

Rates

$5995 per person, inclusive of instructors, group and expedition equipment, food, local transport, pre-departure support and a 24 hour emergency line.

Discounts Offered

Please ask about discounts for two or more people.