Expedition Prep Courses

Skills Instruction for the Unique Demands of High-Altitude Mountaineering

Expeditions – long trips to remote mountain ranges, often with the goal of climbing a significant high-altitude summit – require specialized skills and training. A large climbing team, complicated logistics, and the need for fortified camps high on the mountain present unique challenges, both mental and physical. AAI's expedition prep courses ensure that climbers are prepared to meet these challenges.

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  • Ascending Motorcycle Hill
  • An AAI cook tent under a starry sky
  • Practicing Pulling Sleds in the Baker Backcountry
  • Denali Prep Winter Camping
  • Ascending the Fixed Lines above Camp 3
  • Fortified Camp on the Summit of Mt. Baker
  • A Denali Prep team dragging sleds to camp.
  • Denali Prep Climber takes in the beauty.
  • Climbers practicing for the fixed lines
  • Denali Prep Group 2015
  • A Fortified Camp on Mt. Baker during a Denali Prep Course
  • A Denali Prep Team practicing rope travel. Mt. Shuksan in the background. Alasdair Turner.
  • Breaking Camp on first morning of a Denali Prep Course

  Denali Prep Course

  Designed for serious Denali aspirants or those planning other cold-weather, high-altitude expeditions, this program provides an introduction to general mountaineering skills such as self-arrest and crevasse rescue, as well as more specific expedition skills like camp fortification, sled rigging, and fixed line climbing.

  • Location:Mt. Baker, Washington
  • Season:January - March
  • Length:6 days
  • Cost:$2195

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  • Mountaineer's Route
  • Nearing the top of the Mountaineers Route - Mt Whitney
  • Mt Whitney Summit
  • Mountaineers Route - Mt. Whitney
  • Camp Life Sierra Winter Mountaineering
  • Route Finding Sierra Winter Mountaineering
  • Scenic Campsite Sierra Winter Mountaineering
  • Snowshoeing in the Sierra
  • Mt Whitney Summit Elevation
  • Mt Whitney Snowshoe Descent
  • Lower Boy Scout Lake Mt Whitney Approach
  • Mountaineers Route Sierra Winter Mountaineering

  Winter Mountaineering in the Sierra

  A skills focused course designed to transition mountaineers and experienced backpackers to alpine travel and climbing in Winter conditions. Held in the Mount Whitney Zone, of the Eastern Sierra.

  • Location:Sierra Nevada, California
  • Season:December - March
  • Length:5 days
  • Cost:$1895

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  • AAI climbers in the Ruth Gorge
  • Near the summit of the Moose's Tooth
  • AAI Climbers practicing crevasse rescue
  • Ice Climbing with Mount Dan Beard in Background
  • Summit of the Moose's Tooth
  • Moose's Tooth from Ruth Gorge
  • AAI climber practicing crevasse rescue
  • AAI climber building snow anchors on the Ruth Glacier
  • AAI climbers performing crevasse rescue
  • Climbers breaking on the Ruth Glacier
  • An AAI rope team navigating the Ruth Glacier

  Alaska Range Mountaineering

  An adventurous introduction to big mountain expeditions, you'll learn the climbing skills and techniques used in modern alpine mountaineering and earn the opportunity to climb several beautiful peaks in the heart of the Alaska Range. Prepare for Denali or other major climbs around the world.

  • Location:Alaska Range, Alaska
  • Season:April - June
  • Length:10 days
  • Cost:Starting at $7500 (4:1)

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  • 7 Summits
  • Ladder Crossing on Khumbu Icefall, Everest
  • Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
  • Aconcagua, Argentina
  • Carstensz Pyramid
  • Denali, Alaska
  • Vinson Massif, Antarctica
  • Summit Day, Mt. Everest

  Seven Summits Training Course

  Climbing the Seven Summits - even with top guides - requires a wide array of mountaineering skills and knowledge. AAI's Seven Summits training course is based on a phased approach that prepares you for the upcoming climbs in your progression. In addition to giving you a solid grasp of all the fundamental tools and techniques of the mountaineer, the course provides intensive preparation for cold, altitude, and expedition conditions.

  • Location:North Cascades, WA
  • Season:September - May & January - April
  • Length:Varies
  • Cost:Phase 1: $1875; Phase 2: $2225; Phase 3: $2010