The Patagonia Mountaineering School

Course Description

3:00 AM.
The alarm buzzes in your ear, and you roll over, reaching up to the tent ceiling. The alarm stops. You sit up, turn on your headlamp, and pull on your jacket. Your tent mate, snoring only a moment earlier, squints in the light and groggily says, “So, you ready? The mountain’s waiting.” “I’m ready,” you reply. You unzip the tent door; the stars are shining.

The Patagonia Mountaineering School is a unique and challenging mountaineering expedition. On the remote Patagonian Ice Cap, you will come to learn and understand what it takes to succeed in the mountains, pulling together many strands of knowledge and skills.

To plan and execute a mountaineering expedition, a mountaineer needs to be prepared on many different levels.

4:15 AM.
You call “On belay” and walk out of camp and start across the glacier. The mountain is just coming into focus now, the predawn sky starting to glow. You think to yourself “A 42 day mountaineering school on the Patagonian Ice Cap? I must be nuts!”
Your family and friends certainly thought so...
The snow crunches underfoot, and you change hands with your ice axe.

The most obvious set of mountaineering skills are the technical ability and knowledge of how to climb and how to manage the inherent risks involved. A mountaineer needs to know how to set a belay, how to rope up to cross a snow covered glaciers, how to move in steep terrain.

7:30 AM.
You pound a picket into the firm snow, make an anchor, stomp out a platform for yourself, and begin bringing your climbing partner up. Below you can see your tracks from earlier in the morning, out from the protection of camp, across the glacier, to the base of the mountain. The snow and ice steepen above. You smile.

Underlying the technical mountaineering skills is the ability to make sound decisions in the mountains. Decision making is a skill that takes time and application to develop. Knowing how to set running pro or a fixed belay is important, but equally critical is knowing when to choose either system. Good judgment is a key proficiency to succeeding as a mountaineer.

10:30 AM.
Three pitches of snow and ice have brought you to the summit ridge, just an hour from the top. As you set another belay, you notice that the wind has shifted and picked up. As your rope mate climbs, you huddle deeper inside your belay jacket. “Jeez, it’s freezing up here,” you think to yourself, wishing she'd climb faster.

The Patagonia Mountaineering School is designed so that aspiring mountaineers can spend an extended period of time in the mountains. You will have the opportunity to learn and apply varied technical mountaineering skills in an authentic context and with the supervision and support of experienced instructor guides. At the same time, you will work to develop your safety and judgement skills.

10:45 AM.
After what seems an eternity, your climbing partner pulls over the lip of ice. You scream over the wind, “What do you want to do? Up or Down?”
She replies, “This is insane! I've never seen wind like this!”
“But we’re so close!”
“Um…” she dithers. “Ok,” she finally continues, “I’ll go if you go.”
You take a moment to think. “Nah, let’s get out of here,” you reply.
A wise decision.

We take a step-by-step approach of teaching new skills in context, and building on previous knowledge. The day-to-day operation of the mountaineering school always brings up new things to learn, new decisions to make. New skills practiced become second nature. You become a proficient mountaineer.

4:45 PM.
You stumble into camp, exhausted.
The descent was difficult. You couldn’t reach the easy gully you’d planned on going down, so you had to rappel each pitch. Once below the hardest section, the descent still wasn’t easy. The mountain was a maelstrom of wind and snow, and the easy snow ramp from the morning felt much steeper now. You set several more rappels. By the time you were off the mountain, the storm was so bad you could barely see your hand in front of your face, much less find your tracks from the morning. Using a map, compass, and GPS, you managed to get back to camp.
The storm rages on. And you still need to dig out your tent.

An expedition with the Patagonia Mountaineering School is the ideal training ground, the ultimate challenge. You will acquire a depth of experience and breadth of knowledge to power and inspire further exploration and adventure.

6:45 PM.
“Knock Knock!” your instructor yells as she ducks inside, covered in freshly blown powder. “Nice tropical breeze, eh?” she quips. The tent groans in the wind.
You discuss the day, the decisions you made, the techniques used. And what's for dinner. It’s hard to believe how far you’ve come in 33 days. And there are still 9 to go…
Challenge Yourself.

Featured Expeditions

The Patagonia Mountaineering School

42 Days, $5995 Trips Depart Year Round Challenge yourself on an expedition unlike any other. On the Patagonia Mountaineering School, you're not guided through the mountains; you learn to climb them yourself. From planning a route to crevasse rescue to climbing a peak, you will learn mountaineering in one of the most spectacular classrooms on Earth. Patagonia Mountaineering School Description >>

Hear what a Past Client Said about the Patagonia Mountaineering School:

The Patagonia Mountain Guide School

2 Years, $24999 Programs Begin in July Each Year The Patagonia Mountain Guide School is unique in the outdoor industry. The process of learning to be a leader and guide is multifaceted; aspirant guides must be technically competent and experienced in the mountains, and also need to develop and foster a range of skills associated with client management and group leadership. The two year Guide School is the first of its kind, providing you with real life opportunities to teach, lead, and work with clients directly, throughout your training. Upon successful completion, you will be a fully qualified and certified Wilderness Education Association Mountaineering Instructor Guide, a Wilderness First Responder, an Avalanche Safety Instructor, and a Leave No Trace Trainer. And more than just earning qualificaitons, your guide training program will be complemented by significant amounts of ‘face time’ with clients and will consciously focus on the development of leadership and instruction skills. Armed with this well-rounded resume of skills and real life experience, you will prepared for a lifetime in the mountains. Mountain Guide School Description >>

Custom Courses & Expeditions

As Long as You Want Trips Depart Year Round The possibilities are limitless here at the end of the world. Our experienced staff will help you create the expedition of a lifetime. Trekking, climbing, instructional expeditions, sea kayaking, horseback riding, and scenic cruises and flights are a few examples of what you can do. The only limit is your imagination. Custom Expedition Request Form>> Previous Custom Expeditions >>

See For Yourself

Take a look at photos from past expeditions in the Photo Gallery >>

Learn more about our expeditions in the Video Gallery >>

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