Ski Mountaineering School

Application: 

Registration is by application only. Applications will be reviewed in February, and candidates will be notified in the first week of March.

Ready to ski Colorado’s high peaks? CMC’s Ski Mountaineering School (SMS) helps experienced backcountry skiers and split boarders develop the skills and judgment to plan and carry out ski descents in Colorado’s alpine terrain.

Through classroom instruction, group trip planning, and field outings, students learn how to select suitable objectives, identify ascent and descent routes, assess snow and weather conditions, and manage the challenges of traveling in the high mountains. The emphasis is on putting these skills together to reach a summit and descend safely, while recognizing when conditions call for a different plan.

Topics covered include:

• Planning ski mountaineering trips, including objective selection, weather, timing, equipment, and contingency plans.
• Selecting and using ski mountaineering equipment, including ski crampons, boot crampons, and an ice axe.
• Efficient ascent techniques, including skinning, kick turns, bootpacking, and transitions.
• Navigation and route finding for mountain ascents and ski descents.
• Assessing snow stability and skiability, including how changing conditions affect route selection and timing.
• Managing descents through line selection, group spacing, communication, and regrouping.
• Making decisions as a group and adapting objectives to conditions and participants’ abilities.

Prerequisites and mandatory equipment:

SMS is an advanced course for students who already have strong downhill skiing or riding skills, a high level of fitness, and experience traveling in the backcountry. Students should be comfortable descending steep terrain in variable snow and prepared for sustained climbs and long days in Colorado’s high mountains.

Students must meet the following requirements:

• Avalanche education: Completion of AIARE Rec Level 1 within the past five years.
• Avalanche rescue equipment and skills: A modern three-antenna avalanche transceiver, shovel, and probe, along with the skills to use them.
• Touring equipment: Modern alpine touring or telemark skis, or a splitboard, with touring-specific boots, bindings, and skins.
• Mountaineering equipment: Ski or splitboard crampons appropriate to the touring setup, boot crampons, and an ice axe. Recommendations and examples of suitable equipment will be provided during the first classroom session.
• Fitness and stamina: Ability to sustain uphill travel at approximately 1,000 vertical feet per hour and travel at approximately 3 mph on suitable terrain, with enough endurance for days involving up to 4,000 feet of elevation gain and 10 miles of travel.
• Downhill ability: Confident skiing or riding on black-diamond terrain or steeper, including varied terrain and snow conditions.

Recommended experience:

Students are strongly encouraged to have:

• At least two full seasons of experience traveling on skins in mountain terrain, including at least one CMC backcountry ski outing.
• Completion of the CMC Snow Travel class or equivalent training, including practice in ice axe self-arrest.

Attendance and course completion:

Successful completion of SMS requires:

• Attendance at all four classroom sessions.
• Attendance at Field Day #1 on March 20.
• Completion of at least five total field days, including the mandatory first field day.
• Participation in the Thursday online planning sessions preceding each field day or multi-day trip the student plans to attend.

Field outings provide opportunities to apply classroom material and participate in planning and decision-making. Routes and objectives will depend on weather, snow conditions, and group ability.

Janet’s Cabin multi-day trip:

The April 30–May 2 multi-day trip will be based at Janet’s Cabin, providing an opportunity to practice trip planning and mountain travel over consecutive days.

The course fee includes the cabin reservation cost. No partial refund of the course fee will be provided if a student does not attend the hut trip.

For more information, please contact Scott Johnson, thescottjohnson@gmail.com, and schreierjeff@gmail.com.  For general information, please contact CMC Member Services at office@cmc.org.