Boulder Mountaineering School

Join us as we restart the Boulder Mountaineering School in 2026! This course goes back many decades and the new launch will be building off the structure of Denver’s popular Alpine Climbing School except with a more local Boulder vibe for meetups, training and adventure. This is a fun but demanding course where you will learn a lot with the opportunity to expand your community of mountaineering like folk.

Prerequisites for this course include a high level of fitness, some backcountry hiking experience, and a positive attitude. WFA and AIARE 1 are not required but are great courses for your mountaineering background.  

To graduate from the course you must attend and complete all of the following course days:

March 9: Intro night - introductions, gear, risk management

March 16 & March 22: Navigation - Lecture and Field day - getting lost in the Foothills of Boulder

April 29, May 2 -3 : Rock Climbing Lecture and two field days - basic anchors, self rescue, climbing

April 25-26: Snow - field days: crampon, ice ax technique, and anchors

In addition to the classes above you will complete the following trips once graduated as a team: High Peak Ridge Climb, Steep Couloir Climb, High peak overnight climb, and a crag day of rock climbing. Try to keep as many weekends open as possible in May and June.

Lastly, we are not a guide service; we are volunteers. We expect students to train, practice and participate in grad climb trip planning and preparation. 

Gear required: Helmet, harness, mountaineering boots, climbing shoes and crampons are the biggest items you’ll need to acquire beyond the usual camping/hiking gear/apparel. We do have some extra ice axes we can lend out on a first come first serve basis, along with a few pairs of crampons.