HOME |
You must be a member to take the courses. If you want to register for a course, sign up at a monthly meeting or refer to the club Events Schedule for the name of the instructor to contact. Descriptions are listed below, and dates, times, and locations will be updated as available on the Events Schedule, in The Ascender online newsletter, and at club meetings.
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION AND GEAR SELECTION The purpose of the orientation is to introduce new members to the outing coordinators and provide information about the club in general. In addition, data about mountaineering in the Las Vegas area will be provided, e.g., what to do where and in what season and what books and websites might be useful. The outing coordinators will orient members on the types of gear on the market. Experienced points of view and opinions about what works and what doesn’t work for many activities from basic day hiking to advanced mountaineering will be included. The course will cover a broad range of seasonal equipment from technical clothing and modern fabrics to sleeping bags, tents, stoves, climbing gear, crampons, and just about anything else we use in the mountains. The course may include demonstrations of equipment covered. INTRODUCTION TO ROCK CLIMBING
RAPPELLING
CLINIC This course is a continuation of the Introduction to Rock Climbing Course. It is intended to provide members more instructions on rappelling down after a rock climb, including multi-pitch climbs. Instructions will be provided for the use of multiple ropes, knots, and anchors. CLIMBING
SELF-RESCUE Climbing
can be a great life-fulfilling sport and as safe as driving your
car. However, climbers and mountaineers are always subject to the
objective dangers of the mountains. Rock fall, loose rock, or a
simple fall can put a climbing team into situations that may require
one of the climbers to aid others. This course will cover techniques
in escaping the belay, getting to an injured climber including the
leader, and lowering/raising systems. The course is intended for
intermediate to advanced climbers with experience placing traditional
gear anchors. The skills covered in this course are essential to
climbers and mountaineers seeking the freedom and exposure of traditional
or sport climbing. BEGINNER BACKPACKING Backpacking is an activity almost anyone can do. Walking is the most basic form of transportation and the only one that allows you to move slowly enough to truly experience the natural environment around you. A wonderful aspect of backpacking is going to a place only accessible by foot. Think of all the people who will never travel beyond pavement, they will never see these hidden treasures - a secluded lake, a scenic overlook - but you will. This course is designed to give you an overview of what backpacking is, how to get started, what gear, clothing, and food you need, and to answer any questions you may have about spending a night or two (or more) in the wilderness. We will begin with an orientation meeting and then, while all the information is fresh in your mind, we will go on an easy beginner backpack so that you can experience what it's like. We encourage not only complete beginners to attend but also relatively new backpackers who may have already been on a couple of trips but who still have questions. Apart from teaching simple backpacking techniques, this course is also a prerequisite to mountaineering, and except for local day hikes and climbs, most of our out-of-town activities involve traveling and sleeping in the backcountry. WINTER
CAR CAMPING This course instructs members in the basic skills and equipment necessary for camping in a winter environment. Camping will occur at one of the campgrounds in the Mt. Charleston area, since it is close to home. Also, if the conditions are too much for members, then home is only a short trip away. WINTER
BACKPACKING
CROSS-COUNTRY/BACKCOUNTRY SKIING
BASIC
SNOW SCHOOL This course instructs members in the skills required to travel snow slopes typically encountered in mountaineering. This includes self-arrest with and without an ice ax, kicking steps, glissading, roped snow climbing, and more. The course will be 100% field work, and the location will depend on snow conditions and availability. The course may be conducted at Mount Charleston, in southern Utah, or the Sierra. Due to the nature of the course, it may be taught by members of the club or by a professional organization out of Bishop, California. If a professional organization is used, a fee will be required. Members may also encounter other expenses, depending on the course location and accessibility. Winter clothing suitable for a day of practicing (including lots of sliding) on snow slopes will be required. Ice axes, crampons, and climbing helmets will also be required. Some rental equipment is available for those in need, and we may borrow from some of our benevolent, well-equipped senior members. ADVANCED
SNOW SCHOOL This course instructs members in more advanced skills required to travel snow slopes and glaciers typically encountered in mountaineering. This includes glacier travel, rope work on the glacier, crevasse rescue, snow anchors, belays, and much more. The course may be conducted in the Sierra Nevada or the Mt. Charleston area depending upon the snow conditions. The club members may encounter expenses depending on the course location and accessibility. Suitable winter clothing, ice axes, crampons, and climbing helmets will also be required and may be rented if necessary. MAP & COMPASS Map and compass is designed to provide the beginner with practical compass and map reading skills used in orienteering and land navigation. The course includes classroom study and covers a wide range of topics, including an introduction to the standard "orienteering" compass, its use and construction, basic navigation skills, using the compass with and without a map, correcting for declination, map symbols and markings, mapping techniques and map construction. The class will focus primarily on the practical aspects of using a map and compass for land navigation but will introduce some advanced topics to provide the student with an in-depth look at map and compass techniques. After the classroom work, the student then goes into the field to practice classroom skills by navigating a compass course across the desert in Cottonwood Valley in the southern part of Red Rock. You do not need to purchase a compass prior to attending the class, several will be available for use and you will be better prepared to purchase a new one after learning more about them. ADVANCED
MAP & COMPASS - ORIENTEERING This course will provide practical experience using a map and compass in a real-world environment by orienteering some of the terrain in the Mt. Charleston area. Orienteering is a great skill to learn for route finding in more mountainous regions of the world. Maps will be provided, but the member will need to provide their own compass. ICE
CLIMBING Ice climbing involves skills similar to rock climbing, but the ice climber uses crampons and technical ice tools to scale ice. Ice climbing is an excellent skill to learn if you foresee alpine-style mountaineering in your future. This course is not designed for beginners because it requires basic rock climbing skills including belaying and rope management. We will set up top ropes on easy ice so participants can get a feel for the gear and medium of the sport. Ice protection, gear, and ice climbing skills will be discussed with a focus on climbing ice efficiently. You will need to provide adequate cold weather clothing including a waterproof parka, warm synthetic layers (fleece & underwear), waterproof pants, and gloves. You must also have gaiters, technical crampons, a harness, belay device, a climbing helmet, plastic boots or leather boots stiff enough (basically rigid) for ice climbing. Having your own technical ice tools is a plus, but the club can supply a limited quantity to share among the participants. Course availability and dates depend on ice conditions. FIRST
AID AND CPR CERTIFICATION The course date is coordinated by the club, but instruction is provided by Prism because they are appropriately certified to teach members First Aid and CPR. As a result, you will be required to pay the fee for the class. This course is a requirement for club members to become outing coordinators. Training Course Terms
NOTE: For some courses, gear such as special clothing, sleeping bags, tents, backpacks, etc., is required. If you do not have this gear, the instructor will attempt to provide it for you. However, you may be required to purchase gear in certain instances. If you have an interest in any of the courses outlined here, or have some ideas for courses you’d like to see offered, feel free to talk to any of the club’s officers or directors or e-mail info@lvmc.org. Enjoy
the outdoors!! |
Training
is one of our most important club functions, and it is essential
to learn safe and effective mountaineering practices if you plan
to climb or travel with the Las Vegas Mountaineers Club in mountainous
regions. There is no instructor's fee to members for courses. However,
this is not to imply that training is substandard. On the contrary,
similar training would cost an average of several hundred dollars
per course, in addition to the cost of travel.
Are
you interested in rock climbing and have little or no experience?
Well, this is the place to start. The course teaches the basics
of climbing hardware, knots, belay instruction, rappelling and much
more at Red Rock Canyon or a similar area. 
This
course is similar to Beginner Backpacking, but it teaches basic
skills for backpacking and camping in snow. The member is responsible
for appropriate backpacking equipment and the club can supply one
four-season tent. Other gear arrangements and requirements will
be addressed by the instructor. Location depends on snow conditions.
The
Backcountry Skiing course is designed to introduce participants
to the techniques and gear required to ski in the backcountry. Backcountry
skiing is a beautiful thing. Forget those ski resorts, crowds, and
expensive lift tickets (we call that “lift-assisted skiing”).
Backcountry skiers enjoy the pure beauty and challenge of the winter
wilderness without lifts or groomed slopes. Backcountry skiers do,
however, need a wide range of skills to ascend and descend safely
and effectively. One course cannot cover all aspects in depth, so
this course is a very good overview. Backcountry skiing involves
some cross-country skiing skills and much more. It includes traveling
on level or low angle snow, climbing slopes on skis or on foot,
skiing downhill in backcountry snow conditions, and identifying
and avoiding avalanche hazards. We place emphasis on using Telemark
(free heel) gear and techniques for reasons too complicated to explain
here. In the last few years, we have typically used a location north
of the Mammoth Ski resort in California. Snow conditions and other
factors may dictate an alternate location or date. Unless you own
suitable gear, you will need to rent backcountry skis, boots, and
poles. The instructor will locate a rental vendor. Participants
should have some experience on downhill or cross-country skis. The
course is not suitable for those with no skiing experience.Home
| Meetings | Trips
& Events | Members
Area | Message Board
| Photos & Trip Reports
Training | Who
We Are | Join Us | Classic
Peaks | Links | Contact
Us
©2002-07
Las Vegas Mountaineers Club, all rights reserved.
Dedicated
to the preservation and enjoyment of the mountains.
Website Problems. Contact
Us.
