Advanced Alpine Mountaineering Course

The Advanced Alpine Mountaineering Course develops the skills and refines the strategy and tactics to attempt bigger and more technical alpine climbing objectives in New Zealand and overseas. We take small groups or established climbing partnerships and coach them to achieve more challenging alpine climbing and mountaineering objectives.

Location

The Advanced Alpine Mountaineering Course can be based in either the Aoraki / Mount Cook, or Westland National Parks. The exact venue will be decided at the start of the trip to make the most of the weather and conditions. Possible venues include Plateau Hut, Tasman Saddle or Kelman Huts at the head of the Haupapa / Tasman Glacier, Barron Saddle Hut and the Mueller Glacier, Pioneer or Centennial Huts on the western Fox and Franz Neves.

Participants can join the course in Wānaka or meet in Mount Cook Village.

Alpine Mountaineering Course Syllabus

Our intensive Advanced Alpine Mountaineering Course is designed for climbers looking to develop their alpine skills in ropework, climbing, strategy, and trip planning. This provides the confidence to tackle bigger and more challenging mountaineering objectives on New Zealand’s big glaciated terrain and high peaks.

If you have already completed a mountaineering course, have applied those skills in your own adventures, and spent time developing specialist skills (such as ropework, avalanche or ice climbing), this course will be the next step in your mountaineering apprenticeship. For more advice on choosing your next course see our Mountaineering Course Progression:

Mountaineering Course Progression

Advanced Alpine Mountaineering Course Topics include:

Glacier travel and crevasse rescue
Trip planning, strategy, and tactics
Weather and avalanche awareness
Snow and ice climbing, protection, and anchors
Alpine rock climbing, protection, and anchors
Technical multi-pitch strategies
Equipment selection
Route planning and navigation

Check out our Downloads page for course resources.

Fitness and Difficulty Requirements

Wanaka Mountain Guides [] Mount Sefton at Dawn

Wānaka Mountain Guides - Advanced Alpine Mountaineering Course

To get the most out of the course, participants should have good fitness and the ability to ascend and descend 1000m in a day.

Participants should have already attended a mountaineering course and consolidated these skills on a number of self-led mountain trips

Equipment

For more information and advice on buying your own gear, check out our Gear and Clothing Advice for Summer Mountaineering and Alpine Climbing.

Mountaineering Gear Advice

Pricing and Dates

Duration: 5 – 7 days

Maximum ratio: 1:3

2025/26 Price:
5 / 6 / 7 days: $3450/ $4140/ $4830 per person (1:2)
5 / 6 / 7 days: $2750 / $3300 / $3850 per person (1:3)

2025 Dates:
3rd – 7th November: Places available
17th – 21st November: FULL
1st – 5th December: Places available

Private courses for individuals or groups can be arranged at any time. This allows you to choose the number of people, dates, and duration, and tailor the course content to your specific requirements.

Inclusions: GST, guide fees, compliance costs, course resources, mountain accommodation and food, technical equipment, and transport from Wānaka.

Exclusions: Flight into and out of the mountains.

Flight costs depend on location. For smaller groups and at popular times of the year, it may be possible to share with other parties to share this cost or walk down to a lower pick-up or walk-out.

Walk-in/out options: Bonar Glacier in the Mount Aspiring Region, Brewster Glacier, Sealy Range.

Indicative flights costs (prices are subject to change by the aircraft operators):
Upper Tasman: up to $1500 per group in each direction
Plateau Hut or Westland Glaciers: up to $1000 per group in each direction

See Also Specialist Mountaineering Courses

Wanaka Mountain Guides [] Remarkables Mountaineering Course — **Alpine Rock Climbing Course**

Wanaka Mountain Guides [] Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue — **Alpine Rock Climbing Course**

‘[Our guide] did an outstanding job of creating building blocks of learning – e.g. around crevasse rescue – so each of us was able to assimilate the learning involved at a rate that was appropriate for each of us. He also very skilfully managed and created situations where we could test ourselves at a level at which we were comfortable, without specifically calling this out. He is exceptional as a guide and brings a number of qualities to guiding which are very difficult to teach and which make him stand out to me.

— Ruth, Summer Mountaineering Course

‘Thank you for your patience and good humour. Pretty much everything I did last week was new and challenging and generally way outside my comfort zone. But despite having by far the least experience of the group you managed it in such a way that I never felt I was too much of a drag. I could not honestly say I enjoyed everything as I was doing it but I am really pleased I did do it and I am looking back with great fondness on the week. I am going to try and continue rock climbing (and to do it without whimpering) and I am determined to master prusiking. I will be ready to cross any glaciers around Sydney.’

— Duncan, Summer Mountaineering Course

‘[Our guide] showed a high level of experience, knowledge, and professionalism in all areas of the course and were also able to convey their knowledge in a logical way that made it easy to progressively learn and practice all the skills. The skills were also taught at a rate that meant I was continually challenged to think about what I was learning and what to do next, but also in a way that made sense and gave us time to absorb all the information so everything came together at the end when we consolidated our learning on the final day on the mountain.’

—Katie, Summer Mountaineering Course