Remarkables Mountaineering Course

The Remarkables Mountaineering Course is based out of Wānaka with day trips to local rock climbing crags and the mountains of the Remarkables mountain range near Queenstown. This is a popular venue for year-round mountaineering with easy access via the ski field. Courses run throughout the year and allow focus from winter mountaineering skills through to alpine rock climbing and scrambling. If the weather allows, it is possible to bivi or camp at Lake Alta to maximise time in the mountains.

Location

The course is based in Wānaka and makes a series of day trips to local rock climbing crags and to the Remarkables mountains near Queenstown. If the weather allows, it is possible to camp or bivi one or more nights up at Lake Alta in the Remarkables. his requires carrying in your overnight gear for an hour or so to the campsite.

Course Syllabus

The Remarkables Mountaineering Course can be tailored to the participant’s previous experience. Private courses with low ratios are great ways of developing a climbing partnership for bigger objectives.

Course resources can be found on our Downloads page.

Topics can include:

Snowcraft including ice axe and crampons (July to November)
Ice climbing (July and August)
Belaying and abseiling
Equipment selection
Multi-pitch climbing including stance management, rescue, and descent
Alpine rock climbing, scrambling and ridge traverses (December to April)
Wild camping

Remarkables Mountaineering Course Itinerary

Day 1: We usually kick off at the Wānaka crags. This gives us the opportunity to develop rock climbing, movement, and ropework skills to transfer to the mountains.

Day 2: It is a one-hour walk to Lake Alta where (subject to weather) it is possible to camp or bivi for one or more nights of the course. This provides easy access to the mountain terrain and a range of objectives to develop skills.

Day 3 – 4: The culmination of the course is an ascent of the summits of Single or Double Cone. Early in the season, this requires ice axe and crampons and from late summer, the route involves scrambling using hands and easy rock climbing.

Fitness and Difficulty

To get the most out of the course, participants should have good fitness and the ability to ascend and descend 1000m in a day. You should have a good head for heights and experience off-track trekking.

Some experience with ropework, including knots and belaying is recommended.

Pricing and Dates

Duration: 3 or 4 days

Dates: All year

Get in touch to arrange dates for private instruction.

2023/24 Price:

4 days $1250 / $1690 / $2350 per person for 4 / 3 / 2
3 days $950 / $1250 / $1690 per person for 4 / 3 / 2

Includes: GST, guide fees, compliance costs, transport from Wānaka, and technical equipment hire.
Excludes: Accommodation in Wānaka, lunch and snacks, and boot and rock shoe hire (if required).

Maximum ratio: 1:4

‘[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.

— Ruth, Summer Mountaineering Course

‘Thank you again. That was an awesome day out and I really appreciated how generous [Our guide] was with his time and knowledge. [He] crammed in more than I thought possible in a day.’

— Megan, Remarkables Alpine Rock Climbing 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