Mountain Skills Course (MSC)

Meet your guide and team at Guides' Base. Your guide will review of the course plan. You will learn about the essentials of weather forecasting, as well as gear and clothing selection for winter conditions. We check, pack gear, food, and assign rental equipment. Each person is expected to carry a share of food and cooking equipment and to assist with preparing meals. All utensils and cooking equipment are provided. You will spend the night in Mt Cook Village.

Early morning, you will ascend to Mueller Hut, discussing route finding and navigation on the way. In the afternoon, we focus on avalanche safety, identifying avalanche terrain, and practising rescue skills.

Spend the night at Mueller Hut.

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We begin the day with snow skills, safe use of crampons and ice axe, including self-arrest and techniques to suit the terrain. We'll apply these skills to terrain and route choice. In the afternoon, you will cover:

• Additional techniques for safe travel
• Simple rope systems, like human and terrain anchors, and setting up a handline and belay.

To finish your (big) day, you will learn how to make an effective emergency shelter and discuss strategies for camping. Second night at Mueller Hut, or a bivy in your emergency shelter!

You will be up early (alpine start) to venture further into the Sealy Range, with the possibility of an climb of Mount Oliver or Kitchener. In the afternoon, you will pack up your gear at Mueller Hut and descend to Aoraki Mt Cook Village.

Back at base, we unpack, return rental gear and debrief your course, finishing up around 5 pm.

A one-day weather contingency is built into the course (at no cost to you). Please allow some flexibility in your travel plans to allow for this.

If we face a tough weather forecast at the course start, we have the option of starting (and finishing) one day later. This allows us to take advantage of the best weather, and make good use of your time.