Welcome to the Olympia Mountaineers Basic Climbing Course Student Manual!

The Basic Climbing course is a combination of lectures, field instruction, and climbing experiences with an emphasis on active, hands-on learning to achieve the goal of teaching students to climb safely on rock, snow and the glaciated peaks of the Pacific Northwest.

Taking this course is a great way to learn solid climbing fundamentals, meet new climbing partners, and find opportunities to climb some of the area's most spectacular peaks. Students with some prior climbing experience typically learn new skills, improve their prior skills, and become better rounded climbers. This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of basic alpine climbing involving roped rock and glacier climbing. The course is physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding, as well as a big commitment of time, but the rewards are many.

The Olympia Branch climbing program is committed to supporting a diverse climbing community in spaces in which we live and recreate. We strongly encourage applications from people from underrepresented communities.  

 Specific Course Info

Olympia has two Basic Climbing courses to learn to alpine climb: Basic and Compressed Basic. Basic Climbing starts in the winter and goes into the summer. Compressed Basic Climbing is done over two weeks in spring or early summer and may not be offered every year.