Day 1. - We leave Huaraz early in the morning (4:30am) heading for the nearby glacier of Pastoruri, a 1 1/2 hour drive. Upon arrival there is a short hike to our campsite, where we drop off our camping gear and suit up for the day on the glacier. Our cook will remain at the campsite to set up the tents, keep an eye on our things and prepare a delicious dinner so it is ready for our return.
We continue up (20 minutes) to the glacier (5000 meters) where the course begins with an introduction to all of the gear and some general concepts important to mountaineering. During this 40-minute talk we explore the different hazards associated with mountaineering. Following that, walking with crampons is practiced right there on the ice, then lunch and a lesson on how glaciers are formed. After lunch we'll head up onto the glacier to a good steep slope where we practice self-arrest, rope team travel techniques and introduce snow anchors. Around 5:30 pm we wrap up for the day and descend back to our camp for a hot drink, a delicious dinner, and some sleep.

Day 2. - Breakfast is at 7:15 am and class begins at 8:00 am. We spend the morning in campsite learning belay systems, equalized anchors, and haul systems - all components of the crevasse rescue system which we delve into right before lunch. After thoroughly understanding the system on dry land we return to the glacier around 2:00pm where we put our new skills to the test at the edge of a live crevasse. The entire afternoon is dedicated to the practice of this important skill "crevasse rescue" as crevasse fall is common hazard of a non-technical glaciated climb. That evening those who still have energy can make the 20-minute walk to visit a spectacular ice cave, which tunnels 50 meters underneath the glacier.

Day 3. - .We leave campsite at 7:00am and head up to the ice for a climb on Pastoruri Mountain. Participants take charge of the climb using the skills learned in the previous 2 days. We wander through crevasse fields and over some technical terrain where both running and fixed belays will be used. At some point during the day, a surprise crevasse fall (and rescue) will be performed. Around noon we end up at an ice wall where participants will set up an anchor and spend the remaining 3 hours vertical ice climbing on their very own top rope belay system.
Around 3:30 pm we return to our camp, gather our equipment and head down to the bus and on to Huaraz. We will stop briefly to visit a grove of rare, spectacular "Puya Ramondi" plants which live for 80 years reaching an amazing 8 meters in height! We will be back in Huaraz around 7:00 pm where all participants receive a certificate of achievement and possibly begin to plan their first climbing expedition!

6 Day Course Details - . The core teaching days of the 6 day course are similarly structured as the 3 day course. The differences between the two come from a change in location as well as the inclusion of a summit attempt on the mountain Yanapaqcha (5460 meters). Day one leaves a bit later from Huaraz (8am) and drives up the Llanganuco valley to the popular Cebolla Pampa trail head. This is the entrance point for the Pisco climb and also the Laguna 69 trek. Yanapaqcha sits at the head of the same valley. A few hours hiking from here will bring you to the basecamp for the course and climb, situated at the foot of the Yanapaqcha glacier and next to a beautiful alpine lake. Some preliminary skills will be presented this first afternoon after camp is set and an orientation to the area has been given. The following three days will run on the same itinerary described above. Day 5 of the course will be a summit day, leaving camp about 4am and climbing through the morning hours on the flanks of the mountain. Slightly more technical than Pisco, Yanapaqcha offers slopes up to 60 degrees in verticality, as the route winds through big blue crevasse fields and tops out on a very defined summit point with views of Chacaraju, Pisco, Chopicalqui, Huascaran, and more! After the descent you have a final evening at your camp and day 6 will be a hike out to the road and your pick-up vehicle and a 2 hour journey back to Huaraz.
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