This is a little oriented more for ice climbers but the the 13th annual Adirondack International Mountainfest (January 16-18) will have teaching clinics on ice climbing, mountaineering, snowshoeing and avalanche awareness on Saturday and Sunday. Most clinics are limited to 8 participants and cost $ 90-150. To pre-registered check the brochure and call soon!
CLINICS
- Beginning Ice with Jim Pitarresi – Climb with Jim and learn about selection and use of gear; efficient use of tools; footwork. By end of day students should be proficient top roping moderate climbs.
- Cold Axe Bitches with Emilie Drinkwater – Emilie will introduce a small group of women to the sport of ice climbing. By the end of the day students should have refined techniques on near vertical ice.
- Beginning – Intermediate Ice with Janet Bergman – Ice climb with Janet and learn efficient use of tools and footwork on moderate ice. By end of day students should have refined techniques on near vertical ice.
- Go Climb a Slide with Jeremy Haas – Join Rock & River’s Jeremy Haas for a slide climb in the High Peaks. Practice fundamental snow & ice climbing skills and learn rope handling techniques for safe and efficient travel on exposed mountaineering terrain.
- Steep Ice for the Weak and Chickenhearted with Don Mellor -This seminar, designed mainly for competent intermediate ice climbers, offers technique and tricks for climbing steep ice.
- Advanced Ice with Conrad Anker – Ice climb with Conrad and learn special techniques required on steeper ice, thin ice, hollow ice and no ice.
- Guided Multi-Pitch Ice (Advanced) with Jesse Williams – Team up with a fellow participant and join local guide/AMGA certified rock instructor Jesse Williams from Cloudsplitter Mountain Guides for a guided multi-pitch ice climb. We’ll make the best use of the weekend’s weather and conditions and practice efficient climbing techniques and methods on longer and more exposed multi-pitch terrain.
- Unleash the Beast with Matt Horner & LP Ménard – Leashless climbing. Learn from two of the converted the tricks of climbing with leashless tools and how losing the leash has turned the sport of ice climbing into a ballet of freedom and movement.
- Snowshoe Mountaineering with Carl Heilman – After a brief introduction indoors in the morning – to get to know the group, pass out handouts, and answer some questions – we’ll head out in the snow to spend a full day climbing in the mountains, having more fun than you ever imagined you could have on a pair of snowshoes!
- Avalanche ABC’s with Chuck Boyd (One Day Course) – If you are an avid mountaineer or backcountry skier, having the skills to asses avalanche terrain and make the right decisions is a must. This course provides the approved curriculum of the American Avalanche Association and National Ski Patrol, for Avalanche Awareness.
- Beginning – Intermediate Ice with Conrad Anker – Ice climb with Conrad and learn efficient use of tools and footwork on moderate ice. By end of day students should have refined techniques on near vertical ice.
- Cold Axe Bitches with Emilie Drinkwater & Janet Bergman (Intermediate to Advanced) – Ice climb with Emilie and Janet and learn special techniques required on steeper ice, thin ice and hollow ice. By the end of the day students should have refined techniques on more difficult ice.
- Intermediate – Advanced Ice with LP Ménard – Ice climb with LP and learn special techniques required on steeper ice, thin ice and hollow ice. By end of day students should have refined techniques on more difficult ice.
- Avalanche Fundamentals & Rescue – AF&R is a pre-requisite for taking a level 2 avalanche class. If you plan to continue with your avalanche education and certification you should take this half-day class, which builds on what you learned Saturday with more in-depth information, especially on avalanche rescue. Also available on Monday.
Special Presentations
- Friday evening’s festivities begin at 8pm at Keene Central School and entry is $12 at the door. Telluride Mountainfilm will open the Mountainfest on Friday night with a custom compilation of the best films from Mountainfilm’s 9-year history on tour, with a focus on ice climbing and mountaineering videos. This will be preceded by a short slide show by Olaf Sööt and Don Mellor about Alpine Americas, their new book of fantastic photographs and essays about “an odyssey along the crest of two continents.”Saturday evening will feature a presentation about the life of the late Alex Lowe at Keene Central School. The evening’s presentation will be preceded by raffles and tomfoolery as well as a short award-winning film by Sam Lowe on the Antarctic. The show begins at 7:30pm at Keene Central School and entry is $10 at the door.On Sunday evening Janet Bergman will present a slideshow of her often-humorous efforts to satiate the climbing obsession. This show begins at 7:30pm and will be held at the KVFD fire hall on Market Street, just down the street from Keene Central School in Keene Valley. Entry is $10 at the door.
In addition to the clinics and presentations there will be an ice wall for demoing equipment from Petzl, Black Diamond, La Sportiva, Scarpa, OR and MSR.