2011-2012 Schedule

All events are entered on a Google Calendar which is at the bottom of this page and also available:

Here is a general overview of what's in store...

Time Commitment

  • The Mountaineering School kicks off mid October and finishes with a graduation trip in mid February
  • There are 9 classes, 8 stair challenges, 7 outings and 1 graduation trip
  • The schedule follows a one "week on", one "week off" approach

    On the "week on"

    • 1 Stair Challenge held on Monday evenings at the University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning
    • 1 Class held on Tuesday evenings from 7:00-10:00pm in a classroom local (Pittsburgh) classroom TBD (Pitt or CMU campus likely)
    • 1 day-long/weekend-long outing at various nearby locations
      • There are 4 day-long outings scheduled for Saturdays, usually lasting 8 hours
      • There are 3 weekend-long outings (i.e. Saturday through Sunday) typically entailing driving Friday evening, camping Friday & Saturday nights and then home by Sunday evening
    • Students are required to attend every class, outing and stair challenge

    On the "week off"

    • A stairs session is required.  Repeat the session from the week before and optionally up the ante in preparation for the following week's challenge (add weight, more trips up, more down, etc.)
    • Day hikes on local trails every Saturday (or possibly a night hike on a weekday). Students are required to attend at least 4 of these hikes

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Curriculum (Classes & Outings)

  • Intro Party:  All potential new students, past students, instructors and committee members are invited.  Find out what the school is really about!  Hear about past trips and trips being planned for the future.  Come on out, even if you're not sure you will be able to take the school.  It's a great chance to ask questions and meet people involved with the school. See Intro Party for specific information.
  • Fitness & Climbing Skills Checkout:  There are minimum fitness & climbing skills requirements that must be met in order to be accepted into the school.  Prospective students will be asked to come out and demonstrate that they can meet these.  See Qualification for more details.
  • Mountaineering 101 - Class #1:  The school's first class!  An overview of mountaineering gear and concepts, complete with live demonstrations and discussions about gear and clothing requirements.
  • Mountaineering 101 - Outing #1 (day-long):  Hike the morning, pick a campsite, set up camp, cook your lunch, break it down, hike it out.
  • Land Navigation - Class #2:  Review reading maps, planning routes and employing compass skills.
  • Land Navigation - Outing #2 (day-long):  Practice what you learned in class out in the field on an Orienteering-type challenge
  • Mountain Medical & Emergency - Class #3:  Learn of the dangers that you'll be exposed to in the mountains and how to recognize, avoid and treat them
  • Backpacking - Outing #3 (weekend-long):  Pulls together all you've learned in the first three classes into a weekend-long backpacking trip into the back-country.
  • Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue - Class #4:  Learn how to rope up and travel across a glacier, how to rescue someone who has fallen into a crevasse...and what to do when you're the one that has fallen in.
  • Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue - Outing #4 (day-long):  Go out in the field and practice what you learned in class.  We may not have glaciers and crevasses in Pittsburgh, but we do a pretty good simulation.
  • Alpine Rock Climbing & Self-Rescue - Class #5:  Learn the fundamentals of climbing rock in a harsh alpine setting, how to second a leader and react in basic rescue scenarios.
  • Alpine Rock Climbing & Self-Rescue - Outing #5 (day-long):  Go out in the field and practice what you learned in class.
  • Christmas Party:  A chance to get together, talk shit, and drink beer!
  • Mountain Environment & Hazards - Class #6:  Learn of the hostile mountain environment.  How to read its weather and its snowpack.
  • Alpine Rock Climbing & Bivy - Outing #6 (weekend-long):  Climb and bivy atop Seneca Rocks in winter!  Can your fitness carry you from an alpine start to the summit...in full pack and boots?  Can your fingers take the cold?
  • Snow & Ice Climbing - Class #7:  Learn the basics of snow and technical ice climbing.
  • Snow & Ice Climbing - Outing #7 (extended weekend-4 days): Conditions permitting, it's a chance to get out and swing some ice axes, set some snow & ice anchors, and practice self-arrest! The extended outing is not mandatory, there will also be a substitute weekend outing scheduled.
  • Expedition Planning - Class #8:  Learn about the "mountain before the mountain" - how to take on the task of planning a successful expedition.
  • Grad trip planning - Class #9:  Apply everything you've learned to plan your graduation trip.
  • Graduation Trip!:  At 6,288 feet (1,917 meters) Mt. Washington, New Hampshire is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States and boasts some of the worst weather in the world.  The highest recorded wind gust on the Earth's surface was observed here at 231 mph (372 kph)!  Your graduation trip will take you to this daunting place for a 4-day mountaineering adventure in mid February.  The summit on a day in this same time frame last year posted a low of -9 F (-23 C), an average wind speed of 46 mph (74 kph) making for -44 F (-42 C) wind chills, not to mention a peak wind gust of 93 mph (150 kph)!  Are you up to the challenge?

Reading Assignments

Each class will have a reading assignment to be completed before class.

Stair Challenges

Climbing the 36 floors of the Cathedral of Learning is an excellent way to work your aerobic capability and hill climbing muscles - it's a great workout!  Add boots and a pack with weight to better simulate what your body must do on a mountain.  These mandatory workouts, besides being a good way to get to know your fellow students and instructors better, provides a way for us to track your fitness.

    #1:  6 repetitions, no weight, no boots

    #2:  8 repetitions, no weight, no boots

    #3:  4 repetitions, 10 lbs (4.5 kg), boots

    #4:  6 repetitions, 10 lbs (4.5 kg), boots

    #5:  4 repetitions, 20 lbs (9 kg), boots

    #6:  6 repetitions, 20 lbs (9 kg), boots

    #7:  8 repetitions, 20 lbs (9 kg), boots

    #8:  12 repetitions, 20 lbs (9 kg), boots

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Embedded Calendar