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Technical Mountaineering Course | Summer 2011/12

The TMC is a complete introduction to climbing, living, and surviving in the mountains. The course will provide a kick-start to your climbing exploits.

All instruction takes place in the serious mountain environment of Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, although the course is flexible enough to move elsewhere for a few days should the weather become inhospitable. The skills you acquire on the TMC will take you readily into any other mountain range in the world.

Testimony to the TMC’s is it’s longevity. We have run this course with few changes for more than 25 years. Literally generations of Australasia’s best climbers started their careers on a TMC.

The primary strength of the course is that it strikes a balance between instruction of techniques, and practical application - in realistic situations. The emphasis is on education, travel on, and awareness of all types of mountain terrain, not just purely technical climbing. We believe this is the most important element of your “mountain education”.

You can expect to climb 2 or 3 peaks, (progressively more technical summits) building on your knowledge, as you apply this to real-world situations.

Aircraft access is used to optimise the climbing time available. This also allows us to gain exceptionally good instructional venues, and reduces heavy load carrying. Each day’s activities will usually run for 8-10 hours, although longer and more strenuous days can be involved.

What You Will Learn

Topics covered on your course include:

  • Equipment, what to bring and how to use it
  • Trip planning and preparation
  • Knots and hitches for mountaineering
  • Snow and Ice Climbing
  • Abseiling,belay techniques and systems
  • Snow, ice, and rock anchors
  • Step, and stance cutting
  • Alpine rock
  • Glacier travel and crevasse rescue
  • Route finding
  • Emergency shelters
  • Rope management
  • Mountain weather, and forecasting
  • Avalanche hazard evaluation introduction
  • First aid for mountaineering
  • Mountain navigation
  • Hut management, and food preparation

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Price and Inclusions | 2011/12

Cost: NZ$3,325 per person

The course fee includes:

Maximum and Minimum Bookings

All TMCs are limited to a maximum of 8 participants. The maximum guide to participant ratio is 1:4.

Minimum Bookings

We guarantee to run the course you are booked on, with the following modifications:

  • One person only: We shorten the course to 7 days
  • 2 people only: We shorten the course to 8 days

Reporting Details

All TMC’s begin at 13:30 and finish at 12:00 midday on the final day. These times fit with scheduled bus services.

Please report to Alpine Guides shop in Mt Cook Village ›

Private Courses

If the TMC format, or the dates do not work for you - contact us about arranging a private course.

Private TMC's can be arranged at any time over the summer months (November - April) for groups of 2 or more people. You can choose dates, duration, and tailor the content to your specific requirements (subject to guide availability).

See the "Private Instruction" package for details ›

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Experience Required

The TMC is a great follow-up to our Mountain Experience Course (MEC). Course participants often have longer-term ambitions for future independent mountaineering.

Technical skills required

Prior alpine (snow and ice) mountaineering experience is not required.

We expect all participants to have rock climbing skills. You should:

  • Be comfortable seconding to AU grade 14 rock
  • Know basic climbing knots (e.g. Figure-8, Clove Hitch, Italian Hitch)
  • Be familiar with tying into and using a harness
  • Able to operate a belay device and belay a partner

The TMC involves learning some complex rope systems. Without prior rope-handling experience the course will present too steep a learning curve. Any rope skills from caving, abseiling, or rescue work are transferrable.

A high level of aerobic fitness is required

Previous bush-walking/trekking experience is expected, as you will carry a backpack each day, and a heavier pack for long days, if walking out at the course conclusion.

Read more about fitness for mountaineering ›

The “TMC Tune-Up”

If your rope/rock climbing skills are rusty, you should do the TMC Tune-up ›

The TMC Tune-up is an one and a ½ day clinic, designed to get you ready for the level of rope-work expected on the TMC. A TMC Tune-up runs prior to every TMC ›

Mountain Hut Venues

The TMC will normally be based out of a mountain hut at the head of the Tasman Glacier. This area is fantastic venue (easily accessible by air) that offers a number of peaks, snow and ice ascents, plus mixed and alpine rock routes.

Tasman Saddle is slightly east of the Main Divide. It is often possible to be out climbing here when the parties at West Coast venues (just kilometres away) are hut-bound due to bad weather from the west.

In order to make optimum use of time available, the course will fly in. This avoids a 2 day walk in. Depending on weather and conditions, other venues can include Centennial Hut at the head of the Franz Josef Glacier, or (less frequently) Plateau Hut, on the Grand Plateau.

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Course Daily Organisation

When dealing with a dynamic environment it is not realistic to plan fixed day-to-day schedules. Instead we work around prevailing weather and snow conditions to provide the most comprehensive coverage of all the course topics.

After meeting your teammates, the first afternoon involves an outline of the course and an equipment check. If there is time some initial instruction (roping-up for glacier travel, for example) will be covered.

You fly in to the mountains at the first possible opportunity, usually the morning of day 2. Expect to be in the mountains for up to 7 or 8 nights of the course.

The first few days typically involves more theory and instruction. As you progress the focus shifts to more climbing, putting to good use the skills you develop.

Instructional days will begin at around 07:00. When climbing on good weather days you may have “alpine starts” - as early as 04:00 if tackling a longer ascent. Most day's activities will have you out for 8 to 10 hours.

During any poor weather you will be busy with rope skills, theory, and practical - using instruction venues close to the hut.

We aim to have you back in Mount Cook Village by late afternoon on the final full day.

Egress from the mountains

Two options are available at the end of the course: walking or flying out.

1. Flying out at course end

This is the more common choice, as it maximises time spent on climbing and instruction. The cost of flying out is additional to the course fees. Please, always budget for a flight out.

  • Range of costs possible: NZ$160 to NZ$320 per-person
  • Typical average cost: NZ$190 to NZ$210 per-person

Read more about air transport ›

2. Walking out at course end

Walking is the most physically demanding part of a TMC, and must be done inside course time. In some situations it may not always be possible to walk out.

Read more about walking out ›

Equipment and Clothing | TMC

Download the equipment checklist for the TMC (.pdf 200 Kb) ›

Please let us know what gear you need to rent - including any equipment supplied free of charge.

Choosing your clothing | Seasonal Variation

Our gear lists cater for all eventualities. Sometimes you may not require everything on the equipment list. Weather and conditions when your trip starts will help determine what is needed.

Temperatures, weather, and snow conditions will vary. The program is designed to work around these changes. Read about Weather & Snow Conditions, Summer and Winter ›

Questions about clothing and gear? See the Equipment & Clothing Guide to gear for mountaineering in New Zealand ›