The Expedition Training Course is a deep dive into "Big Mountain" logistics. We fly you into a remote base camp in the heart of Aoraki Mount Cook National Park to maximise your time in the mountains and avoid heavy load carrying.
You’ll be mentored by our expedition veterans who have led on every continent. This is where your journey to the Seven Summits begins.
Prepare for the world’s highest peaks in the same rugged terrain that forged Sir Edmund Hillary’s career.
The Aoraki Mount Cook region is a world-class proving ground, offering the vertical scale and glaciated complexity of the Himalayas without the debilitating effects of extreme altitude.
This Expedition Course is designed to give you the practical skills, judgement, and confidence to be a vital asset ina guided expedition team. The training is hands-on, progressive, and grounded in real expedition systems.
You will leave with:
A Foundation of Expedition-Ready Skills: Proficiency in the core skills required for safe glacier and remote mountain travel, along with weather forecasting, snow, and surface condition assessment.
Strategic Planning & Logistics: An understanding of how to prepare, pack, and plan for the unique demands of an overseas expedition.
Camp Craft & Management: The confidence to establish, maintain, and manage a high-functioning base camp in extreme environments, with emergency options.
Technical Knowhow: Competence with fixed-line techniques, axe and crampon use, crevasse self-rescue systems, sled rigging, fixing, and towing. Navigating with modern tools vs map and compass.
Modern v Traditional Navigation: Training in using digital tools alongside the essential "fail-safe" skills of map and compass.
Personal Performance and Limits: A heightened sense of your physical and mental capabilities when operating in a sustained, challenging alpine arena.
Previous alpine or rock climbing experience is not required for an Expedition Course.
Key prerequisites:
You’ll be moving in a natural mountain environment. Endurance and steady pacing are the keys to success at altitude.
We fly into and out of the mountains, so extended heavy load carrying is rarely necessary. You’ll typically only carry heavier loads when shifting base camps.
NZAC Discount:
New Zealand Alpine Club Members can receive a 10% discount on this course.
Check with us before booking, with your membership number, and we can supply a promo code.
Looking for a personalised experience?
Make it private for a flexible schedule, customised objectives, and one-on-one time with your guide.
