Mountain Skills

Take advantage of OPC’s awesome location at the foot of the Mountains at Tongariro National Park. Courses may be run out of a specialized mountain skills facility at Tukino or Whakapapa on Mt Ruapehu. We offer a range of courses for beginner to experienced mountaineers.

Please note that courses require a minimum of three people to be able to run. If the scheduled dates don’t suit, get a group together and book your own tailor made course.

Introduction

This course is designed for those with limited or no experience of winter mountaineering and have the desire to gain skills for safe travel over snow. It will set you on the right track to venture out into the mountains under your own steam.

This course includes route finding, navigation, avalanche and weather assessment, learning about technical gear and snow shelters. Technical skills covered will include: self arresting, step cutting, cramponing, basic snow anchors and technical rope skills. 

Intermediate

Our Intermediate Mountaineering course is designed for people wanting to pursue more technical mountain climbing, it is suited for people who have completed the Introductory Mountain skills course or equivalent. In this course there will be an extension of navigation techniques, weather and avalanche assessment, understanding the rope skills needed for pitched climbing on snow and ice slopes, steep climbing techniques, glacier travel and extraction and living comfortably in a snow environment.

 

 Please note that courses require a minimum of three people to be able to run. Get a group together and book your own tailor made course.