Level 1 mountaineering in Sierra Nevada, Guadarrama and Gredos

Level 1 mountaineering in Sierra Nevada, Guadarrama and Gredos

Develop your ice axe, crampon and rope skills for more demanding winter mountain terrain. This Level 1 course is for people who already have a foundation in winter mountaineering and want to progress technically.

Course content

• Complete mountaineering equipment: use and care.
• Advanced ice axe and crampon techniques.
• Movement on very steep snow slopes.
• Ice-tool technique and front-pointing.
• Rope-team organisation.
• Ascent and descent techniques.
• Avalanche safety equipment: transceiver, probe and shovel.
• Roped glacier travel and moving together.
• Snow and rock belays.
• Improvised abseil systems.
• Introduction to mixed climbing.
• Snow science.

Previous experience and personal equipment

• Completion of Winter Mountain Skills, or equivalent experience on PD-grade snow terrain, with the programme’s stated slopes of around 30–40°. PD is the alpine grade meaning “somewhat difficult”.

Practical information

• Duration: two days.
• Season: December to May.
• Hours: 08:00–15:00.
• Group: two to six participants.
• Locations: Sierra Nevada near Granada and Guadarrama near Madrid; Gredos is also named in the course proposal. Confirm the location and ask about other Spanish areas.
• Dates: ask for dates and availability.
• Places: contact us for current availability.

Included

• Qualified mountain guide.
• Public liability insurance.
• Accident insurance.
• A photographic record of the course.
• The stated personal equipment, including helmet, harness and carabiners.
• Shared equipment, including ropes, belay equipment, cams and ice screws.

Frequently asked questions

Can I join if I have never used crampons?

The course requires Winter Mountain Skills or equivalent experience moving on snow. If you are starting from scratch, ask about the basic winter skills course first.

Does the course climb a particular summit?

The aim is to practise techniques and rope skills for later mountain outings. The terrain and exercises are selected according to the syllabus, group and conditions.

Ask about dates and availability for this course.