THE HAMS 2003 HIGH ALTITUDE MOUNTAINEERING SCHOOL

Fellow CMC'ers,

Thanks for your interest in this year's addition of HAMS' High Altitude Mountaineering School. The school was created to address the needs of CMC members for training and experience in high altitude expedition climbing. Using the wealth of expertise available in the club, we've assembled an experienced group of instructors to pass on their knowledge to their fellow CMC'ers. This is our seventh year, and in each year, we've seen a growth in interest for the school and already, many of our graduates have gone on to participate in expeditions to high peaks all around the world.

When we say high altitude, we are referring to climbing areas that offer unique problems of extreme altitude, complicated logistics, and technical difficulties not typical of our mountains in Colorado. Often for the sake of an example, we use the popular West Buttress Route of Mt. McKinley in Alaska as a benchmark that illustrates all these problems. Such an expedition requires months of planning and conditioning, special skills and techniques, and intense teamwork among all expedition members. Through our companion High Altitude Mountaineering Seminar and the field work in our school, all these issues are covered in a comprehensive manner.

This is not a school for beginners. The school is open to all CMC members who meet the minimum entry requirements and have strong goals and a desire to complete the school. To apply, fill in the attached application form. Be sure to complete the back of the form as relates to why you wish to be in the school and what your future goals in climbing may be. Because of the time and effort involved in putting the school together and the rigorous nature of the field sessions, we are not interested in someone who simply wants to collect another school certificate. Rather, we're interested in those applicants with clear goals and a strong desire to stick with the school, finish it, and get real use out of the training. Consider honestly your abilities and goals before applying. If you have questions, feel free to call us anytime.

Ken Yarcho
Director, High Altitude Mountaineering School
985-9301, HAMS.School@cmc.org

Schedule

Application