Winter Alpinism Course L1

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A four day winter High-Mountain Alpinism Course is a comprehensive training in the use of crampons, ice axes, avalanche ABC, trip planning, navigation and basic rope techniques in the mountains:

Preparation for independent and safe high-mountain tourism in winter. Accommodation in the Morskie Oko Shelter in the Tatra Mountains and reliable Black Diamond equipment.

All this under the watchful eye of an experienced mountaineering instructor of the Polish Mountaineering Association.

 The course is conducted according to the PZA program, which we have expanded to include the basics of ice climbing and the basics of avalanche abc.

The high-mountain winter tourism course in the Tatra Mountains constitutes the basis for winter tourists and is intended to teach and prepare you for independent and safe movement in winter in mountainous terrain, but not for climbing and for practicing alpine tourism. During the 4-day high-mountain tourism course, an instructor with extensive mountain experience will show you how to prepare for and carry out the expedition safely, how to use winter equipment, how to perform basic rope operations and what to do in an emergency situation, as well as teach you the most important basics of avalanche science and avalanche abc handling.

Note: this is a framework training program, the order of implementation of individual blocks may change. The exact course and implementation of the course program depend primarily on current weather and avalanche conditions.

Practical classes – block 1

• walking with and without crampons,
• moving with an ice ax, braking falls and belaying with an ice ax,
• moving around in crampons and with an ice ax in various terrains and configurations,
• braking with sticks,

Practical classes – block 2

• avalanche ABC support – probe, shovel, detector,
• avalanche exercises in the scenario: one searcher, one buried, 3 people searching, 3 buried,
• avalanche exercises in the scenario: buried without the detector turned on,
• basics of partner avalanche rescue,

Practical classes – block 3

• basics of the art of survival in mountain terrain,
• rules of camping – planned and emergency, including building a snow pit,
• navigation basics,
• ice climbing,
• basic knots and uses of rope,

Practical classes – block 4

• a trip in high mountain terrain and further learning how to navigate in snow, rock and ice terrain (the trip can only take place in the event of appropriate avalanche and weather conditions!) ,
• learning flight belaying, i.e. moving around exposed areas with a rope,
• types of belaying with and without a rope in rock, snow and ice terrain,
• construction of belay points and rappel stations in snow and ice