Matt from Australia, January 2013:
“I absolutely enjoyed my time with Alpinism and Ski. The TMC course was an excellent course which provided much of the training I was hoping to attain. Gaz’s knowledge was incredible, and he taught me a great deal which I could not learn in Australia. Though, those crevasses are bloody dangerous, and it was nice to get an introduction to them. Both Gaz’s and Iris’s hospitality in Wanaka was a welcome attribute, and I enjoyed the charm of the town. Also, Ziggy is an awesome dog. Reminds me of my Samson. I will be recommending Alpinism and Ski to anyone who is interested in learning any of their courses or looking for guiding. I’m sure I’ll be back soon. Thanks again!”
Matt roped up for glacier travel coming down the Fox Glacier
January had Gary instructing Matt from New Castle Australia the skills required for alpine climbing for NZ and global mountains (Matt having aspirations of international peaks in the future). The course was based at Pioneer hut at the head of the Fox Glacier. A storm in the middle of the 7 day course had very strong winds – the weather forcast was predicting 150 kmph winds at 2000m and 3000m elevations. The team and the hut weathered it well. Fresh snow made for some interesting glacier travel and use of a pre prepared navigation plan was needed for the first part of the journey from Pioneer down to Chancellor hut.
Before driving back to Wanaka, Matt enjoyed using his Alpine climbing skills on the blue ice of the lower Fox ice.
Ever been interested in an alpine climbing instruction course in New Zealand? learn, refresh and upgrade your skills with this:
- Total Alpinism technical mountaineering instruction
- Dates : 6th – 12th January 2013
- price NZ $ 2830 per person
- There are 3 spots left on this course, max. 4 participants
This will be our one and only scheduled course summer season 2012-13 for individuals keen to share cost and adventure. Get in touch now for more information.
Top instructor Gary Dickson in person will run this course, be prepared to get challenged in the Southern Alps. Good fitness level and some previous climbing experience is expected as this is more for intermediate mountaineers then total beginners.
learning to place ice screws on a climbing course
End of the month, two fit fellas will be arriving from Aussie to go on an intermediate-advanced climbing course with mountain guide Gaz. The NZ weather looks to have settled into a more settled state of play and alpine conditions look excellent for the 10 day specialized mountain training.
If you are looking for a climbing course we have two sceduled courses comming up:
- Intro to alpinism - 6 days 20th-25th February
- Total Alpinism – 7 days 04th-10th March
If you are an individual or a group looking to have a week of private mountaineering instruction, just get in touch and we can see if we can fit around your schedule.
Michael and James, a week with ISM, here on Tête Blanche
August last year, Thanks for the feed back and photos Michael:
“Dear Gary,
On behalf of James and myself, thank you very much for an excellent week at the Orny and Dix huts. It was an ideal mix of instruction, rockclimbing, snow and ice experience, and mountaineering on mixed terrain. Mt Blanc de Cheilon was a great way to end the week – a beautiful mountain and a superb, satisfying climb. Thank you especially for your patience and for not only ensuring our safety but taking the time at every stage to explain clearly what we were doing and why. We also greatly appreciated your steady pacing, which provided several first-hand examples of the hare and tortoise principle in practice; I can’t speak for James, but do not underestimate the achievement of getting me to the top of Mt Blanc de Cheilon in (just) under guide-book time, still breathing comfortably and with an acceptable pulse-rate.
Many thanks again.” Michael Firth
James enjoying the views from the summit of Mont Blanc de Cheillon, Matterhorn in the background( above his helmet) - well done team!
Winter mountaineering skills in the Southern Alps; training for a Patagonia adventure
September 2011
“We’ve had a great trip as part of our training for our Patagonia trip. We loved being taken up to the Tasman Glacier and improving our off piste skiing skills and we appreciated the expertise Gary showed in extending our skills slowly but surely. We came away refreshed and more informed and skilled for future ventures. Great food, great fun, great location, great weather.
The hospitality back in Wanaka is exceptional – thanks for feeding us beautiful food and making us so welcome.”
Linda, Kerryn, Rob – here a link to their Patagonia adventure and more
Snow and ice techniques on a mountaineering course
crevasse rescue on an instruction course
pitching up a ridge on an alpine instruction course
The New Year is approaching fast and the last few weeks have brought us excellent weather for adventures in the Southern Alps.
We have two mountaineering courses on the program, one for beginners and the other for intermediate to advanced mountaineers keen to brush up, renew and confirm their alpine climbing skills to stay safe in the mountains while having fun, here the details:
- Intro to Alpinism, 6 days from 20 – 25th February 2012, $ 2426 pp
- Total Alpinism, 7 days from 4 – 10th March 2012, $ 2830 pp
One of those mountaineering instruction courses could be just right for you, so don’t hesitate and get in touch for more details.
For now:
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Working as a trainer for the New Zealand Mountain Guides Assn, Gaz and his small team flew up to Centennial hut in windy, cold South West conditions. His crew made up of 3 Fox Glacier guides who are keen on the NZMGA Alpine Trekking Pathway and one from Invercargill/Queenstown keen on becoming a NZMGA ski guide. There is an excellent amount of snow cover on the glaciers and lots of good guide techniques taught to the students . After a couple of days in that location they then re-located to Pioneer hut and finished the 6 day mountaineering instruction course at Chancellor hut from where they flew back down to Fox. A good week in the Southern Alps to improve technical skills and knowledge.
Need a mountain guide during December/January?
Due to a cancellation, Gaz is available for personalized mountain guiding or offer you a great mountaineering instruction course…
Guided walks in the Wanaka area and Mt Aspiring National Park. There are Rob Roy Glacier Cirque, Glacier Burn taking the Eastern branch of the Matukituki, Diamond lake loop track for those with only a small half day to spare: great views of Mt Aspiring, the river and Lake Wanaka. Even if you only have a couple of hours, they are so worth while checking out the best view points and eco tours in our Wanaka paradise…. call Iris for suggestions
Life is too short , let's get out and play
Southern Alps of New Zealand, a great play ground for Alpinism
May 2011
Dear Gary,
I’d just like to take the opportunity to thank you again for your help, support and instruction on our recent visit. We all appreciated the way in which you were able to tailor the package to meet our requirements and were most impressed with the professional conduct and level of instruction given. Everyone gained a huge amount and this has hopefully sewn the seeds in the guys to take this new capability forward. Please pass on our thanks to Callum and Iris for their instruction and assistance during the package.
We look forward to having the opportunity to work with you again in the near future to help further develop our capability in the mountains.
Best wishes and safe climbing.
Frankie
G.J. FRANCIS
mountaineering courses in New Zealand, specialized training
wild & full on, beautiful & awesome
Perched high in wild places for alpine climbing
NZMGA Mountain guiding course participants being trained by Gary - remarkable range, Queenstown.
A fantastic sunset on the west coast during an NZMGA mountain guiding training and assessment course
Gary teaching candidates rope skills on a NZMGA mountain guiding course
Mountain guiding training – In a weeks time, Gary will be training and assessing for 14 days on a New Zealand mountain guides association course. Along with fellow trainer and assessor Dave McKinley, Gary will spend the two weeks with 5 candidates who are being training and assessed in the different aspects of mountain guiding and instructing mountaineering, to the international standard that the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association ( NZMGA) and International Federation of Mountain Guides Association( IFMGA) require.
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Matt from Australia, January 2013:
Themocracy