2025 Climbing School

Registration is now open for the 2025 Los Alamos Mountaineers Climbing School

Dear Mountaineers,

We are thrilled to announce that the Los Alamos Mountaineers, in conjunction with Mountain Skills Rock Climbing Adventures of Taos, will be offering an outdoor climbing school. Mountain Skills, supported by Mountaineers volunteers, will teach rock climbing with a safety-first attitude, including movement on rock, belaying, rappelling, cleaning protective gear, and removing anchors, with extensive on-rock practice. The course book will be “How To Rock Climb” by John Long and Bob Gaines. The course objective is that successful students should develop the skills needed to participate in top roping, follow a leader in a multi-pitch trad climb, and be able to climb or descend moderate technical obstacles in unplanned backcountry situations using improvised gear (e.g. rope and carabiners). No previous rock-climbing experience is required.

Outdoor sessions will be held at Northern New Mexico climbing areas, principally Tres Piedras; the Mountaineers encourage and will help organize carpooling. The outdoor sessions will encompass a full day (6 hours) on the Saturdays of April 26, May 3, 10, and May 17, with a backup date to make up any weather cancellation on May 31. Participants will sign a Los Alamos Mountaineers waiver at the first session, and additional waivers as requested by Mountain Skills.

Participants should bring their own lunches and water to these outdoor sessions. Mountain Skills will provide equipment (helmets, harnesses, climbing shoes) based on the information provided by participants in their registration form.

The cost for the school will be $650; a slot in the school will be secured when (1) participants sign up online here,  (2) payment is received by the Mountaineers, and (3) participants sign up for Mountaineer membership, if not members already. (Participants may also want to provide an optional tip for the Mountain Skills instructors at the conclusion of the course.) Payment may be made by check, made out to “Los Alamos Mountaineers”, mailed to LAM c/o Claire Schappert at 115 Grand Canyon, White Rock, NM 87547. The school will take place if we register at least 7 participants and will fill at 25 participants.  Payment will be refunded only if the slot can be filled by a suitable replacement. Participants will be responsible for obtaining their own copy of the course book. Registration will close on April 1.

Thanks to a generous donation from Suzy Miller and William Straight and an additional generous donation from Junie Jansen, both in honor of Jim Straight, the Mountaineers are offering 3 scholarships to help climbing students with their enrollment fees. The scholarship application form can found here:  https://lamountaineers.org/pdf/Scholarship_application_2025.docx.    Completed forms should be sent to Toni Taylor at taylortrugman@gmail.com by noon on April 1, 2025.

Participants should be at least 18 years old, except that 16- or 17-year-olds can take part if a parent or guardian is present at all outdoor activities, either as a fellow student or an observer. All participants should be members of the Los Alamos Mountaineers; joining the Mountaineers is easy, and can be done at https://www.lamountaineers.org/drupal7/Member_Benefits.html.

The climbing school has been a highlight of the Mountaineers year for decades. Friendships made at the climbing school lasted for years, and participants went on to become Mountaineers participants and leaders. We trust that this experience with the climbing school will open the door to adventures for decades to come.

We'd love to have you. For further information on the Climbing School or the scholarship, please contact Toni Taylor.

Sincerely, Toni Taylor for the Mountaineers Board

Preliminary schedule:

• April 26: Climbing movement, introduction to belaying. 

• May 3: Belaying and climbing fun, simple anchors.

• May 10: Introduction to trad equipment, removing gear, seconding, climbing fun.

• May 17: Cleaning of sport anchors, more climbing. 

• May 31: Back-up day in case of bad weather cancellation