North Carolina Winter Mountaineering
By far, winter is one of the most exciting and diverse seasons to climb in North Carolina. You never know what you are going to get, but it’s sure to be a great time. This January, Ron Funderburke is offering a winter mountaineering getaway to showcase some of the amazing options we have in the mountains. This would be a great course for those climbers who wish to join us in New Hampshire in February, or for any climber who wants an introduction to climbing the greater mountain ranges.
Depending on conditions, the mountaineering getaway will follow one of three itineraries, Ice Climbing, Winter Rock Climbing, or Gully Climbing.
Ice Climbing Option: Climbers will arrive on Friday evening, quickly assemble gear for the weekend, and caravan up to our high camp along the Blue Ridge Parkway. There, commodious tents, a roaring fire, and hearty cold weather stew will help all climbers weather the chilly night time temps. On day one, we will ice climb at any of several venues along the Blue Ridge Parkway and Hwy 215. On day two, we will all complete a multipitch ice climb before heading back down into town for fond farewells.
Winter Rock Climbing Option: Climbers will arrive on Friday evening, quickly assemble gear for the weekend, and caravan up to our high camp near Table Rock North Carolina. There, spacious tents, a soul-warming fire, and a helping of gumbo will help all climbers weather the chilly night time temps. On day one, we will learn to rock climb in a combination of mountaineering boots, crampons, and rock shoes, gloved hands, occasional ice axe use, and more layers than we are used to from the summer. On day two, we will complete a multipitch winter rock climb to the summit of Table Rock.
Gully Climbing Option: Climbers will arrive on Friday evening, quickly assemble gear for the weekend, and caravan up to our high camp near Mount Mitchell North Carolina. There, cozy tents, a restorative fire, and warming winter stew will help all climbers weather the chilly night time temps. On day one, we will learn to climb steep snow, low-angled ice, and rock in mountaineering boots with crampons, using technical ice axes, and mountaineering ice axes. On day two, we will all climb a multipitch gully to summit of the rough ridge.
Participants need to equip themselves with the following prerequisite items:
- Cold weather apparel, including thermal layers, hats and gloves, a pair of warm boots for snowy conditions (preferably mountaineering boots), and waterproof outer layers.
- A cold weather sleeping bag, something rated at zero degrees is usually more than toasty enough, and a sleeping pad
- Personal necessities (toiletries, electronics, medications, etc)
Fox Mountain Guides and Climbing School will provide the following:
- All climbing equipment, including mountaineering boots, crampons, axes, ropes, and winter hardware.
- All camping equipment except the sleeping bag and sleeping pad, including tents, cooking equipment and serving items.
- All food for the weekend: two dinners, two breakfasts, two lunches, daytime snacks for two outings, hot drinks (coffee, tea, cider)
Minimum Age: 16
Climber to Instructor Ratio: 3:1
Cost: The winter mountaineering course is a little more expensive than our other courses because accommodations and food are included, there is an extra half day, the instructor to student ratio is much lower, and we use a wider array of equipment. We essentially add $100 to our regular course fee structure.
1:1 Course: $650 per person
2:1 Course: $470 per person
3:1 Course: $400 per person
Maximum enrollment: 6 students
Click here to book this course
Avalanche Awareness Course
Are you Avalanche Aware?
Do you ice climb? Do you ski? Do you snowshoe? If you answered yes to any these, then you should be asking yourself, "Am I Avalanche Aware?" In the Fox Mountain Guides Avalanche Awareness course, we will help you understand one of the most serious phenomena in the mountains.
We will learn about the following:
- Understanding/Identifying Avalanche Terrain
- Understanding Rescue Equipment/Tools and How to Use Them
- Understanding the Avalanche Forecast
- Recognizing Human Factors that instigate Avalanche
We will take you into the mountains to see examples of avalanche prone terrain, and you will learn to how to anticipate and avoid those areas. We will do rescue scenarios and put our equipment to work. We will look at avalanche forecasts and interpret data that is available to winter enthusiasts.
Avalanche Awareness is a great compliment to our Mountaineering 101 Course, Ice Climbing 101 or Ice Climbing 201 Courses.
What’s included:
- Accommodation with the instructors in a private 10 bedroom, 22 person Chalet in North Conway
- Full breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks included
*If you do not have one you will need to rent an Avalanche Transceiver. These can be rented at the local shops in North Conway at a reasonable price.
Dates:
Avalanche Awareness Course is Friday 8th February 2013
Book before September 1st and get a huge additional 15% discount, book before December 1st and get 10% discount!
Extra nights accommodation and meals at the chalet are available for $75 a night.
Number on course: Maximum of 6:1 client to instructor ratio
Course length: One Day
Cost: $150
Expeditions
Fox Mountain Guides and Climbing School offers expeditions to climb Aconcagua, the tallest peak in the Americas; its summit pushes to over 22,000 feet, and the technical obstacles are more complicated. Aconcagua is a serious mountain for those climbers who are seeking a serious adventure.
Click here for more information on our Aconcagua Expedition
Argentina, Aconcagua Expedition 22,841ft, (6,962 Meters)
"The Sentinel of Stone"Aconcagua, at 22,841 ft (6,962 meters) is one of the famous 'seven summits' of the world. It is the tallest point in the America's and the highest peak in the world outside of Asia. As it is one of the seven summits some people climb the "Sentinel of Stone" in a quest to reach the highest point on every continent while others scale this massive mountain as a stepping-stone to larger and more technical climbs.
"Aconcagua is one of the great mountains of the world, and it attracts mountaineers from all over the globe." R.J Secor
Polish Traverse Via Relinchos Valley
Our expedition begins in Mendoza which is a large but charming city. Beautiful parks and cafes abound creating a heavenly start and finish to this trip. After arrival to Mendoza we will spend the night here and secure permits before heading to Los Penitentes where the terrain begins to take a more noticeably mountainous look. Over the next several days, we hike comfortably with daypacks while mules carry our gear to our next camp each night. The first two days are spent traveling through the Vacas River Valley with the third day bringing us into the narrow Relinchos Valley and to Base Camp (Plaza Argentina) at 13,780 ft. Here, we will have full amenities (even beer for the descent!). After a solid rest day we will begin to shuttle our gear higher onto the mountain, acclimatizing as we move. We will establish two intermediate camps, integrating rest days before making our final move up to high camp at 20,505ft. Here we will have time to acclimatize, enjoy the scenery and review the necessary skills for our upcoming climb. This itinerary has extra days built into it for proper acclimatization and possible bad weather days.
Reasons to choose Fox Mountain Guides for your Aconcagua Expedition:
We have wanted to offer this expedition for a while now, but like everything else we do at FMG we wanted to ensure we were ready to offer the best product possible. This expedition will be different because we are only going to offer a maximum of 6 spaces, keeping the expedition small and intimate. Our goal is to offer a top quality expedition very unlike to the 'bargain' high volume cattle type expeditions that flood the market currently.
We will offer the highest quality, and qualified guides with incredible support, logistics and low ratios to create the highest quality expedition possible.
"Summiting Aconcagua in 1997 was an amazing experience, not only for the accomplishment but also spending time in the wonderful Andean Mountains and Argentina. I have always wanted for Fox Mountain Guides to offer this expedition. We have worked hard to find incredible guides to make it happen". Fox Mountain Guides Owner - Adam Fox
Expedition Dates: 28th December 2013 to Jan 17th 2014
Cost: $4,300
Cost Includes:
- Guides
- Tents, stoves, fuel and group expedition equipment
- All in Country transportation
- Mule transportation of equipment to basecamp
- Two nights accommodation in Mendoza
- All breakfasts and dinners while on the mountain
Does Not Include:
- Flights to/from Mendoza
- Individual Climbers Permit Fee
- Lunch food and food while in Mendoza or not on the mountain
- Tips for Mule Drivers, Porters, etc.
- Expenses incurred if you leave the expedition itinerary because of sickness and/or rescue
To book or ask questions call us now on 1-888-284-8433 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Mountaineering 101 Course
Do you need to know how to burrow out a tent platform in thirty mile an hour winds or learn to navigate in white out conditions? Our instructors will take you up to Mount Washington, where the snow is deep from December until March, and show you how to live, eat, and travel efficiently.
Our Mountaineering 101 Course is a skills packed four day program designed to improve your knowledge and skills for winter mountaineering objectives. This program is based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire from our spacious 10 bedroom chalet in North Conway and will spend at least one night camping in the mountains. In this program we will cover fast and light movement tactics and technical systems, putting together objectives that cover thousands of feet of terrain, teaching you that efficiency is one of your greatest risk management tools in the big mountains.
This course is perfect for those seeking to tackle alpine and mountaineering objectives and gain a solid foundation in mountaineering skills.
Topics Covered:
- Planning, preparation, and equipment selection
- Winter camping skills
- Mountain weather interpretation
- Risk management
- Basic snow and ice climbing techniques
- Mountain navigation and route finding
- Glacier travel techniques and crevasse rescue
What’s included:
- Chalet accommodations in our 10 bedroom, 22 bed chalet in North Conway, NH
- All food, hearty breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Professional Instructors
- All technical equipment (ice tools, boots, crampons)
- Four amazing days in the mountains!
Looking for an expedition? Check out our Aconcagua expedition.
Dates:
The Mountaineering 101 Course is Saturday 9th to Tuesday 12th February 2013
Book before September 1st and get a huge additional 15% discount, book before December 1st and get 10% discount!
Number on course: Maximum of 6:1 client to instructor ratio
Course length: Four days
Cost: $925.00