UCPA Alpine Video
Check out this great little video from the UCPA which gives you a good idea of what the Alpine courses are all about. Don’t worry though, the guides speak good English too!
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Tags: Action Outdoors, Alpine Climbing, Alpinism, Mountaineering, UCPA
Alpine Mountaineering Course Levels
We have created this page for anyone looking to take part in one of our Alpine Mountaineering courses. If you have any queries regarding your level or course content please feel free to contact us at info@action-outdoors.co.uk or give our office a call on 0203 328 5443
| Course | Beginner | Improver | |||
| Level | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Experience | None | 1-2 Weeks | 2-4 Weeks | 4-6 Weeks | More than 6 Weeks |
| Skills/Techniques | See Level 1 Techniques | See Level 2 Techniques | See Level 3 Techniques | See Level 4 Techniques | See Level 5 Techniques |
| Alpine Grade | F to PD | PD to AD | AD to D | D | D to TD- |
Level 1 Techniques
- Put on a harness
- Tie in with a figure of 8 knot
- Prepare the rope for climbing
- Belay a lead climber
- Protected abseil
- Safety on belays
- Clipping into protection
- Walking with an ice axe
- Basic crampon use on easy slopes
- Coiling a rope
- Moving together on Glaciers
- Knowing what to carry in your rucksack
- Communicating on the rope
Level 2 Techniques
- Clove hitch and Munter hitch
- Using slings on rock spikes
- Body belays
- Using an ice axe pick and adze
- Using crampons on moderate slopes, front point technique
- Belaying a lead and second from an equipped belay
- Protection while moving together on easy terrain
- Self protected abseil
Level 3 Techniques
- Use of autoblock knots – prussic etc.
- Munter hitch belay
- Protection while moving together on moderate to steeper slopes
- Placing traditional protection on rock
- Coiling rope ready for abseil
- Building belays on rock, ice and snow
- Dynamic lead belaying
- Front point crampon techniques
- Ice axe techniques
- Navigation in good visibility
- Understanding climbing guides
Level 4 Techniques
- Double fishermans knot
- Setting up abseils
- Climbing with twin ropes
- Linking abseils
- Aid climbing
- Steep crampon techniques
- Climbing on mixed terrain
- Simple pulley system
- Planning a route
- Navigation in bad visibility
Level 5 Techniques
- Auto belaying/ moving together
- Specialist belays: dead man, snow anchors, ablakov
- Multiple pulley systems
- Building traditional belays
- Planning, leading and organising a climb
- Safety in remote terrain
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Friday Foolery 16
First of all apologies for missing out on last weeks Friday Foolery…. it completely slipped my mind! For those of you not familiar with the blog Friday Foolery is our lighthearted dose of internet fun to lighten your afternoon.
This week we have a video of a Norwegian polar explorer finding one of his food stashes on his return journey, we haven’t got a clue what he is saying but his feelings on the matter are fairly self explanatory! Anyone who has ever hungrily devoured a packet of sweets after a long mountain day will have some idea what this guy is experiencing. Absolutely brilliant.
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Exciting plans afoot……
As the winter season winds down we are starting to take stock and make plans for the summer and next year. One of our big projects this summer is a revamp of the website which we are very excited about! There are a couple of errors here and there which we are keen to get ironed out and our in house graphic designer is all set to give it a visual make over.
Most importantly of all we want our new website to be enjoyable and easy to use for our customers, and that’s where we need your help. We would invite anyone who has ever used our website to send us some feedback via email (info@action-outdoors.co.uk) or through facebook or even just by commenting on this post. Anything you like about it, hate about it, what features you use, any you would like to see – whatever you think good or bad. It really would be immensely helpful to us and will hopefully enable us to create an awesome website which will be a joy to use so please do get in touch!
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Friday Foolery 15
I guess that most people who are interested in bikes will of heard of the star of this weeks Friday Foolery but for those of you who haven’t check out the mad skills of Danny MacAskill. Danny is a revolutionary trials rider mixing the flow and style of dirt jumping with the precision of trials riding to produce something truly spectacular. As anyone who has ever tried to bunny hop of their parents front wall will appreciate his bike control is next level. Enjoy and have a great weekend!
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Tags: Friday Foolery, Video
It’s official…Spring is Here!
The last day and half it has been bucketing down with snow and mysteriously this morning the boss wasn’t at his desk…… We will let him off though as he has spent most of the season injured listening to our skiing tales. At lunch he returned to report excellent conditions and muchos fresh powder at Grand Montet! The snow has come as a welcome refresher for the resort, after having such a great season so far we were wondering if maybe our luck had run out but the snow keeps on coming. After a lovely warm week there were a few bare patches appearing but the recent dump has tidied all of that up as well as giving a bit of March Pow action!
Lunch today was taken on the terrace in the sun for the first time this year with more prepared members of staff sporting sun glasses while the rest of us squinted at our tuna sandwiches. It was extremely pleasant to be sat basking in the sun but more to the point amazing skiing in the morning followed by a sunny warm lunch on the terrace can only mean one thing……SPRING IS OFFICIALLY HERE! There is also the small matter of it being the Spring Equinox today which is the actual official definition but I think mine is much more important.
Spring skiing is really just a few magical weeks in between the heart of winter and the close of season when you get the best of both worlds, warmth and skiing! With a huge base of snow on the ground and our latest dump of snow spring skiing is going to be superb this year, particularly if you fancy a bit of ski touring. Another great thing about spring is the prices are lower, the closer it gets to the end of the season the lower the prices as the resorts wind down and the snow starts to disappear, after such a great season though there’s an awful lot of snow to disappear!
So why not check out some of our spring and Easter deals and grab yourself a spring skiing bargain!
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Tags: Chamonix, Skiing, spring, spring skiing
Friday Foolery Episode 14
For this weeks Friday Foolery episode is following on with our Alpine climbing theme. Check out Ueli Steck’s speed ascent of the Eiger North Face in 2 hours and 47 minutes. To put that in context the first ascent took 3 days! The Eiger’s North Face is one of the most iconic faces of the Alps, the original attempts to climb the face claimed many lives, the stories were well documented in the media. The story of the North Face is told in the classic mountaineering book, the White Spider. Ueli’s ascent is nothing short of spectacular in terms of his skill, level head and insane levels of fitness. If his antics are getting you psyched for a bit of Alpine action why not check out our new Mountaineering Courses!
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Tags: Alpinism, Mountaineering
Alpine Mountaineering Anyone?
There is something very special about Alpine climbing, there are any number of adjectives I could use to describe it, exhilarating, stunning, exhausting and terrifying are a few which spring to mind. The Alpine environment is a truly beautiful and majestic place to be, the sheer scale of the environment is awe inspiring.
Becoming an ‘Alpinist’ is a daunting process and mistakes in the mountains can be severely punished. There is a huge amount to learn and it takes a long time to gain the skills and knowledge required to move safely and efficiently. Unless you are lucky enough to have an experienced friend willing to take you out and teach you then the options available are the self taught approach or a course.
There are a number of good books available nowadays but there really is no substitute for experience. Operating safely in the mountains requires fast efficient movement and calculated decision making both of which take time to develop. For the majority of us with full time jobs time in the Alps is limited, poor route choices and decisions often result in wasted mountain days and failed objectives which are ultimately less enjoyable and potentially dangerous.
An Alpine course is a great way to quickly develop the skills and knowledge you require so you can make the most of your time. Practical skills such as rope work are far easier to learn when demonstrated in context by a person rather than copied from a book. When climbing with an experienced guide you also pick up a wealth of hints and tips worth more than any book. The problem with guided course is they tend to be rather expensive. You can expect to pay around £1000 for the course and generally another few hundred pounds in extras such as food, lift passes or hut nights not included.
We are proud to be able to offer you our UCPA Mountaineering courses for £529 for a week’s beginner’s course and £624 for a week’s intermediate/advanced course. Our courses are based in Chamonix, the Alpine climbing capital of Europe, and are run by very experienced guides qualified under the rigorous French system. Courses include the following:
- Accommodation
- A qualified mountain guide
- All your food including picnics for mountain days
- Any hut fees
- Lift pass
- Equipment hire
You would struggle to arrange an unguided Alpine trip to Chamonix for the same price and you can be sure that a hot buffet and a comfortable bed are far more appealing that cooking on a primus stove and a tent after a long day in the mountains!
The focus of the course is on giving you the skills, knowledge and confidence to climb independently whilst climbing some great routes along the way. It is far more than simply guided climbing, you will learn about rope work, moving over different terrain (snow, ice, rock), using crampons and axes, understanding conditions, choosing and planning a route, decision making in the mountains and a wealth of practical knowledge such as effective glove systems or what to pack in your bag.
If you would like any more information on the courses please do not hesitate to get in touch with us at info@action-outdoors.co.uk or by calling us on 0202 328 5443. We will be posting more information on our Alpine courses soon!
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Tags: Action Outdoors, Alpine Climbing, Alpinism, Climbing, Mountaineering, UCPA
We are happy to announce the winner of our February Action Cameras competition is Caroline H! Congratulations, a Drift HD camera (worth £269!) is winging it’s way to you now.
We have yet ANOTHER camera available from our generous friends at Action Cameras to give away! For March’s competition check out our facebook page, we want to know ‘Which song or movie title best describes you skiing or boarding?’ – comment and share to enter!
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Tags: Action Cameras, Competition
Recent Entries
- UCPA Alpine Video
- Alpine Mountaineering Course Level Guide
- Friday Foolery 16
- Exciting plans afoot……
- Friday Foolery 15
- It’s official…Spring is Here!
- Friday Foolery Episode 14
- Alpine Mountaineering Anyone?
- Friday Foolery Episode 13
- New March Action Cameras Competition!
- Summer Program 2012 Now On Sale!
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