The Bellingham Basic Mountaineering Course will teach you skills you need to safely travel on rock, snow and glaciers. You’ll learn about:

  • Evaluating weather, alpine hazards and snow conditions
  • Wilderness first aid
  • Equipment selection and use
  • Climbing knots and basic rock climbing techniques
  • Rope management
  • Navigation, route finding and basic avalanche terrain evaluation
  • Snow and glacier travel techniques

2025 Course Fee

If you cancel your participation in the course before Jan. 1, 2025, you’ll receive a refund of the course fee minus $10;  no refunds after Jan. 1, 2025.

The Fine Print

Here are important things to know before you apply.

  • The Basic Mountaineering Course is a big commitment! It requires a significant investment of time, energy and money. See the 2025 Course Schedule for dates and locations for next year. Please do not apply for the course unless you can attend ALL field trips, lectures and evaluations.
  • The course includes a mandatory rock climbing field trip in Canada, so students must be able to legally travel to Canada.

How to Apply
2025 applications are now closed. Applicants will be notified of their status by the end of November.

Financial Assistance

We know costs add up quickly, especially when you also need to purchase gear. We encourage students to apply for our scholarship program, which is funded by generous donors to make courses more accessible. Your application for financial assistance must be processed before registering for the course, so it’s a good idea to apply now. Learn more and apply for a scholarship.

Learn More

Review our Course Manual to learn more about our field trips, gear and required reading.

The Bellingham Mountaineers are committed to building and fostering a representative climbing community that reflects the spaces in which we live and recreate. We recognize that outdoor recreation has historically excluded communities of color, women and LGBTQ people. Hence, we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other underrepresented communities.