High Sierra Mountaineering & Rock Climbing
TECHNICAL
- Belaying a Climber
- Campcraft
- Knots
- Map and Compass
- Navigation
- Rappelling
- Safety and Risk Management
- Site Management
INTERPERSONAL
- Character
- Conflict Resolution
- Empathy
- Independence
- Leadership
- Positive Risk Taking
- Problem Solving
- Responsibility
- Self Awareness
- Self Confidence
- Service
Student Story
"By the end of my mountaineering course, we actually operated on our own. In the beginning, the instructor guided us. I realized that there were no instructors cooking, we set up the tarps, we went to bed on time. Something in me became resourceful and independent and I felt really strong. The Outward Bound course is the greatest experience I ever had - where I was able to find myself and appreciate where I am and what I can offer the world."
- Alfred Lin
This 14-day mountaineering and rock climbing course takes you into the highest, most beautiful and most demanding terrain the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range has to offer.
As mountaineering is one of the most rugged ways to travel, you’ll use technical skills and specialized gear to summit mountains and traverse some of the country’s most prized wilderness. This course will test limits and reward your crew with panoramic views from remote peaks.
As the course progresses and the group’s skill and experience increase, Instructors will turn more responsibility over to the crew. This is the group’s opportunity to make the course their own unique experience – determining each day’s challenges and working together as they complete the course.
NOTE: This course requires that students submit proof of "Up-to-Date" COVID-19 Vaccination status as defined by the CDC. For questions regarding this policy please see this page or call us at 866-467-7651.
UPCOMING COURSES
This course is closed for the season.
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
APPLY NOW – Almost Full
This means there are three or fewer currently available spots left on a course. To secure your spot click Apply Now to begin an application!
JOIN WAITLIST
Once a course has reached capacity, three waitlist positions become available. To join a course’s waitlist, click “Join Waitlist” to begin the application process. A $500 deposit is required. This $500 deposit includes a $150 non-refundable application fee and a $350 tuition payment. The $350 tuition payment is refundable only if you cancel your waitlist application or if an open position does not become available. If a position does become available, the applicant will be applied to the open position and the Application and Cancellation Policies of the Regional Outward Bound School will be followed, including forfeiture of the $500 deposit if you cancel 90 days or less prior to the course start date.
Waitlist applicants are encouraged to complete all required admissions documents while awaiting an open position. Positions may become available up to two weeks prior to the course start date. Applicants may only apply to one course. We recommend applying to a course with open positions instead of a course that is accepting waitlist applications. If you have questions, please call 866-467-7651 to speak with one of our Admissions Advisors.
CALL TO APPLY
This means a course is very close to its start date. Although it is unlikely to secure a spot this late, you can call the National Admissions office at 866-467-7651 to discuss your options.
COURSE IS FULL
When a course has reached maximum capacity, meaning all spots and the three waitlist spots are occupied, a course will read “Course Is Full.” This means applications are no longer being accepted.
CLOSED
As a course nears its start date, the availability status may read “Closed.” In this event, a course roster has been finalized and applications are no longer being accepted or processed.
Rock Climbing
This course begins with 1-2 days of rock climbing. Participants will learn the basics of climbing technique, belaying and knots, while building trust with team members and confidence in themselves. This will provide participants the opportunity to learn movement on rock and comfort in exposed terrain, as well as rope systems that will be used on technical mountain travel later in the course.
Mountaineering
Mountaineering is distinct from backpacking in that the peak attempts climb steep, exposed routes and require the technical protection of ropes. The multi-day mountaineering expedition will take participants into the heart of the Sierra Nevada and cover skills like navigation, knots and hitches and travel on rock and snow, depending on seasonal weather patterns.
In addition to technical skills, Instructors will teach and facilitate the interpersonal skills needed for participants to function effectively as a team, accomplish goals, and tackle new challenges every day. Challenges on course are designed to encourage participants to take risks, draw upon inner resources and develop trust in one another, all of which they’ll call upon during peak attempts. With lighter packs, participants will start before the sun rises to summit a mountain. The reward is a 360 degree view and an unforgettable sense of accomplishment.
With the demanding aspect of a mountaineering course, participants will need to have backpacking experience or be very fit to join a mountaineering course.
Solo
Outward Bound believes in order for profound learning to take place, there must be time to reflect on the experience. Within course, the solo is that opportunity. It is a chance to experience solitude in the wilderness without distraction while also taking a break from the physical rigors of course. Students are separated from their group for a period of time which depends on course length and Instructor assessment of group capability. Solo sites are chosen to provide solitude. Participants have all necessary equipment, food and water. Solos range in length from 12 hours to 72 hours.
Outcomes
Outward Bound courses vary in length from four (4) to 85 days. On shorter courses, participants will receive an introduction to leadership skills, strength of character and a desire to serve while activities fill most of the time and the pace is quick. With longer courses, the same outcomes and benefits are achieved with the opportunity to reach a more profound level of mastery as there are more chances to develop technical skills, receive and implement feedback and further personal development. However many days the expedition lasts, the strength and impact of the experience lasts a lifetime.
Mountaineering, rock climbing and wilderness navigation techniques are great practice for the essential skills and habits that help prepare for new challenges at school, work, home and in the community. Outward Bound expeditions encourage students:
- to remain engaged and present, giving every challenge the best effort, even when the goal seems beyond reach.
- to form a team and focus on the team effort.
- to share responsibilities, communicate and lead. Leadership roles are shared within the group, and responsibilities rotate each day.
- to find reserves of tenacity and compassion. Outward Bound courses are designed to expand and stretch your limits so that every expedition is a true accomplishment and a memorable journey.
Course Area
The Sierra Nevada range is California’s backyard and wonderland of wilderness, waterfalls, lakes and peaks. It’s an enormous range — spanning more than 400 miles from north to south, and 70 miles east to west. Courses take place in the southern and western parts of the Sierra: Ansel Adams Wilderness, Yosemite National Park and Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park.
Summer in the Sierra is mostly sunny with occasional rain and cold evenings. Snowfall is unlikely, though June courses may traverse atop lingering winter and spring snow. Summer temperature tends towards the 70s to 80s during the day, dipping into the 30s to 50s in the evening and night. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Northern Paiute, Western Mono/Monache, Me-Wuk (Central Sierra Miwok), Eastern Mono/Monache, and Tübatulabal nations.
Student Story
"By the end of my mountaineering course, we actually operated on our own. In the beginning, the instructor guided us. I realized that there were no instructors cooking, we set up the tarps, we went to bed on time. Something in me became resourceful and independent and I felt really strong. The Outward Bound course is the greatest experience I ever had - where I was able to find myself and appreciate where I am and what I can offer the world."
- Alfred Lin
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Getting Started
If you are ready to enroll on a course click the enroll button next to the course you wish to select or you can enroll over the phone by speaking with one of our Admissions Advisors (toll-free) at 866-467-7651.
To secure your spot on a course you must submit an enrollment form and $500 deposit that is applied toward the total cost of the course and includes a $150 non-refundable enrollment processing fee.