4000m Summit Skills Course, Chamonix
The perfect introduction to Alpinism
5 days
€2,000 per person
Skill Level 2-3
The 4000m peaks of the Alps aren’t just about fitness. They demand glacier travel, rope work, crevasse rescue, and the judgement to know when conditions call for a different objective. Over five days, this course builds that foundation from the ground up — rock, ice, and glacier — before putting it to work on a genuine 4000m summit.
Whether it’s your first step into alpine climbing or a chance to sharpen skills you already have, you’ll finish this course with two hut nights, real terrain under your feet, and the systems to keep climbing beyond it.
Who is this for?
Climbers with some mountain or scrambling experience making the move to glaciated, alpine terrain
Anyone with a specific 4000m objective in mind who wants to arrive properly prepared
Climbers looking for a first step toward bigger routes — Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, the Eiger — built through our Technical Alpinism course
The Course
Day 1 — Rock climbing essentials Movement, rope work, and protection on rock, building the base technique everything else in the mountains is built on.
Day 2 — Glacier travel & ridge movement Roped glacier travel, crevasse rescue, and an introduction to moving on exposed ground on easier terrain on the Marbre ridge.
Day 3 — Ice climbing introduction Cramponing and ice tool technique on real alpine ice, the skill that opens up mixed and glaciated ground.
Days 4–5 — Summit push A two-day attempt on Gran Paradiso or the Allalinhorn, with hut nights at Torino and Chabod. Depending on your pace and the guide’s read of the terrain, there’s room to lead easier pitches yourself.
Objectives and order may shift with conditions.
Price:
2,000€ per person
Duration:
5 days
Group size:
4 – 8 in group, 4:1 guide ratio
Fitness level:
Strong — Good fitness and some scrambling/climbing experience required
What’s included:
IFMGA Qualified guiding, technical instruction, equipment guidance
What to bring:
Climbing helmet, harness, and technical kit — full kit list provided on booking
Dates:
Insert dates here
Where Next?
This course is designed as a first step. Many climbers move on to Technical Alpinism once they’ve built this foundation, and either course can be paired with a three-day ascent of Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, or the Eiger.
A note on conditions
The Alps don’t run to a fixed script, and recent summers have made that clearer than ever. Every course is weather and condition dependent, and your guide’s safety decisions — including changes to the route, the objective, or the schedule — are always final. Where a planned summit isn’t possible, your guide will offer the best available alternative on the day.