Alpine Summer Courses

Guides and Ratios

All of our Alpine guides hold the international mountain guides certificate. They are members of the British Association of Mountain Guides (BMG), which is, in turn, affiliated to the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA). There is no other qualification allowed for working in the Alps as a guide and it is the highest award available to professional mountaineers.

The guides who will climb with you in the Alps are dedicated mountaineers with an intimate knowledge of the regions where we base our courses. As many of them also lead our expeditions, they will be able to advise you on your long-term expedition and mountaineering goals... [read more]

Student to guide ratios

Please note that these are the maximum ratios. So for example, on the Alpine Introduction course, days 2-6 are staffed at 1:4, but you can expect ratios to vary between 1:3 and 1:4, unless a course is full on 12 participants.

Alpine Introduction		Teaching on day 1 - 1:6, Climbing days 2-6 at 1:4
Mont Blanc Summit		Climbing - 3 days at 1:3, Mont Blanc - 3 days at 1:2
Mont Blanc Extensions		All climbing for 3 days at 1:2
Saas 4,000ers		All teaching and climbing - 6 days at 1:3
Zermatt 4,000ers		Climbing - 3 days at 1:3, Monta Rosa - 3 days at 1:2
Oberland 4,000ers		All teaching and climbing - 1:2 (as per the recommendations of the British Mountain Guides)
Chamonix Classics		All teaching and climbing - 1:2
Chamonix Climber		All teaching and climbing - 1:2
Zermatt Climber		All teaching and climbing - 1:2
Haute Route		Mountaineering journey with instruction - up to 1:6
Alpine North Faces		Days 1-3 at 1:2, Days 4-6 at 1:1

Alpine Grades

The French Alpine grading system encompasses the technical difficulty, length and level of committment required for the climb. If you are preparing for an expedition overseas of grade 2A and above, you should become familiar with this grading system, as it will help you assess your experience in relation to the requirements for each trip:

'F' (Facile/easy) - easy angled snow and ice / glaciated terrain. Ice axe and crampons are normally required, but the ground should not be steeper than approximately 35°.
'PD' (Peu difficile/not very difficult) - longer routes, often with more complex glaciated terrain, with scrambling on mixed ground (snow, ice and rock). Snow slopes are not normally steeper than 45°. Short sections of grade 1 and 2 scrambling, though poentially in exposed situations.
'AD' (Assez difficile/fairly difficult) - more committing routes with steeper snow and ice up to 55°, though normally just one axe and crampons will be required. Rock sections can be sustained with lots of grade 2 scrambling and short sections of British VDiff or Severe which may be pitched.
'D' (Difficile/difficult) - snow and ice up to 75°, requiring the use of an ice axe and hammer. Rock climbing up to British grade Very Severe. Lots of pitching with confidence required moving together on grade 3 scrambling ground in exposed situations.
'TD' (Tres difficile/very difficult) - routes of a much more serious undertaking, with sustained sections of ice climbing and difficult rock climbing, possibly including aid climbing.

Venues and travel

Jagged Globe Alpine Courses cover much of the Western Alps. Each valley base is specifically chosen to provide the best access to the mountains in that area. This reduces the travelling required during the courses and gives you more time to enjoy the climbing:

Chamonix (France) - Chalet Tissières
Saas Grund (Switzerland) - Hotel Roby
Arolla (Switzerland) - Hotel Mont Collon
Zermatt (Switzerland) - Hotel Aristella
Grindelwald, Bernese Oberland (Switzerland) - Hotel Bel - Air Eden

Each course commences on the evening of the start date given in the programme and concludes after breakfast on the end date. Half-board accommodation in hotels, chalets or mountain huts is provided (with the exception of Private Guiding which is quoted separately).

Participants need to make their own travel arrangements to the course venue or start point, as indicated with each course description. Detailed and up-to-date travel information for each venue is sent to you after we have received your booking.

Equipment

On booking your Alpine course, you receive an equipment list specific to that course. To help you make the right choice of gear, we include recommendations for certain brands and models. Jagged Globe also includes the loan of ice axes, crampons, harnesses and helmets in the course cost, if booked in advance. If you need to hire boots, you can do so through us for the Alpine Introduction course, or at the course base for other courses.

Alpine Orientation Day

Dates: 31 May 2008. This familiarisation weekend is for you if you have never been to the Alps before to make sure you know what to expect... read more

Inclusions and Exclusions

The following paragraphs summarise what is included and excluded from the course cost.

Please note that the costs for mechanical up-lift are not included in the overall course cost because these can vary considerably, depending on the weather and routes selected. This means that we are not restricted by a budget. Also, if we spend less on up-lift than expected, you make the saving rather than us. An estimation of these additional costs is given below for each course venue.

What is included in the course cost

All Accommodation, which will be either a 2 star hotel, twin sharing, when in the valley (except in Chamonix, which is Chalet accommodation, in shared rooms), or a mountain hut, dormitory accommodation.
Breakfast and dinner throughout.
Instructional fees based on the optimum student to instructor ratio for the activity being undertaken and in keeping with the recommendations laid down by the IFMGA and BMG for Alpine Guiding.
Transport (by public means, private hire vehicle, minibus or guides' cars) to fulfil the course programme including:
- The transfer from Saas Grund, Zermatt or Arolla to Chamonix if you are joining a Mont Blanc Extension (Grindelwald/Oberland to Chamonix transfer is not included).
All group mountaineering equipment such as ropes and other technical equipment.
Ice axes, crampons, harnesses & helmets, when booked in advance.

What is not included in the course price

Transport between the UK and the course venue.
Mountaineering and travel Insurance (available from Jagged Globe).
Transfers between course venues or locations, unless mentioned in the inclusions above.
Lunch.
Personal climbing equipment and clothing (including boots, which can be hired locally at each course venue, except for Arolla, which is stocked with Jagged Globe boots).
Cable car and mechanical uplift costs (estimate below).

Please note that for the Saas Grund, Zermatt and Chamonix courses, including the Haute Route, up-lift and trains will cost between £50 and £70 for the week. The Alpine Introduction has no extra transport costs for up-lift and trains. For the Oberland 4,000ers, the cost of the Jungfraujoch train is approximately £80 return.

Insurance

Insurance for helicopter rescue, medical and repatriation costs is mandatory. Full insurance cover for this and including cancellation or curtailment is available through us.

Up to 5 days - £40
Up to 10 days - £48
Up to 17 days - £59
Up to 24 days - £65

On-line booking

You can book any of our courses securely on-line by selecting your preferred dates and paying a deposit by credit/debit card of £150 per course. We will send you a confirmation of booking and comprehensive Joining Instructions, which includes travel information and a detailed equipment list...

Summer Alpine Courses