FEMMES & THEMSRMNP

Alpine Camp

FEMMES & THEMS

ROCKY MOUNTAIN

Alpine Camp

PRICE:$699

Intermediate

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

2-Days

Join Heidi Wirtz, Meg Nickman, Jess Worley, and Hannah Cangilla for an immersive weekend of alpine rock climbing and learning surrounded by the famed spires of Pagoda, Spearhead, and McHenry Peak.

Start with a meet and greet to discuss gear and a packing demo. When the team is ready, head into Glacier Gorge where you’ll camp for the night. In the alpine meadows under Spearhead learn bivy craft and technical alpine skills on day one, then use those skills to climb one of the surrounding routes the next day!

Connection, camaraderie, and fun are what the RMNP Alpine Weekend is all about! We welcome all genderqueer, nonbinary, or femme climbers for this weekend.

If you need financial assistance or a payment plan to attend, please reach out to meg@smilemountainguides.com

NEXT AVAILABLE DATES:

August 17th & 18th, 2024

  • Join Heidi Wirtz, Meg Nickman, Jess Worley, and Hannah Cangilla for an immersive weekend of alpine rock climbing and learning surrounded by the famed spires of Pagoda, Spearhead, and McHenry Peak.

    Start with a meet and greet at Kind Coffee, gear check, and packing demo, then head into Glacier Gorge where you’ll camp for the night. Learn bivy craft and technical alpine skills on day one, then use those skills to climb one of the surrounding towers the next day! Connection, camaraderie, and fun is what the RMNP Alpine weekend is all about!

  • Pre Couse Trip Call:

    Guides and guests will connect with a video call to discuss gear selection for the course, meet each other, discuss objectives for the trip, and answer any lingering questions.

    Day One:

    The team meets in town for a coffee at Kind Coffee in Estes at 7:00 am. We start the day by discussing the gear needs for an overnight alpine rock climb in the RMNP, followed by a conversation and demonstration of how to pack an overnight bag.

    When packed and ready, our group heads to Glacier Gorge Trailhead and hikes out to Black Lake. We will set up camp in one of the numerous bivy sites of the area around 1 pm and enjoy time in the cirque.

    We start to focus on the uses of alpine gear and their techniques with demonstrations and practicals around camp. Dinner starts around 6 pm and we discuss the day and objectives for tomorrow.

    Day Two:

    Early morning wake-up and breakfast, followed by some multi pitch alipine rock climbing on different routes, based on group goals. We will deploy some skills and techniques learned on Day 1.

    Summit, descend, and enjoy some time in the afternoon to soak up the sun, pack up camp, and hike back to the trailhead.

  • ESTES PARK, COLORADO: GETTING THERE

    Estes Park, Colorado is located in the Northeastern part of Colorado and is approximately 45 minutes from Boulder. A mecca for climbing, hiking, cycling, and foodies; make sure you plan to spend some time in town before and after your SMG trip. Estes Park serves as the launching point for all of our climbs in Rocky Mountain National Park.

    *If you plan to combine additional days of climbing in Eldorado Canyon or The Flatirons then Boulder, CO is also a logical place to base your lodging for your trip.

    The best option for flying to the area is through Denver, CO.

    You will likely need to organize a rental car to drive to Estes Park from Denver. Typically in the summer months, you can choose any type of vehicle. Below are some approximate driving times to get to Estes Park, CO.

    Denver, CO: 1.5 hours

    Boulder, CO: 45 minutes

    Colorado Springs, CO: 2.5 hours

    Estes Park has many great hotels, suites, and vacation rentals for you to stay in while you’re in the area. Call our office at 410-982-8282 if you have any questions about what would suit you best for this trip! Below are just a few options catering to different lodging styles and preferences.

    Rocky Mountain Park Inn

    Quality Inn

    Hotel Estes

    Boulder, CO also has many great hotels, suites, and vacation rentals for you to stay in while you’re in the area.

    Boulder Adventure Lodge

    Holiday Inn Express Boulder

    Boulder Marriott

  • FOOTWEAR

    +Sticky Rubber Approach Shoes

    +Technical Climbing Shoes

    +Socks

    UPPER LAYERS

    +Synthetic T-shirt

    +Sun Hoody

    +Fleece

    +Active Climbing Insulation

    +Light Hardshell Jacket

    +Warm Belay Jacket

    +Vest (optional )

    BOTTOM LAYERS

    +Leggings

    +Softshell Pants

    +Light Hardshell Pants

    GLOVES/HATS

    +Rappel/Rope Work Gloves

    +Light Alpine Gloves

    +Buff

    BACKPACKS

    +30-40L Climbing Pack or Climbing Pack

    ACCESSORIES

    +Sunglasses, Sunscreen, Lip Balm, Sun Hat

    +Nalgene, Minimum 1.5L

    +Climbing Snacks: 100 calories an hour!

    +Camp Dinner Kit

    +Breakfast and Dinner Options

    EQUIPMENT

    +Helmet

    +Harness

    +Belay Device w/Locking Carabiner

    +3 Additional Locking Carabiners

    +120cm Sewn Sling w/ Non-Locker

    +Autoblock Cord w/ Non-Locker

    Smile Mountain Guides can supply rock climbing gear including helmets, harnesses, ropes, cams, slings, carabiners, belay/rappel devices, ice axes, and crampons. *We do not provide alpine boots

  • BREAKFAST (~300 – 600 CALORIES)

    Having a hot breakfast is important, especially in cold weather environments. Most climbers go with instant or quick-cooking hot cereals like oatmeal or Cream of Wheat, or dry cereals and powdered milk mixed with hot water. All of these meals taste better and provide more calories when fortified with dried fruits, nuts, honey, butter, and even chocolate chips!

    For your course, you should have 1 breakfast. About half of these should be basic meals to decrease weight on the mountain and the remaining can be more luxurious. Don’t forget your hot drinks!

    Breakfast Ideas

    – 1 cup of granola + freeze-dried fruit + 3 tablespoons of powdered milk mixed with hot water

    – 2 packs of instant oatmeal + dried fruit + nut butter

    – Dehydrated breakfast meal (check serving and calories)

    – 2 packs of instant grits + bacon crumbles + cheese + butter + salt and pepper to taste

    – 2-4 powdered eggs + 4-6 strips precooked bacon + tortilla

    LUNCH (~800 – 1600 CALORIES) X 2

    Lunch begins just after breakfast and ends just before dinner. It is the most important meal of the day and needs to have enough variety to keep you happy over your trip. Continuous eating of small quantities will keep up your energy levels for the whole day, especially on big travel/summit days where we will be on the move for 8 hours or more.

    For your course, you need lunch food for 2 days. Determining the amount of lunch food to bring is difficult to gauge on your first alpine adventure. General guidelines are given below. The rule many guides work with is the weight of your lunch food should be equivalent to the weight of your breakfast and dinner food added together.

    Each day it’s nice to have a “real” food item. You may consider some of these tasty sandwich/wrap combinations:

    1. Start with a hearty bread product: flatbread, bagel, naan, flour tortilla, croissant, or pita pocket

    2. Add protein: hard cheese, Laughing Cow cheese wedges (no refrigeration needed), cured meat, black beans or hummus, nut butter (we like Trail Butter because it comes in a squeeze pouch), tuna pouch, or smoked salmon

    3. Add flavor/texture: dried fruit, chips, hot sauce, mustard, or pesto. Also consider, a hearty pre-made sandwich, leftover pizza, or a burrito for the first day of the course

    In addition, pack snack foods to supplement any sandwiches or wraps, such as:

    – Nuts (cashew and almonds personal favorite – can buy in 1lb quantities at Trader Joe’s)

    – Jerky – beef, turkey, bacon, salmon, and tofu jerky are all great options

    – Dried fruit (Trader Joe’s has an excellent selection prepackaged by weight)

    – Peanut butter filled pretzel chunks

    – Trail mix

    – Cheese sticks/squares

    – Plantain chips

    For summit day or big travel days (approximately 2 on a 3-day course) focus on energy-rich food. On these days we travel for roughly an hour between breaks. At each break, you should be eating 200-300 calories (or about 1 energy bar). These days can have 4-8 breaks. These foods include:

    – Energy bars – focus on bars with real ingredients. We love Probars, Pure Organic, Kit’s Organic, Larabar, and Chia Bars. If you are ambitious, try making your own!

    – Energy chews (Shot Bloks or the like)

    – GU’s, Cliff Shots, etc.

    – Candy bars (Snicker’s are a favorite of most climbers)

    – Gummy bears

    DINNER (~800 – 1200 CALORIES)

    For the greatest preparation and cooking ease, freeze-dried food is an option. Usually, these foods only require adding boiling water and are ready within minutes. Downsides to freeze-dried food are the cost, an increase in single-use packaging which must be packed out, uninteresting flavors or textures, gut issues from poorly re-hydrated meals, constipation, etc.

    With slightly more effort but vastly reduced cost, any supermarket can be tapped for a wide variety of wilderness-ready prepared foods. Items like Knorr rice or pasta entrees in envelopes cook in 5 to 10 minutes, and are very tasty. It is best if you experiment ahead of time at home so that you know which you prefer. For those with a culinary creative streak, very tasty meals can be made up from scratch with only a minimum of additional effort. Items such as quick brown rice, quick or instant white rice, bulgur, instant precooked or dried beans, dehydrated vegetables, packaged or bulk sauce mixes, smoked salmon, exotic cheeses, and whatever spices and herbs you like or want to experiment with can be combined for tasty meals.

    You will need 1 dinner for your course. Many guides bring soup packets, like instant miso soup, for each meal (unless the meal is already soup-based). These make great pre-dinner hot drinks and help us hydrated. Don’t forget your hot drinks!

    Dinner Ideas

    – 1 packet instant ramen noodle soup + sweet and spicy jerky (shredded) + parmesan cheese + dehydrated vegetables

    – 1 pre-pouched Indian Meal (we like Tasty Bites) + boil in the bag rice + coconut oil (vegetarian/vegan depending on meal choice)

    – 1 box mac and cheese + sundried tomatoes + tuna packet + red pepper flakes

    – 1 box cous cous + sundried tomatoes + pine nuts + chunks of salami

PREPARATIONS TO OUR ALPINE CAMP


Technical Experience

Guests should be seasoned multi-pitch climbers with some experience using traditional climbing gear.

Fitness

Excellent physical fitness is required. Climbers must be able to hike and climb for many hours while carrying a pack. Training for Advanced Alpine Climbing is a great fitness program to develop a strong alpine climbing base. 50% intensity is a good marker of alpine fitness for this route.

Meet Your Instructors


FAQ’s

RMNP Alpine Camp FAQS

The answers to our most commonly asked questions about our Alpine Camp in RMNP.

  • PRICE INCLUDES

    +Guide fees (2:1 climber-to-guide ratio)

    +Park fees

    +Group equipment such as ropes, cams, and poles.

    +Helmet, Harness, Shoes

    +Group Cooking Gear

    +SMG Buff

    PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE

    +Personal equipment (see Gear List)

    +Transportation

    +Hotels/lodging in Estes Park

    +All expenses incurred in the event of early departure (evac fees, extra hotel nights, etc.)

    +Trip cancellation insurance

  • Smile Mountain Guides provides the following gear.

    Technical:

    +Helmets

    +Harness

    +Ropes and Climbing Protection

    +Group Stove

    Smile Mountain Guides does not provide alpine climbing boots for this program, food and personal kitchen items, water bladders, and clothing needed to be comfortable in the mountain environment.

  • Smile focuses on small groups and ratios that meet the professional mountain guiding standard. These programs have a 2:1 ratio and we can accommodate a maximum group size of 8 climbers with 4 guides.

  • Please click here to review our domestic cancellation policy.

  • Not for this adventure but you can hire one of these amazing guides to share in a custom RMNP adventure for another time!