Alpine Training Course - 2004

by Malcolm Imhoff

I was fortunate to get a place on the Alpine Skills Training Course last summer. Subsidised by the AAC, we had to pay a contribution of £100 - not bad for a week's accommodation and tuition. It was based at the Braunschweiger Hut in the Ötztal Alps, and I was amazed to find out that (a) you could get your rucsac taken up to the hut on a lift; (b) the hut had hot showers; and (c) it served draught beer! This is luxury I had not come across in the huts of France and Switzerland. Guess where we're going for our holidays this year?

Equipment such as ice axes and crampons was provided for those without their own, and training was given in its use. The course included movement on different types of terrain; knots and rope work; self-arrest and ice axe braking; crevasse rescue; ice climbing; and prusiking. There were two courses running simultaneously - "basic" and "advanced". Both groups seemed to carry out the same activities, the main difference being that the advanced group did everything "at the double"!

The quality of the guides who taught us was excellent. They were very patient, had an intimate knowledge of the area, quickly assessed the abilities and experience of the participants and adapted the course to suit. In our case several people wanted more ice climbing, and I was keen to climb real mountains, so I was pleased that we were able to bag a couple of peaks including the Wildspitze. One delightful memory is sitting with time to enjoy a breath-taking view, when our guide Johann, got out his harmonica and played us some Austrian tunes. I obliged with some English folk songs.

It was a most enjoyable week and everyone was very supportive of each other. We learnt a lot and afterwards most of us went on to other places in the Alps keen to try out our new skills.

The happy group at the Braunschweiger Hut
Photos by Malcolm Imhoff

Johann Grießer with Wildspitze summit behind

Crevasse rescue in action

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