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RMI's instructional programs are designed to build real, applicable mountaineering skills in real alpine terrain. From one-day clinics on glacier travel to multi-week expedition seminars in the Alaska Range, these programs cover the full range of skill development available to climbers in North America.
RMI has been teaching mountaineering in North America's most demanding alpine terrain for more than 55 years.
Every RMI course and seminar is built around one principle: skills learned in real terrain stick. Instruction happens on actual glaciers, on actual routes, and in actual conditions, not on practice slopes or in classrooms. That holds across every program, from an introductory day on the Muir Snowfield to an advanced seminar deep in the Alaska Range. Programs are organized from single-day courses to multi-week Alaska Range seminars — browse by duration and skill level below to find the right starting point.
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Skill Development
A four-day field-based course combining the full Leave No Trace Level 2 curriculum with RMI's specialized expertise in alpine and glacier environments.
Skill Development
A private, custom-arranged mountaineering school on Mount Rainier — your group, one guide, one day.
Skill Development
A six-day instructional mountaineering seminar in the North Cascades — rock skills at Mt. Erie, glacier training on the Coleman Glacier, and a summit climb of Mt. Baker (10,781') at a 3:1 ratio.
Skill Development
A one-day crevasse rescue course focused on ski and snowboard travel in glaciated terrain.
Skill Development
An advanced alpine seminar integrating technical instruction with real North Cascades objectives.
Skill Development
An instructional expedition climbing seminar based out of the Great Gorge on the Ruth Glacier, combining skills development with a summit attempt on 9,545-foot Mt. Dickey via the West Face.
Skill Development
A fifteen-day mountaineering seminar in Ecuador climbing five Andean volcanoes, including Cayambe, Cotopaxi, and Chimborazo, with a structured skills progression toward bigger international objectives.
Skill Development
RMI's Expedition Skills Seminar in Peru is a seventeen-day mountaineering course in the Cordillera Blanca that combines skills training with attempts on three glaciated peaks.
Skill Development
A six-day instructional mountaineering seminar combining foundational skills training with an expedition-style ascent of Mt. Shuksan via the Sulphide Glacier.
Skill Development
An instructional alpine climbing program based out of Little Switzerland in Denali National Park and Preserve, combining skills development with summit attempts on the granite spires above Pika Glacier.
Skill Development
The foundational Expedition Skills Seminar — six days learning glaciated mountaineering from the ground up on Mount Rainier, with no prior technical mountaineering experience required.
Skill Development
The technical seminar — steep snow and ice through the Kautz Ice Chute, for climbers ready to move up a skill tier.
Skill Development
The expedition seminar — successive camps on Rainier's largest glacier, run the way a Mt. McKinley expedition actually runs.
Skill Development
The immersion seminar — four nights at 10,080 feet in the private hut RMI uses at Camp Muir, living at altitude while you learn rather than commuting to it.
Skill Development
A one-day instructional course focused on crevasse rescue systems and safe travel on glaciated terrain.
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Skill Development
A one-day introductory course focused on foundational mountaineering skills and efficient travel in alpine terrain.
Most climbers come to RMI's courses with a bigger objective already in mind. If the standard program list doesn't match your timeline, your group size, or the peak you're training for, talk to us about building something that does.
Courses (like the Mt. Rainier Mountaineering School) teach foundational skills in a single day or two. Seminars are multi-day programs that build skills on real glacier terrain, often with an optional summit component. Expeditions are the full guided climbs themselves.
No — RMI's introductory courses and seminars are designed for climbers with no prior mountaineering background. More advanced seminars, like the Alpine Climbing Seminar at Little Switzerland, do recommend prior glacier experience.
Yes — that's their purpose. RMI's Expedition Skills Seminars on Rainier, Baker, Shuksan, and in the Alaska Range are built specifically to prepare climbers for bigger objectives like Mt. McKinley or international peaks.
They range from single-day courses (like the Crevasse Rescue School) to multi-week Alaska Range seminars — each program page lists its exact duration.
Primarily on Mt. Rainier and in the North Cascades, with more advanced seminars held in the Alaska Range and internationally in Ecuador and Peru.
Real, applicable skills practiced on real terrain — glacier travel, crevasse rescue, rope systems, and alpine decision-making — not classroom instruction or practice slopes.
Planning guides from RMI's guide team on choosing the right course, training, and building toward a bigger objective.
Not sure which RMI program is right for you? Learn the key differences between Summit Climbs, Courses, Seminars, and Expeditions—so you can train smart, climb strong, and reach your goals.
This 16-week plan breaks down into four phases: Base Fitness, Mountaineering-Specific, Peak Simulation, and Taper & Recovery. You'll gradually build aerobic capacity, strength, and the mountain-specific skills you need.
RMI Guide Layne Peters recently took the AMGA Rock Guide Course along with fellow RMI Guides. Here's what they have to say about their experience!
Develop your aerobic base for endurance, strength, and performance in alpine environments with RMI’s expert guidance. Level up your training today.
