Transalpine Skills | Mountain Journeys

TRANSALPINE SKILLS COURSES

These are the courses that put everything together, giving you the skills for off-track mountain exploration and giving you plenty of opportunity for practice. You won’t find any other courses like these.

THESE COURSES ARE DESIGNED TO GIVE YOU THE SKILLS TO UNDERTAKE TRANSALPINE TRIPS CONFIDENTLY ON YOUR OWN.

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What exactly are transalpine trips, and what skills do you need to undertake them? Trans means across or through, so transalpine can be defined as across an alpine area. If you are to go across an alpine area, then you need to be able to get to it and from it, through subalpine and forested areas. In New Zealand, these areas usually involve little to no guidance in the way of marked routes, and there are many unbridged rivers and streams to cross.

So, undertaking a transalpine trip requires skills that relate to crossing rivers, navigating across untracked terrain, and travelling on snow. Things like knowing what gear and food to bring, understanding the weather, deciding where and how to camp, and what to do when things go wrong, must also be factored in.

TWO TYPES OF COURSES ARE AVAILABLE:

STANDARD 6-DAY COURSE

Dates: 22-27 Oct 2026

Location: Arthurs Pass

Maximum of 6 participants

Cost: $2975 per person

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The ‘Standard’ 6-day Transalpine Skills course covers snow skills, route planning, navigation, campsite selection, meal planning, trip strategy, river crossing, equipment choices, and much more. Think of it as our 3-day Navigation Course plus our 3-day Essential Alpine Skills Course plus a few extras, combined into a real journey.

Participants need a moderately high level of fitness, and prior experience undertaking multi-day tramping trips, but do not need prior experience using alpine equipment.

ADVANCED 7-DAY COURSE

Dates: 14-20 Dec 2025; 13-19 Dec 2026

Location: TBC (West Coast, Aspiring, Queenstown, or Aoraki)

Maximum of 6 participants

Cost: $3475 per person

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The ‘Advanced’ 7-day Transalpine Skills course includes the ‘Standard’ topics and also includes rope skills, such as glacier travel, basic anchors, and dealing with short tricky steps. Participants must already be familiar with how to travel in alpine terrain using ice axe and crampons, and must have a high level of fitness.

“This course really exceeded my expectations! I loved it. This trip has given me the confidence to explore more wild places and get out more. It was a very safe teaching environment and both Rob and Jane are excellent teachers with a wealth of knowledge. They were very attentive and hard working throughout the whole trip. I can’t imagine any better!”

“It was fantastic to spend the time with people that are so passionate about the outdoors. Rob and Jane were easy to get along with and explained things clearly and concisely. I think it was great to have both a male and female guide on the trip. The comms in the week leading up to the trip were excellent, it was great to have trip members’ input into decisions.”

“Both Rob and Tarsh were great – they complemented each other very well and both had much to offer. I learnt a lot! The course was a great balance of learning and fun banter. The plan for our trip was adapted as the course progressed, working with our strengths and growth points to get the best possible learning and enjoyment.”

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Course cost includes:

Accommodation. Our base for each course will be a basic lodge showers, a full kitchen, and bunks in a shared room (you’ll need your own sleeping bags and towels). We may only spend one night at the lodge if the weather is good enough for us to do a multi-day journey, or we may stay a few nights at the lodge while poor weather passes, doing day trips to cover the required skills.
Alpine equipment. We can provide crampons, ice axes, helmets, harnesses, and avalanche rescue equipment for anyone who needs them.
Tents and cooking equipment. We’ll provide high quality 2-3 person Hilleberg tents for use during our journey, along with stoves, pots, and cooking fuel.
Some meals and hot drinks: We’ll provide two group breakfasts and any group dinners not covered by the shared meals provided by each participant. We’ll also provide soups, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and herbal tea for the entire course.
You’ll need to organise your own lunches/snacks for the entire course, most of your own breakfasts, and one shared group dinner – we’ll provide more information to help with this.
Courses will finish at 4pm on the final day. You’ll need to arrange your own transport to return home from there. We’ll put all participants in touch with each other pre-course to help with carpooling.

Equipment Checklist and Trip Info

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Reserve your spot on the only courses of this kind available in Aotearoa…

…or send us a quick message via our contact page to let us know you’re interested.