Reach the summits of the Canadian Rockies with confidence. The region offers hundreds of non-technical peaks that can be accessed through smart route-finding and solid movement skills with no advanced climbing background required. With the right techniques, you can stand on breathtaking mountaintops without needing climbing gear or technical mountaineering experience.
Many mountaineers begin as hikers and naturally progress into scrambling. Scrambling involves hands-on movement over steep or rocky terrain where you occasionally use both hands and feet. Trails may be less defined, and you’ll navigate ridges, slabs, and varied surfaces that require balance, judgment, and efficient movement.
Our Scrambling Skills course is designed to give you the knowledge to move confidently through alpine terrain while reducing risk for yourself and your partners. You’ll learn essential skills such as route selection, hazard recognition, and effective techniques for traveling on loose rock, steep ground, and early-season snow or ice. Whether you’re new to scrambling or looking to sharpen your current abilities, we provide practical instruction to help you reach more of the Rockies’ iconic summits.
While the focus of this course is on non-technical scrambling, we may introduce rope use in situations where the terrain requires additional security. This makes the program an excellent option for hikers seeking to expand their capabilities and better understand mountain hazards in a low-technical environment.
For those ready to push farther, consider our “plus” day scramble—an advanced outing with a lower guide-to-guest ratio. You’ll learn fundamental rope techniques and basic belay methods to take on more challenging, “difficult rated” scrambles with confidence.
Course Agenda
Day 1: Meet at the Yamnuska Mountain Adventures office at 8:00 am. Coffee and tea will be available. Review course introduction, goals and objectives, and explanation of hazards and risk.
Goals and Objectives:
- To be able to pick an appropriate scramble from the guidebook for skill level
- To be able to pack the correct and necessary gear for the day
- To be able to complete the scramble without environmental degradation of the area
- To be able to recognize the difference between class three and four terrain
- To effectively route find in class three terrain
- To recognize environmental hazards and how to deal with them
- To gain skills for movement in loose terrain and manage rock-fall issues
- Have fun and gain a summit or two!
Course Curriculum
- Equipment selection for scrambles
- Emergency gear
- Selecting proper footwear
- Dressing for the mountains
- Use of guidebooks
- Choosing peaks appropriate to experience levels
- Checking weather and conditions
- Environmental hazards: Lightning, animals, rockfall, snow, and ice
- Environmental ethics
- Route finding skills
- Assessment of difficulty
- Movement skills during ascents and descents/scrambling skills
- Use of a trekking pole
- Spotting skills
- Pacing and rest stops
- Walking in balance
- Use of down pressure on handholds
Waiver presentation and signing. (please see sample waiver)
Head out and complete an easy to moderate scramble.
Day 2: Early departure from Canmore for a local scramble. This day will focus on personal leadership and decision-making as well as further developing the skills learned on day one. We will also discuss terrain evaluation, route finding, and group management. Meeting time and place will be determined by your guide and will be based on the day’s objective.
The course typically runs in the Canmore Kananaskis area. On occasion, we do travel as far west to Lake Louise. Typical scrambles on the course are Heart Mountain, Mt. Yamnuska, Mt. Buller, Mt. Edith, Mt. Baldy, Mt Loder.
If we do travel to Banff you will need to have a National Parks entry pass for your vehicle.
Expect to be finished by 4:00 pm on the final day.
Plus Day
Stay for an extra day and put your new skills into practice on a classic Canadian Rockies difficult scramble. The instructor-to-student ratio is 1:2. On this day we will cover advanced scrambling skills and how to manage more technical terrain.
$409 plus GST. Available every Monday following ‘Scrambling Skills’.
Meeting Time & Place
The course begins at the Yamnuska office at 8.00 am on Saturday morning. The Yamnuska office is located at 100, 50 Lincoln Park, Canmore. See this map for location.
Be dressed ready for the outdoors.
Instructors & Group Size
Great people to spend a week in the mountains with, your instructors are certified by the internationally-recognized Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. There will be a maximum of 12 participants.
Transportation
To keep prices down participants are responsible for their own transport to Canmore and during the program. Canmore is a 1 hour (100km) drive west of Calgary.
If you are flying from afar for the program we suggest that you rent a car for your visit. In addition to getting you to the climbing locations, it will allow you to explore our region a bit after program hours. For example, you can visit Banff and enjoy the hot pools and sample the numerous restaurants.
Frequent shuttles connect Calgary International Airport and Canmore. You can book your shuttles through either Brewster or the Banff Airporter.
Park Passes
Please note that program venues may be within National Parks and/or Kananaskis Country. For programs where transportation is not provided by Yamnuska/Canadian Rockies Hiking by Yamnuska, guests will be required to purchase their own pass.
National Park passes are available both online at https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/admission and in-person at National park gates and some information centres.
Kananaskis Country conservation passes are available online at https://www.alberta.ca/kananaskis-conservation-pass.aspx
Accommodation & Meals
Accommodation in Canmore is not included. A variety of accommodation options exist in both Canmore and Banff, including campsites, hostels, all levels of hotels as well as condo-style accommodation with kitchens or suites. We recommend that you book your own pre and post-trip accommodations well in advance as all levels of accommodations in the Bow Valley fill quickly.
You will need to bring a packed lunch, snacks, and plenty of liquids each day.
Equipment & Clothing
The equipment and clothing you bring to this course will play a large role in the quality of your experience. Read the following suggestions and lists carefully. If you have any questions or need clarification, don’t hesitate to call or email.
Equipment
Yamnuska provides the following personal technical gear. Please feel free to bring your own if desired:
- Helmet
We recommend you bring:
- Daypack* (30-40 litres)
- Lunch, snacks
- Water bottle (full!)
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen, SPF lip balm
- Camera
- Blister kit
- First aid items (Our guides carry a first aid kit, but you may bring your own Band-Aids and anti-inflammatory medication if desired.)
- Trekking pole (recommended)
- Bear spray (optional)
*These items are available for rent. Please advise us in advance.
Clothing
When scrambling, it is important to be able to adjust to the changing conditions. We recommend bringing clothing that can be layered to achieve comfort as you change from periods of activity to periods of rest. We discourage cotton clothing as it causes rapid heat loss when wet.
We recommend you bring:
- Boots (mountaineering or sturdy hiking boots)
- Socks (synthetic/wool)
- Light synthetic shirt
- Softshell pants and jacket
- Midweight synthetic or down jacket
- Waterproof hardshell jacket with hood
- Waterproof hardshell pants
- Gloves
- Gaiters
- Warm hat that fits under a helmet
- Sun hat
Guests registered in Yamnuska programs (4 days or less) can borrow outerwear from the Arc’teryx store in Banff at no cost. Available items include jackets, insulated layers, and bib pants (men’s & women’s sizes). Simply show proof of enrollment at the store.
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Alpha SV Jacket (Men’s & Women’s)
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Rush Jacket (Men’s & Women’s)
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Rush Bib Pant (Men’s & Women’s)
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Atom Hoody (Men’s & Women’s)
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Atom SL Hoody (Men’s & Women’s)
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Cerium Down Hoody (Men’s & Women’s)
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Nuclei Hoody (Men’s & Women’s)
Additional gear info:
Boots: Good boots are essential. They need to be comfortable and provide good ankle support.
Helmet: A comfortable, all-around climbing helmet that can fit over your warm hat.
Please book as early as practical to avoid disappointment. We require full payment on booking.
For detailed Booking Instructions and Conditions, click here.
Please note that you will be required to sign our waiver before commencing the trip. Click here for a waiver copy.
The Simpson Group offers a wide range of travel insurance options including Trip Cancellation/Interruption, Travel Medical, and Personal Effect Loss for both Canadian and International Travelers. Other providers offer similar services and we encourage you to select an appropriate level of coverage. We highly recommend purchasing this insurance to cover and protect you against unforeseen events. The two basic types of insurance that most travellers need to consider are Medical and Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance.
Insurance Risk
One of the ways to mitigate risk is by purchasing appropriate insurance. Simpson Group Insurance Services who are travel & health risk specialists, work with technical and high-risk insurance solutions both in medical and non-medical spheres. We highly recommend that you review your insurance needs to cover and protect you against unforeseen events. It is wise to ensure that your health plan will cover you in case of illness or accident during your trip. Simpson Group have a team standing by to answer any of your questions.
Emergency Medical Evacuation
While there is typically no charge for search & rescue in the National and Provincial Parks for active pass holders, costs such as air & ground ambulance after the rescue are not covered by your park pass. The chance of a large bill associated with this risk is a real possibility.
For Canadians
A common myth is that healthcare across provinces is fully covered. There are many things which do not carry interprovincial agreements. Ambulance services, medical evacuation, and some services which one province charges more than another you’d be responsible to pay the difference.
For Internationals
A common myth is that healthcare in Canada is free. Although it is less expensive than US healthcare, charges for non-residents can still be very high. Proper medical health insurance is essential if you were to get injured. Most coverages exclude rock climbing, mountaineering, ice climbing, backcountry skiing and the like. Simpson Group can make sure all those risks are well covered.
Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
We recognize that our guests’ schedules may change for many reasons, business, family, flight delays, injuries, and other unplanned events. For these eventualities, Trip Cancellation/Interruption insurance is a great way to protect your investment. We can assure you that circumstances do arise that prevent guests from participating in trips or courses and trip cancellation & interruption insurance is a relatively easy way to manage your level of risk of unforeseen events.
For all your travel insurance requirements we recommend Simpson Group Insurance Services. For more information and to purchase a plan, visit Simpson Group’s website.
Dates:
Price
$499 CDN per person. Includes instruction, guide expenses and group gear. Price does not include GST, park entry fees, personal gear, accommodation, meals or transportation.
Trip Cancellation Insurance is available through the Simpson Group.
Please note you will be required to sign the Yamnuska Release of Liability, and Waiver of Claims prior to commencing the program. Please review the sample waiver prior to booking and call us with any questions.
Difficulty, Fitness & Experience
You should be able to hike in mountainous terrain with a day pack for at least six hours. Objectives on this course often gain 400-900m of elevation over 5km-10km. No prior scrambling or climbing experience is required.
