Expedition Skills Seminar - Shuksan

RMI's Shuksan Expedition Skills Seminar is six days of instruction across the North Cascades' most varied training terrain — rope work and belaying on day one, anchors and crevasse rescue mid-trip, steep ice and fixed-rope technique on the upper mountain, and a summit attempt of the Sulphide Glacier route to put it all together. No prior climbing experience required — what's required is the physical base to absorb instruction at altitude and the patience to learn skills the way they're used on real expeditions.

For a first seminar, the smart move is to rent the heavy technical pieces and own the layers. Pick up boots, crampons, ice axe, harness, and helmet from our shop in Ashford — fitted by staff who guide and instruct in the Cascades — and save your gear budget for the layering and personal items you'll keep using on every climb after.

This collection mirrors RMI's official Expedition Skills Seminar gear list. Every item is chosen to teach well — boots that walk and front-point, harnesses that fit over training layers, packs sized for six expedition-style days on the glacier — so your gear isn't the thing in the way of learning.