Northwest Mountain School, Leavenworth | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

August 2018 update: This year I returned to NMS for guiding to Mt Baker.
Our guide was Adam who is not only a super nice guy, he’s also on the leading edge of defining mountaineering for the next generation. He’s very knowledgeable about his craft. He demonstrated to us the evolution of mountaineering and was clear about what he knows and what he doesn’t. And like last year, I trusted him to guide our group up the hill to Mt Baker summit and back. He was fun to hang around with, easy to talk to and cared for each of our well-being. I felt really good personally on this trip and Adam helped my confidence grow in my experience with climbing Washington volcanoes!

*****
Sharing my positive experience with Northwest Mountain School for the Mt Adams climb in July 2017. I live on the east coast so I planned this trip months in advance with the NMS office, renting most of their gear for the overnight trip.

We met Guide Craig & “guide in training” Wesley at the Trout Lake Ranger Station for the volcano pass. They were immediately friendly and diligent about reviewing and handing out gear, checking our provisions, etc. We drove to the South Climb parking area to begin the climb. We had good conversation throughout the trip and Craig & Wesley were really comfortable to talk with if I had questions or thoughts/concerns. My mountaineering knowledge continues to grow through discussions, observation and practice with such experienced guides. They demonstrated security for our safety and the conditions of the route. Craig guided us well on our technique, mapped out schedules and timelines for us to shoot for, and was a phenomenal cook at camp! He made sure we had fresh water (see picture of the “cow udder”). He minded our personal health and safety throughout the duration, helping us get to the summit and safely back down again, staying hydrated and fueled. We climbed to and slept at 9000 ft on day one, then continued to the summit on day 2. After returning to the “lunch counter” (aka camp), we packed up our things and hiked back down to the parking lot. It was a vigorous climb with great views and many friendly hikers along the way. Thank you and I hope to be climbing with you again!

My friend and I hired Olivia from Northwest Mountain School to take us on a private guided climb in Leavenworth, WA as part of a climbing adventure grant given by The American Alpine Club.

From our first email correspondence with Olivia and her husband John, it was clear that we chose a great company to climb with. John was quick to reply to our email and was more than accommodating when scheduling our climb. They provided sufficient information on location, giving us many options for our climbing day, and even provided ideas for housing for our stay. When it came closer to the date, they were sure to be in contact to make sure we were prepared. Olivia also gave us a call the day before to talk about our goals for our climb.

On our climbing day, we met Olivia at her office where we caravanned to the crag. She chose a moderate three pitch climb where we learned about gear placement and multi-pitch fundamentals (including transitions and rappelling), followed by an on-the-ground review of gear placements and anchors. Olivia’s impressive knowledge showed in the way she taught us. She took her time in explaining each step and was eager to answer any of our questions. Since our goal was to learn about gear placement and multi-pitch skills, she made sure we understood what we were doing and provided us with tips to improve efficiency. She more than took us on a climb, she helped guide us in improving our climbing knowledge.

We would more than recommend Olivia and Northwest Mountain School to anyone who is interested in improving their climbing skills and knowledge while climbing in beautiful Leavenworth, WA.