Technical Rope Skills Course

The Technical Rope Skills Course develops your rope and rescue skills to grow your confidence rock climbing and in the mountains. The topics covered will increase your speed and efficiency on your own alpine rock, multi-pitch, and mountaineering objectives and provide self-sufficiency to problem solve and handle any emergency rescue situations that may arise.

Location

Technical Rope Skills Course [] Wanaka Mountain Guides

The course is based at the local and easily accessible WÄnaka single and multi-pitch crags. There are also options to do day trips to the alpine rock climbing and classic ridge traverses of the Remarkables near Queenstown.

The full technical rope skills syllabus can be covered over three days or a customised shorter refresher can be provided for those with previous experience.

Technical Rope Skills Syllabus

Familiarity with ropework is important for all areas of mountaineering. From simple pitching and abseiling to safeguard short sections of a route, for travelling over glaciers, or for emergency rescue use. Mountaineers should first be familiar with the fundamental building blocks and tools before then expanding their skills in more complex situations. General rules of keeping it simple and neat apply to all stages.

Visit our Downloads page for course resources.

Syllabus includes:

Equipment selection.
Multi-pitch skills including tactics for climbing in a pair or three.
Anchor configurations, belaying, stance management, and techniques for protecting the anchor for multi-pitch climbing.
Descent and abseiling systems.
Ropework for scrambling and ridge traverses including shortening the rope, simulanteous climbing, security and speed considerations.
Big wall techniques including rigging and ascending fixed lines, equipment and hauling.
Vertical upwards and downwards rescue including, escaping the system, load transfers, lowering, raising
Abseiling techniques with an injured patient.
Glacier travel, crevasse self and companion rescue hauling systems.

Shortened private courses can be tailored to individual goals.

Prerequisites

WÄnaka Mountain Guides - Technical Rope Skills Course

Participants should have some previous rock climbing or mountaineering experience.

Participants require experience roping, and with knots such as Figure-8, Clove Hitch, and Italian Hitch.

Details and Pricing

Duration: 3 days

Maximum ratio 1:4

2025/26 Dates:

Can’t make these dates? Get in touch to arrange private dates or shorter bespoke instruction throughout the year.

2025/26 Price:

Group Price: $890 per person

Includes: GST, guide fees, compliance costs, technical equipment, and transport from WÄnaka.
Excludes: Lunch and snacks, rock shoe hire (if required), accommodation in Wanaka.

‘[Our guide] was an outstanding teacher. Very patient, knowledgeable, and an excellent communicator. The course was engaging and I learnt loads! We spent a day at the WÄnaka crags to get our rope work sorted and then moved onto the snow on the second day to put all our skills to work. [I’m] feeling more confident now, and highly recommend this course to anyone interested in crevasse rescue.’

â€” Danielle, Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue Course

â˜…â˜…â˜…â˜…â˜…

‘[Our guide] was really knowledgeable but also very realistic and sensible regarding what we needed to know and focusing on the common and more simple things. He was very patient with us when at times we got a bit muddled! He was a fantastic instructor.’

â€” Biz, Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue Course