A really great daughter decided on a really great “gift of adventure” for her mom — she purchased a Redline Guiding gift certificate. Honestly, we’re honored that our services may be special enough to someone to qualify as a gift. And what a “great gift” it was. She would use it for a full-day hiking intro course, which features some boots-on-the-ground (or spikes-in-the-snow) action. The really great daughter decided she, too, wanted in on the fun and joined her mom for the class. These mountain things, after all, call to her as well.
On many levels it’s very much like our winter skills class, but the focus is different. There’s less emphasis on the mountaineering side but rather keeping it to entry-level seasonal hiking. Instead of thinking about a large undertaking the next day, our full-day version of the course plans for a smaller hike the afternoon of the same day. That’s what we did this time. After the A.M. presentational side of the day (also available online) led by Redline Guide Mike Cherim, he took the pair out for a summit attempt of Whitehorse Ledge.
Spoiler alert: they made it! And along the way they practiced some of the skills needed to, in this case, go up and down snowy, icy trails. Safely. With confidence. Using tools meant for the job at hand while learning about how to use them most effectively. The points go down, we suggest, just like the French mountaineers advise as they share their flat-footing techniques. It’s not just for crampons, anymore.
