Courses and mountaineering climbing in the Dolomites Alps Italy

PERSONAL INTENSIVE ROCK CLIMBING COURSE (Individual tuition)
With max. 2 participants you can benefit from the didactic capacity of our mountain guide who can look back upon 20 years of teaching climbing in our Alpine School of Arco Italy. It is possible to choose the dates, the number of climbing days as well as the venues, difficulty degrees, didactical preferences and type of instruction. One mountain guide with two guests is an ideal group for a multi-pitch route up to 400 m with ca. 12 pitches.
COURSES FOR BEGINNERS
A short explanation:
The rock climbing courses will take place in one of the many climbing areas around Arco Lake Garda Italy. On natural vertical rock walls (equipped with fix) the participants are learning to climb by using the "top-rope" system on single pitch routes. It permits the climber to "fall" in any moment and all that can happen is, that the climber remains "hanging" on the rope - a rope which has a capacity of up to 2.000 kg - this is a maximum of security. One day of rock climbing instruction has a duration of approx. 4 to 5 hours. A licensed Alpine Mountain Guide will teach knot-, belaying- and climbing techniques which are the base of every type of mountain activity such as "Via ferrata" or even ice climbing. We prefer to perform our courses with a small number of participants in order to provide a maximum of guiding service, personal tuition and success for each beginning climber. Thus the Mountain Guide can concentrate on each participant individually, he can evaluate and correct possible mistakes and contribute to make a large progress in climbing. You may ask our Guide for advice regarding any type of alpine mountaineering activity.
ADVANCED CLIMBER' S COURSES:
The goal of most participants in "advanced courses" is to go climbing independently and to "lead" In the beginning of the course we still climb top-rope on difficult routes trying to reach the limit our your rock climbing capacity with the objective to attain a higher climbing degree, to correct possible mistakes and to refine your climbing technique. Next step in the course is instruction on advanced rope and climbing techniques for climbers who are "leading". The success of the course depends of course on the participants' prior experience and a small number of participants (personal tuition); upon request it is also possible to do multi-pitch routes.
MULTI-PITCH ROUTES AT LAKE GARDA
The area of Lake Garda Dolomites is offering walls of up to 1.200 m altitude which are suitable for scrambling on multi-pitch routes. The limestone' s structures allow to perform safely and elegantly all kinds of rock climbing and mountaineering techniques. The Mediterranean climate, mild in winter and refreshing in summer, permits each kind of rock climbing instruction, tuition and courses almost throughout the whole year. Our mountain guides still love the old activity of their job: leading on multi-pitch routes. Our climbing teachers accompany very often their clients on the walls near Lake Garda (from 200 to 600 m. length - from 6 to 14 pitches).
In the last years local climbers and alpinists have opened many new multi-pitch routes of every difficulty in the area of Arco and Sarca Valley. If you enjoy the long rock climbing routes and, if you are anxious to discover something "new", this is the right course for you.

BLOG & VOCABULARY FOR ROCK CLIMBING AND MOUNTAINEERING

This column in form of a blog and vocabulary has been edited by the personnel of our customer care and our webmaster. Here you will find here the contents of the most popular and important FAQ which we have received; mixed with some fun stories which have happened in our alpine school Arco together with the ironic comments of our Guides and also our little daily problems.
A - ALPINE SCHOOL ARCO LAKE GARDA DOLOMITES ITALY
The business of our Alpine Mountain Guides School in Arco began 20 years ago when we discovered the plentiful walls around Lake Garda where we could exercise for our winter training. The most famous sports climbers in the world came to Arco in Italy because of the mild climate and at the same time Arco gained worldwide fame among all rock climbers around the world. The mountain guides of Italy descended quickly from the high peaks of the Alps to the flat Lake Garda area in order to take advantage of this new form of tourism.
B - BEGINNERS (TYPES OF --- )
"I am beginner and would like to participate in your rock climbing courses..." Please let us know what type of beginner you are: are you a 70 year old man with a lot of mountaineering experience in the Alps (this is a true story), or are you a 16 years old teen who has never scrambled on a before, or are you a middle-aged bank employee "a little overweight (+ 20 kg - really happened)? If you write more information about yourself, we have the possibility to customize a course for you or to find in a suitable course to participate in.
C - CLIMBING OR ROCK CLIMBING ?
In the beginning of our activity in Arco, an Italian "expert in English language" suggested that the concept of scrambling on the rocks should be translated into the English language with the word "climbing" only. A few days later, our mountain school received phone call from an English lady: she would like to "climb on the top of a mountain in the Lake Garda Dolomites" with her daughter. We quickly prepared ropes, carabiners, harness, shoes, etc. for a hard 14 pitch rock climbing route. We drove to the meeting point in the railway station Rovereto and we meet the couple: a 70 year old woman who dragged a big trolley along the stairs together with her young and very much overweight daughter whose luggage was an elementary school backpack! We hid quickly our rock climbing equipment and accompanied the women on an easy hiking tour on the Monte Baldo near Lake Garda. Both were very happy and proud of their first "climb in the Dolomites" and we learnt that in the word "scrambling" in English means rock climbing.
D - DOLOMITES ALPS ITALY
The most beautiful mountains in the world. The Dolomites alternate big walls with multicolor rocks, green forests and meadow with "malghe" (cow shelters), turquoise lakes, blue and sunny sky: fantastic. The Dolomites area is large, mostly are known the Eastern Dolomites and therefore are really busy: you have to stay in the line on the paths. More close to the West are the Mamolada Dolomites with an immensely high South face which is famous for high classical climbing routes. In the Northern part of Marmolada there are only glaciers and via ferrata to the highest top of Dolomites called Punta Penia (3.342 m). The Marmolada Dolomites are our favorite area for our alpine mountaineering courses. The Western Dolomites are the less known Brenta Dolomites with hundreds of big rock tower sand walls suitable for scrambling or for hiking or trekking trips from lodge to lodge. Only one disadvantage for all these fantastic mountains: there are accessible in summertime only from mid June to mid September.
E - EXPERIENCE (MOUNTAINEERING AND ROCK CLIMBING --- )
Once we received a request from a Dutch group of friends: "We have a good mountaineering experience and would like a guided trip to the highest top in the Adamello Group (3.700 m.)". The expedition onto the Adamello glacier ended up as a small disaster: everybody became mountain sick, our guide had to lower six persons down, many times like potato sacks and the expedition had to be ended. Later we discovered that the mountaineering experience of these group consisted in the ascent of the highest top in Holland (300 m.). Proudly they informed us that they had performed this Dutch ascent about 2 to 3 times per week :( Our mountain guide got very angry and told them only: "I' am sorry but this it is not enough mountaineering experience for the top of Adamello!" Back in the School the guide beat our secretary because she had not asked more explicit information from the customers ;)
F - FUTURE OF THE ALPINE SCHOOLS IN THE DOLOMITE ALPS
Often we are asking ourselves of the future of our Alpine School because worldwide year by year there are less people who are interested in guided trips on our steep, tiring and dangerous mountains in the Dolomites Alps of Italy. We hope the young people will understand the saying "Mens sana in corpore sano" and our guides will be able to exercise their job like in the beginning of our alpine school which consists in guiding service, tuition, instruction and teaching on the scrambling spots near Lake Garda.
G - GLACIERS AND HIGH ALPINE TOURS IN THE ALPS
Our School offers guided alpine tours on the glaciers Adamello, Presanella and Marmolada Dolomites. In the last 10 years the situation has changed on the glaciers like never before: the thickness of the ice has diminished by 30 meters or more. In former times when there was an easy ice-slope this has now become a vertical wall made of compact and smooth rocks sometime impossible to ascent up. For that reason the job of our guides has now become more difficult, the guided trip "Crossing of Adamello glacier" had been offered for 5 person about 10 years ago; nowadays it will be done only with 2-3 guests with a very good mountaineering experience.
H - HOTELS AT LAKE GARDA ITALY
Really often we have received requests about hotels in our Lake Garda Trentino area and we send a lot of links with these descriptions: "At Lake Garda and in the Dolomites of Trentino there is a wide range of various types of accommodation; finding the suitable place to stay by means of internet may turn out rather time-consuming. As a courtesy towards our clients, we gladly suggest possible suitable accommodation without any financial aim." We are still waiting for a mere "grazie" from hotel managers of Lake Garda.
I - INSTRUCTION AND TEACHERS
"How many days of instruction are needed for being able to scramble independently...". This depends on your physical/psychological conditions and of course of your teacher. We have experience from "normal" (no rambo) persons who were able to lead after an average of 7 days of instruction and guiding. The didactical capacity of our guides has increased after many years of personal tuition experience, the teaching system has changed a lot in the past, the instruction potential of our school has grown in every activity. Our mountaineering, rock climbing and via ferrata courses are very successful: the success can be measured with the capacity and satisfaction of our customers at the end of course.
K - KALYMNOS (GREECE), THE SCRAMBLING PARADISE
When God created the Earth, at the end of his hard work, he remained with only some stones in this hands. As he was tired, God threw the stones into the Sea and in this way Kalymnos was born. Now the Greek inhabitants of the Island are claiming that God had created Kalymnos for the climbers: it is really a scrambling paradise for everybody. From beginners to experts: everyone finds his suitable routes. Here is the ideal place for our instruction, guiding, personal tuition and courses: everywhere there are easy routes on multicolor rocks, turquoise sea, blue sky, warm sun.
L - LAST MINUTE RESERVATIONS IN OUR ALPINE SCHOOL
Everyone in our alpine school hates this terminology. Often we receive requests from travel agencies: "we urgently need replies for our last minute offers ... " We are programming our courses with at least 20 days in advance and with an homogenous group of participants. Our guided mountaineering and rock climbing courses only take place when we have reached the minimum number of participants, otherwise we cancel the course. Kindly refrain from asking us for a vacancy in our courses a couple of days before its beginning. Our secretary will reply: .."This is not Disneyland, we do not accept last minute reservations". Beware of agencies or organizations which are luring you to with their offer to join a course on a short-term basis. "Yes, yes come on, no problem, sure we have a vacancy for you..." Often these are unserious and unprofessional schools (see: U - Unprofessional agency, instructors, expert, teacher, guiding in Italy).
M - MOUNTAINEERING IN THE ALPS OF ITALY
"We would like to participate in a guided mountaineering trip in the Alps of Italy". Oh, oh, these people don' t have the slightest idea of what is mountaineering tour is like. Maybe for you would be more suitable a hiking tour from lodge to lodge in the Brenta Dolomites or are you really the prerequisites and physical condition for a high alpine tour like the Adamello glacier crossing? Only one question is enough: "Have you ever worn and used a pair of crampons?" In case the answer is: "Never", why not get some good instruction and tuition in our alpine base courses in the Marmolada Dolomites?
N - NORDIC WALKING AT LAKE GARDA ITALY
Every alpinist learnt from ski-touring that also in the hiking excursions the sticks are useful because they save the knees and power in the legs. In the year 1998, a so-called "famous instructor" came from a cool country of Northern Europe to our sunny Lake Garda. In a conference he explained that hiking with sticks was not only a physical but also a mental, psychological and philosophical activity and involved meditation, yoga, etc, etc. Conclusion: every guide in our school had to participate in an instruction or personal tuition in this new fantastic sports activity called "Nordic walking". The comments of our guides were: "We went on every path in the Alps and now we need instruction or personal tuition in walking??? Ma va fa' n -------!!! (words omitted for respect). The "famous instructor" has had a few disciples at Lake Garda and tried to get money for guiding service, instruction and individual tuition for the fantastic new activity of Nordic walking. The initiative was not successful and today at Lake Garda nobody speaks of Nordic walking anymore, except a some old woman who continue to go shopping with sticks.
O - ORGANIZATION OF OUR OFFICE IN THE ALPINE SCHOOL ARCO LAKE GARDA ITALY
In the office of our Alpine School we have a very good organization. Our guide-web master is editing our "bad-graphics", "home-made" and "non-professional" website (but you found it!) and is taking care of the sector "advertising". The secretary is responsible for the sector "customers". When she is answering your e-mail within two days only instead of within two hours, please bear in mind that ever she might be hanging on a wall or missing in a remote Asian jungle, where it is difficult to download the mails: sorry, please be patient! The sector executive guiding service and instruction is led by our seven guides about whom we have written enough already.
P - PRACTICE WITH PATIENCE YOUR MOUNTAINEERING
If you have concluded your mountaineering course don' t hurry to realize your vertical dreams in the Alps. You have to practice with patience and remember that you have to gather gradually your own experience. No instructor, no lesson, no school are able to teach your own safety in mountaineering.
Q - QUICK-DRAW AND CAFFE' ESPRESSO
Once came to us an American climber and told our instructor that two carabiners connected with a cordlet were not called carabiners but "quick-draw". The next time our instructor was scrambling on a wall with English beginners and told them: "Please, take the quick-draw with you!". The beginner looked starring and said: "Quick-draw? We don' t have this type of food with us!". The same problem in Italy: in Italian the climbers are calling the quick-draw "espresso", but if you are telling a non-climbing person: "Prendi un espresso!" (take a quick-draw) this means: "You have to go for a coffee'".
R - RAPPEL OR ABSEILING
"I would like to ascent a multi-pitch route in the Dolomites ..." Answer of our secretary: "Are you able to rappel or to do abseiling?". Answer of the customer: "Of course! I am not a beginner". So our instructor guides the customer on a 15 pitch difficult climbing route. Sometimes it happens even here at sunny Lake Garda Italy that rain is coming down. As this happened it was end of February and the rain became snow. So the guide told the customer: "OK, the weather is bad, we have to do abseiling and get back down as soon as possible!". And the customer? No reply! All of a sudden he had completely forgotten how to rappel and even the easiest knots had vanished from his memory. Last not least: our instructor had to lower the customer down to the bottom of the wall. He came back to the school late at night, wet, cold, tired and angry.
S - SNOW SHOEING AND CANYONING FASHION
In Italy snow shoeing and canyoning are a very big fashion. There are Italians who have never gone hiking or walking but they would like to go to the Dolomites for two days with snowshoes. Once it happened that a woman without any alpine experience made a big pressure on our guide to let her participate in a guided mountaineering excursion in the Alps on Pasubio Dolomites with overnight stay in a mountain lodge (outside temperature: minus 20 degrees C). The guide lost his patience and told her: "I am very sorry Signora, you know that our snow-shoes do not have an engine! The woman felt gravely offended and complained in our school of the guide' s rude behavior.
T - TREKKING OR WALKING OR HIKING?
Until now nobody in our School has understood the exact meaning of trekking. We guess it is walking with a backpack as an American had told us? Or it is a multiple day tour from lodge to lodge like an English backpacker informed us? Also, why are our competitors at Lake Garda offering "half day trekking in the Italian Alps?" Anyway, trekking is a word filled with mystery, adventure and we have to use it!
U - UNPROFESSIONAL AGENCY, INSTRUCTORS, EXPERT, TEACHERS, GUIDING IN ITALY
In Italy there exists the so-called "rock climbing instructor" or "canyoning guide" or "alpine mountaineering expert", etc., etc. These persons, after three days of education and formation, join the "market" of our activities and are offering: "guided excursion in...", "individual tuition in...", "guided canyoning", "instruction of ...", "guiding in...", etc. at rock bottom prices. This is illegal but ... we are in Italy. We understand if this happens in Thailand where without the so-called "climbing guides" it would not be possible for the ignorant tourists to go scrambling on Railay or Tonsai walls but is not acceptable in a civilized country in Europe! Be careful, if you need a guide service in Italy and choose a Alpine School which is engaging only professional and licensed mountain guides!
V - VIA FERRATA IN ITALY
These famous "iron ladder paths" have been built by the soldiers in the first and second World War. The via ferratas were useful for carrying weapons, ammunition and food to the forts situated on the mountain tops. Near Lake Garda in Italy, we have a many of these via ferrata routes in every difficulty degree. They are panoramic, interesting because of the war remainders and they are accessible in every season. Via ferratas are a good and safe training for mountaineering.
W - WOMEN AND GAY CLIMBING
Women and gays aren' t particular human species although there are organizations which offer specific courses for women and gays. Someone can explain to us why? It is true that women are more elastic and mobile in general and, according to our instruction experience, they are more capable to learn than men.
Z - ?
Sorry, there is no word in the vocabulary, concerning the activity of our Alpine School Arco for this letter.

PROPOSALS	Ideal period (weeks)	Duration days/hours	PAX min-max	Prices Euro p.p.
Individual tuition, intensive course	March - October	1 - 5/6	2	135,00
Weekly climbing courses beginners	18-19-23-28-33-41	3 - 4/5	3 - 5	285,00
Weekly climbing courses advanced	22-27-32-38-40	3 - 5/6	3 - 4	330,00
Multi pitch routes at Lake Garda	March - October	1 - 4/6	1 - 2	270,00
Climbing and sea (Kalymnos - Greece)	15-16-43-44-45	6 - 4/5	4 - 5	590,00
Mountaineering courses (m. lodge)	26-30-36	5 - 5/6	3 - 5	640,00
Weekend rock climbing courses	17-21-24-33-38-40	2 - 4/5	3 - 5	200,00
Daily instructions for beginners	all year round	1 - 4/5	5 - 7	75,00


	Informations for rock climbing courses and mountaineering at Lake Garda
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	alpinguide - Tel. + 39 0464 422273 - E-mail: guide@alpinguide.com Mountain guides Alpine school Arco Lake Garda Dolomites Alps Italy Rock climbing hiking mountaineering guiding via ferrata courses