Muscle Shoals, Ala -- Northwest-Shoals Community College’s (NW-SCC) Outdoor Leadership Program will offer a 10-day mountaineering course on climbing in Colorado.  Students will leave from the Shoals Campus at 5:00 pm on Friday, August 10th and return on Sunday, August 19th. 

The course will feature a non-technical climb of a 14,000-foot peak. “Our instructors haven’t decided on a mountain yet, but it’ll be big and we’ll be able to have a safe, successful climb,” stated Dr. Bob England, program director.  Cost to students is 2 hours tuition plus $300.00.  The charge to non-students will be $450.00 for the week.  “Our fees include instruction, group equipment, and meals while on the mountain, and lodging on the way out and back home,” said England.

Lewis Griffith, of St. Louis, Missouri, an experienced mountaineer and outdoor instructor, will be lead instructor.  Don Peterson, of Boulder, Colorado, an internationally known climber with ascents in Patagonia, Europe, and Alaska, is scheduled to accompany the climbers.  “With Don’s addition, the course will be valuable to anyone who is considering a career in guiding or in wilderness education,” England added. 

Northwest-Shoals’ outdoor program has conducted mountaineering courses in Colorado and cross-country skiing and dogsledding courses in Minnesota.  The course is open to the public and no mountaineering experience is necessary.  Designed to familiarize participants with the outdoors environment, the course provides extensive hands-on training.

The Mountaineering Course is just one of many aspects of the outdoors explored in the Outdoor Leadership Associate in Science Degree at Northwest-Shoals. The course curriculum is designed to offer courses that will transfer to four-year colleges as well as prepare students for outdoor entry-level professional positions.