2026 Pricing:
5-Day: $1,750 USD 6-Day: $1,950 USD
2027 Pricing:
5-Day: $1,895 USD 6-Day: $2,245 USD
All of our Mount Baker Alpine Academies not only climb the peak but take advantage of an extra two full days of comprehensive mountaineering training, making it an ideal prep for climbers looking to move on to the Seven Summits, Denali, or bigger peaks in the Himalayas.
You will spend most of your expedition mastering skills in Baker’s ideal glaciated terrain before climbing and summiting the mountain towards the end of the week. Another bonus of the 5-day program is flexibility, allowing us to select the best weather window for your summit bid.
Course Learning Covers:
- Alpine safety
- Expedition & snow camping – site selection, tent set up, snow block walls, kitchen setup, camp hygiene
- Mountaineering skills – crampon technique, self-arrest training, climbing efficiency techniques
- Crevasse rescue
- Knots, hitches, and rope craft
- Ice climbing (condition dependent)
- Rappelling
- Snow anchors & running protection
Your guides may adapt the curriculum to take advantage of current weather conditions.
Please note: All prices are subject to an additional 8.6% Sedro-Woolley city and state tax.
The 5-Day Classic Alpine Academy is our original and most popular option. This welcoming course is a great place to start. Perfect for friends signing up together and tackling their first big peak.
2026 Dates:
-
June 11 – 15, 2026
- June 25 – 29, 2026
-
July 9 – 13, 2026
- August 6 – 10, 2026: SOLD OUT | Contact our team to be added to the waitlist
2027 Dates:
-
June 13 -17, 2027
-
July 4-8, 2027
-
July 25 – 29, 2027
-
August 1 -5, 2027
The 6-Day Masters (50+) Alpine Academy is designed for climbers over 50 who value a smart strategy, comfortable pace, and camaraderie with a like-minded team. Proof that age is no barrier to adventure. To learn more about our Masters Mountaineer program, click here.
2026 Dates:
- June 15 – 20, 2026
- July 20 – 25, 2026
2027 Dates:
- June 20 – 25, 2027
- July 18 – 22, 2027
The 5-Day Advanced Alpine Academy is tailored towards experienced climbers who want to refine their systems, reinforce best practices, and push into more technical terrain.
2026 Date:
- July 16 – 20, 2026
2027 Date:
- July 11- 15, 2027
Mount Baker Inclusions and Exclusions
Our expeditions are designed to be fully inclusive, except for some services/items of a personal nature like flights, gear, and insurance. Here’s a detailed list so you know what to expect.
- Professional mountain guides
- All on-mountain breakfasts, dinners, and hot drinks. You will need to bring your own selection of snacks for lunches and fuel during the summit climb. We recommend a variety of your favorite snacks, enough for 16 snack breaks at 300-400 calories per break. This should weigh 3-4 pounds.
- All group gear, including mountaineering tents, cooking gear, stoves, ropes, etc.
- First-aid equipment
- Satellite phone to update the blog and available to clientele at $3/minute
- All in-town restaurant meals
- Lunches/snacks while on the climb. You will need to bring your own selection of snacks for lunches and fuel during the summit climb. We recommend a variety of your favorite snacks, enough for 16 snack breaks at 300-400 calories per break. This should weigh 3-4 pounds.
- Hotels before or after the climb
- Transportation to and from the airport
- Flight costs
- All personal climbing equipment is the responsibility of the client
- In the event of a rescue, evacuation, or early departure from the group, any rescue expenses or excess expenses above and beyond our normal trip costs, including transport, hotels, evacuation, flight changes, and gear shipping, are the responsibility of the client.
- Guide tips (customary, but optional)
- Costs incurred as a result of events beyond the control of CTSS, above and beyond the normal expedition costs
- Required trip insurance policy (for trip cancellation, interruption, rescue & evacuation, medical treatment, repatriation, etc.)
Mount Baker Alpine Academy: Daily Itinerary
This itinerary is designed to get you to the summit of Mount Baker feeling strong and in good style, building technical skills along the way.
Elevations and distances are listed for the trailhead, Sandy Camp, and the summit, but expect some variation depending on where your guide sets camp. More broadly, expect the itinerary itself to flex. Success in the mountains depends on being flexible enough to capitalize on weather windows, group fitness, and mountain conditions throughout the climb.
Our guides will make decisions in real time to maximize your chances of success and take advantage of the best conditions and weather.
We provide these itineraries as an aid to your planning, but please know they can and will change. Come prepared to embrace the fluidity and joy of tuning into this very unique mountain environment.
- Overall: Park Butte Trailhead to Mount Baker Summit
- Distance (one-way): ~13.5 – 14.5 mi | 21.5 – 23 km
- Total ascent (one-way): ~7,400 ft / 2,256 m net gain
- Guide Tip: So much of the climbing on Komo Kulshan really does happen at home, in your training. Do the work ahead of time so that when you arrive on Day 1, you can be fully present, soaking in the environment, learning from your guides, and building connections with future climbing partners. Mental preparation matters just as much as physical fitness. Come knowing that it’s completely normal to feel nervous; this is a big mountain.
Arrive in Sedro-Woolley by 8:00 a.m. Once everyone has arrived, your guide will do a quick gear check and distribute any rentals from CTSS. After that, the team will drive to the trailhead in a caravan. Climbers without a car may hitch a ride with fellow climbers. The journey begins with the approach hike to Sandy Camp, where the team will establish a Base Camp while training. Today, climbers will learn or receive a refresher on expedition campsite selection and construction.
- Distance: 3.75 mi | 6 km
- Duration: 5 – 6 hours
- Elevation Profile:
- Start: Park Butte Trailhead ~3,400 ft / ~1,036 m
- End: Base Camp ~5,800 ft / 1,768 m
- Overnight: Tented Mountain Camp, Mount Baker Base Camp
- Meals: _/_/D
- Today Feels Like: This is the heaviest pack day, guides carry 40–55 lbs of personal + group gear (tents, kitchen, food split among the team). Today will feel like a lot, but the moment you arrive at camp, it’s completely worth it. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Mount Rainier, Mount Olympus, and the coastal mountains of BC.
- Guide Tip: Taper your training before you travel. Rest, hydrate, and arrive ready to absorb everything.
Today’s focus will be on basic travel efficiency and snow travel techniques. In addition, guides will introduce rope systems as well as basic knots and hitches. During the training days between your approach and summit bid, all activities take place in and around Base Camp. You won’t need to carry a pack. Mileage and elevation gain will be minimal, as the focus is on practicing and refining your mountaineering skills on the terrain immediately surrounding camp.
- Overnight: Tented Mountain Camp, Mount Baker Base Camp
- Meals: B/_/D
- Today Feels Like: Most people arrive at camp with some nerves about being in crampons and handling an ice axe, but by the end of the day, those nerves have transformed into real confidence. The terrain immediately around camp gives us everything we need for skill-building in one of the most beautiful classrooms on earth.
- Guide Tip: Footwork is the foundation of everything. Of all the technical skills we cover on Baker, cramponing is the most important; it’s your number one line of safety on the mountain. Don’t underestimate this day just because we’re staying close to camp.
Today’s focus will be on advanced ropework, anchor construction, and running belays. During the training days between your approach and summit bid, all activities take place in and around Base Camp. You won’t need to carry a pack. Mileage and elevation gain will be minimal, as the focus is on practicing and refining your mountaineering skills on the terrain immediately surrounding camp.
- Overnight: Tented Mountain Camp, Mount Baker Base Camp
- Meals: B/_/D
- Today Feels Like: Rope systems can feel abstract at first, but after a day of hands-on practice, you’ll start to understand not just how to do them but why. That understanding is what makes the difference on summit day, you’re not just following instructions, you’re a real part of the team managing risk together.
- Guide Tip: Pay attention to how the knots and hitches connect to larger concepts; they build on one another. The goal isn’t to memorize 10 different systems, but to know what and when to use them.
Today’s the day! Wake up early for an alpine start, usually around midnight, ascend the Easton Glacier Route to the summit, and descend back to camp. Back at camp, your guides will walk you through the climb, what you noticed, what worked, and how the skills you practiced translated to the real thing.d.
- Distance: 6 – 7 mi | 10 -11 km
- Duration: 6 – 8 hours
- Elevation Profile:
- Start: Base Camp ~5,800 ft / 1,768 m
- High Point: Mount Baker Summit ~10,781 ft / 3,286 m
- End: Base Camp ~5,800 ft / 1,768 m
- Overnight: Tented Mountain Camp, Mount Baker Base Camp
- Meals: B/_/D
- Today Feels Like: Summit morning starts in the dark and cold, with headlamps and layers. The climb up the Easton Glacier is demanding, variable, and completely absorbing. When you reach the crater rim, the world opens up in every direction.
- Guide Tip: Continue taking care of yourself and get as much sleep as you can. Your pack on summit day will be much lighter than on Day 1, count on around 15–20 lbs. Guides will carry extra water and first aid, so focus your pack on layers, fuel, and your personal kit.
Today, we will wrap up camp, descend to the trailhead by 1:00 p.m., and drive back to Sedro-Woolley, arriving around 3:00–4:00 p.m. Return any rental gear and take a moment to celebrate with your team. Nearly always, as people are walking out, the conversation turns to what they learned and what surprised them about this experience.
It is advised that you book local accommodation for the night of your last day instead of traveling home when you will be tired.
- Distance: ~3.75 mi | 6 km
- Duration: 2 to 2.5 hours
- Elevation Profile:
- Start: Base Camp ~5,800 ft / 1,768 m
- End: Park Butte Trailhead ~3,400 ft / ~1,036 m
- Meals: B/_/_
- Guide Tip: Use some of your flight time to reflect on and integrate the experience. It’s been a big journey; this is a great in-between moment to absorb it all, before returning to the pace of your everyday life
Arrive in Sedro-Woolley by 8:00 a.m. Once everyone has arrived, your guide will do a quick gear check and distribute any rentals from CTSS. After that, the team will drive to the trailhead in a caravan. Climbers without a car may hitch a ride with fellow climbers. The journey begins with the approach hike to Sandy Camp, where the team will establish a Base Camp while training. Today, climbers will learn or receive a refresher on expedition campsite selection and construction.
- Distance: 3.75 mi | 6 km
- Duration: 5 – 6 hours
- Elevation Profile:
- Start: Park Butte Trailhead ~3,400 ft / ~1,036 m
- End: Base Camp ~5,800 ft / 1,768 m
- Overnight: Tented Mountain Camp, Mount Baker Base Camp
- Meals: _/_/D
- Today Feels Like: This is the heaviest pack day, guides carry 40–55 lbs of personal + group gear (tents, kitchen, food split among the team). Today will feel like a lot, but the moment you arrive at camp, it’s completely worth it. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Mount Rainier, Mount Olympus, and the coastal mountains of BC.
- Guide Tip: Taper your training before you travel. Rest, hydrate, and arrive ready to absorb everything.
Today’s focus will be on basic travel efficiency and snow travel techniques. In addition, guides will introduce rope systems as well as basic knots and hitches. During the training days between your approach and summit bid, all activities take place in and around Base Camp. You won’t need to carry a pack. Mileage and elevation gain will be minimal, as the focus is on practicing and refining your mountaineering skills on the terrain immediately surrounding camp.
- Overnight: Tented Mountain Camp, Mount Baker Base Camp
- Meals: B/_/D
- Today Feels Like: Most people arrive at camp with some nerves about being in crampons and handling an ice axe, but by the end of the day, those nerves have transformed into real confidence. The terrain immediately around camp gives us everything we need for skill-building in one of the most beautiful classrooms on earth.
- Guide Tip: Footwork is the foundation of everything. Of all the technical skills we cover on Baker, cramponing is the most important; it’s your number one line of safety on the mountain. Don’t underestimate this day just because we’re staying close to camp.
Today’s focus will be on advanced ropework, anchor construction, and running belays. During the training days between your approach and summit bid, all activities take place in and around Base Camp. You won’t need to carry a pack. Mileage and elevation gain will be minimal, as the focus is on practicing and refining your mountaineering skills on the terrain immediately surrounding camp.
- Overnight: Tented Mountain Camp, Mount Baker Base Camp
- Meals: B/_/D
- Today Feels Like: Rope systems can feel abstract at first, but after a day of hands-on practice, you’ll start to understand not just how to do them but why. That understanding is what makes the difference on summit day, you’re not just following instructions, you’re a real part of the team managing risk together.
- Guide Tip: Pay attention to how the knots and hitches connect to larger concepts; they build on one another. The goal isn’t to memorize 10 different systems, but to know what and when to use them.
Today will be a relaxed day, focused on ice climbing and crevasse rescue. Early dinner and bedtime for the summit bid.
- Overnight: Tented Mountain Camp, Mount Baker Base Camp
- Meals: B/_/D
- Today Feels Like: A focused, technical day with a different pace. Ice climbing and crevasse rescue are skills that feel equal parts humbling and thrilling; crevasses in particular are eerily beautiful up close, and getting a chance to experience them in a controlled setting is something most people never forget. Early dinner, early bed. Tomorrow is the big one.
- Guide Tip: Crevasse rescue is a skill you practice so you never have to use it in a real emergency, but when you do need it, you need it to be automatic. Focus on mastering one clean technique rather than trying to retain multiple systems
Today’s the day! Wake up early for an alpine start, usually around midnight, ascend the Easton Glacier Route to the summit, and descend back to camp. Back at camp, your guides will walk you through the climb, what you noticed, what worked, and how the skills you practiced translated to the real thing.d.
- Distance: 6 – 7 mi | 10 -11 km
- Duration: 6 – 8 hours
- Elevation Profile:
- Start: Base Camp ~5,800 ft / 1,768 m
- High Point: Mount Baker Summit ~10,781 ft / 3,286 m
- End: Base Camp ~5,800 ft / 1,768 m
- Overnight: Tented Mountain Camp, Mount Baker Base Camp
- Meals: B/_/D
- Today Feels Like: Summit morning starts in the dark and cold, with headlamps and layers. The climb up the Easton Glacier is demanding, variable, and completely absorbing. When you reach the crater rim, the world opens up in every direction.
- Guide Tip: Continue taking care of yourself and get as much sleep as you can. Your pack on summit day will be much lighter than on Day 1, count on around 15–20 lbs. Guides will carry extra water and first aid, so focus your pack on layers, fuel, and your personal kit.
Today, we will wrap up camp, descend to the trailhead by 1:00 p.m., and drive back to Sedro-Woolley, arriving around 3:00–4:00 p.m. Return any rental gear and take a moment to celebrate with your team. Nearly always, as people are walking out, the conversation turns to what they learned and what surprised them about this experience.
It is advised that you book local accommodation for the night of your last day instead of traveling home when you will be tired.
- Distance: ~3.75 mi | 6 km
- Duration: 2 to 2.5 hours
- Elevation Profile:
- Start: Base Camp ~5,800 ft / 1,768 m
- End: Park Butte Trailhead ~3,400 ft / ~1,036 m
- Meals: B/_/_
- Guide Tip: Use some of your flight time to reflect on and integrate the experience. It’s been a big journey; this is a great in-between moment to absorb it all, before returning to the pace of your everyday life
Arrive in Sedro-Woolley by 8:00 a.m. Once everyone has arrived, your guide will do a quick gear check and distribute any rentals from CTSS. After that, the team will drive to the trailhead in a caravan. Climbers without a car may hitch a ride with fellow climbers. The journey begins with the approach hike to Sandy Camp, where the team will establish a Base Camp while training. Today, climbers will learn or receive a refresher on expedition campsite selection and construction.
- Distance: 3.75 mi | 6 km
- Duration: 5 – 6 hours
- Elevation Profile:
- Start: Park Butte Trailhead ~3,400 ft / ~1,036 m
- End: Base Camp ~5,800 ft / 1,768 m
- Overnight: Tented Mountain Camp, Mount Baker Base Camp
- Meals: _/_/D
- Today Feels Like: This is the heaviest pack day, guides carry 40–55 lbs of personal + group gear (tents, kitchen, food split among the team). Today will feel like a lot, but the moment you arrive at camp, it’s completely worth it. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Mount Rainier, Mount Olympus, and the coastal mountains of BC.
- Guide Tip: Taper your training before you travel. Rest, hydrate, and arrive ready to absorb everything.
Today’s focus will be on cramponing, ice axe technique, and self-arrest, with guides coaching footwork and movement at an advanced level. We’ll also work on rope team travel on the glacier. During the training days between your approach and summit bid, all activities take place in and around Base Camp. You won’t need to carry a pack. Mileage and elevation gain will be minimal, as the focus is on sharpening your mountaineering skills on the terrain immediately surrounding camp.
- Overnight: Tented Mountain Camp, Mount Baker Base Camp
- Meals: B/_/D
- Today Feels Like: Even with prior experience, there is always more to refine. Guides will be watching your footwork closely and coaching in real time. You may be surprised by how much there is to sharpen, even on familiar skills.
- Guide Tip:Footwork is your number one line of safety on the mountain. No matter how much experience you have, your guides will still be coaching it all the way to the summit. Stay coachable.
Today’s focus will be on crevasse rescue and fixed line ascension. We’ll practice one crevasse rescue system until it’s second nature, and work on fixed line efficiency so you can move confidently on more technical terrain. During the training days between your approach and summit bid, all activities take place in and around Base Camp. You won’t need to carry a pack. Mileage and elevation gain will be minimal, as the focus is on practicing and refining your mountaineering skills on the terrain immediately surrounding camp.
- Overnight: Tented Mountain Camp, Mount Baker Base Camp
- Meals: B/_/D
- Today Feels Like: This is where the advanced course earns its name. Crevasse rescue and fixed lines require focus and repetition, and today has plenty of both. By the end of the day, you won’t just know the system, you’ll trust it.
- Guide Tip:The goal isn’t to learn every rescue system out there. It’s to know one well enough to execute it under pressure. Depth over breadth, every time.
Today’s the day! Wake up early for an alpine start, usually around midnight, ascend the Easton Glacier Route to the summit, and descend back to camp. Back at camp, your guides will walk you through the climb, what you noticed, what worked, and how the skills you practiced translated to the real thing.d.
- Distance: 6 – 7 mi | 10 -11 km
- Duration: 6 – 8 hours
- Elevation Profile:
- Start: Base Camp ~5,800 ft / 1,768 m
- High Point: Mount Baker Summit ~10,781 ft / 3,286 m
- End: Base Camp ~5,800 ft / 1,768 m
- Overnight: Tented Mountain Camp, Mount Baker Base Camp
- Meals: B/_/D
- Today Feels Like: Summit morning starts in the dark and cold, with headlamps and layers. The climb up the Easton Glacier is demanding, variable, and completely absorbing. When you reach the crater rim, the world opens up in every direction.
- Guide Tip: Continue taking care of yourself and get as much sleep as you can. Your pack on summit day will be much lighter than on Day 1, count on around 15–20 lbs. Guides will carry extra water and first aid, so focus your pack on layers, fuel, and your personal kit.
Today, we will wrap up camp, descend to the trailhead by 1:00 p.m., and drive back to Sedro-Woolley, arriving around 3:00–4:00 p.m. Return any rental gear and take a moment to celebrate with your team. Nearly always, as people are walking out, the conversation turns to what they learned and what surprised them about this experience.
It is advised that you book local accommodation for the night of your last day instead of traveling home when you will be tired.
- Distance: ~3.75 mi | 6 km
- Duration: 2 to 2.5 hours
- Elevation Profile:
- Start: Base Camp ~5,800 ft / 1,768 m
- End: Park Butte Trailhead ~3,400 ft / ~1,036 m
- Meals: B/_/_
- Guide Tip: Use some of your flight time to reflect on and integrate the experience. It’s been a big journey; this is a great in-between moment to absorb it all, before returning to the pace of your everyday life