The warm austral summer days, and plenty of sunshine make this a perfect alpine climbing environment to develop leadership guiding skills and technical competence.

The Cajón de Arenales is often referred to as the Yosemite of South America. It has some of the highest quality granite in the area and offers a range of great crack climbs, tenuous sport routes, and long, multi-pitch alpine climbs.

You’ll practice leading on splitter cracks, top out on airy spires with incredible mountain vistas, and become competent at self-rescue. Whether learning route finding, setting up a hauling system, or simply enjoying a quality sport route in the sun, Arenales offers the ideal international climbing classroom, without the crowds.

Mendoza: Mendoza is the starting and ending place for our trip. It can easily be reached by daily flights from both Buenos Aires and Santiago. Mendoza is a colorful city of approximately 500,000 people full of interesting history, markets and parks. It is located in the heart of Argentina's wine country and the climate is predominantly hot and sunny!

Arenales: Just a short distance from Mendoza, Aranales is home to some of the cleanest granite and highest quality climbs in South America. Whether learning route finding, setting up a hauling system, or simply enjoying a quality sport route in the sun, Arenales offers the ideal international climbing classroom, without the crowds.

Difficulty: The wide variety of climbs found in Arenales provides many different difficulty ratings to choose from. Hone your climbing technique on challenging splitter cracks or work out moves along a fun sport-route. The selection of climbs is perfect for taking your climbing grade to the next level and developing proficiency on many different types of climbs.

Our Instructors: IWLS instructors and guides are highly-trained professionals recognized as some of the best in their field. They have a wealth of experience from guiding throughout Alaska, Canada, and the world. They genuinely enjoy sharing their knowledge of the outdoors in the wild places that they love. Their experiences and leadership help our students to have the best possible experience during their course. Students' safety, education, and enjoyment are their primary goals. The International Wilderness Leadership Schools’ educational model nurtures leadership development and creates an awareness of the guiding mentality that is essential for leading safe, fun adventures in the mountains. The combination of technical skills training, experiential education and practical leadership experience make the IWLS curriculum world-class. Our Aconcagua instructors have extensive experience on the mountain. Their skill and knowledge insure a safe, successful, and fun trip. We also limit the size of our groups and maintain a small student to instructor ratio. The itineraries and camps that we use are designed to provide the best experience on this challenging and rewarding trip!

Experience Level: No previous experience is necessary for this course. However, with a desire to learn and an enthusiasm for adventure, you’ll develop the skills necessary for a lifetime of wilderness exploration. Previous expedition camping and/or high altitude experience is recommended.

Certifications: Upon completion of the 12-day Argentina Rock Climbing Leadership Course, students will be eligible for the following certifications:

12-day Rock Climbing Guide Training Certificate of Completion

(printable PDF)

Day 0: Arrive in Mendoza. An instructor will meet you at the airport with an IWLS sign.
 
Day 1: Mendoza to Aranales. We travel by private passenger van for approximately 1.5 hours to the trailhead at Arenales. We'll establish our camp for the duration of the course after a short walk from the trailhead. Camping is within close proximity to many of the climbs we'll enjoy over the next few days.   

Day 2 - 5: After reviewing the basics, you’ll dive into a progressive hands on curriculum designed to create
competent and confident leaders in a vertical environment. You’ll practice building complex anchors, self-rescue, and mock leading on a series of sport, trad, and alpine rock routes.

Day 6 - 11: Students will have the opportunity for mid-course evaluations and focus curriculum towards individual goals. Towards the end of the rock course, you’ll apply your skills on multi-pitch alpine routes in the
Arenales basin. You’ll continue to develop your leadership and route finding skills in this amazing location.

Day 12: We'll conclude the course with final evaluations and typically return to Mendoza by late afternoon.

Day 13: Flights home.  

• Leadership: We not only exemplify leadership – we teach it and implement it. Students will have opportunities to lead the group through a variety of activities, objectives, and responsibilities.
• Safety and Risk Management: Safety is always our #1 consideration. As the course progresses, students will develop an awareness to appropriately assess risk and make safe decisions in and out of the field. Especially as it applies to high altitude.
• Expedition Behavior and Group Dynamics: Because this course is a true wilderness expedition, interactions between group members need to be supportive and contribute to the efficacy of the group. The daily dynamics of the group, combined with guided instruction, will teach students not only how to be a member of a cohesive team, but how to influence and lead an expedition.
• Environmental Ethics: As adventurers in some of the most pristine environments on the planet, it is our duty to respect the natural world. All of our courses practice and teach Leave No Trace® principles.
• Communication Skills: Speaking in public, managing a personal conflict, or leading a group in the wilderness - all of these situations require effective communication. Students will gain confidence in their communication abilities while developing personal leadership styles during this course.

IWLS Rock Climbing Curriculum is designed to create safe and strong technical climbers. Below are some topics we’ll cover:

• Climbing Technique: Whether stemming an inside corner, jamming an off-width, or friction climbing on a blank slab, you’ll learn the techniques to climb efficiently on a variety of different features.
• Belaying: Belaying is the foundational skill of any good climbing partner. We'll cover a variety of different belays applicable to different scenarios.
• Rappelling: Rappelling down a steep rock face is a thrilling moment and our team will learn how to do it safely. We’ll also look at different methods for teaching rappelling and dealing with incapacitated climbers.
• Route Selection: Where to set up the fixed belay? How to avoid objective hazards? How to select the most appropriate route from far below? You’ll learn the answer to these questions and more as we climb a variety of established routes in addition to possible first ascents.
• Rock Protection: Pitons, nuts, cams, hexes… learn the nuances of quality placements. You’ll have the opportunity to place protection in a variety of settings and rock quality.
• High Angle Rescue: What happens when things go bad? We’ll practice escaping the belay and getting to the aid of an injured climber

 

  The IWLS International Curriculum is designed to provide students with a fundamental understanding of planning and leading expeditions in foreign countries. Here are just a few topics that will be covered:

• Cultural History: As visitors to this remarkable place, we place a premium on being respectful and learning about the local culture and history.
• Trip Preparation: Logistics in a foreign country can be complex and tenuous. You’ll take part in shopping at the local market, arranging transportation, and securing permits in preparation for your expedition on Aconcagua.

Trip Documents:

• Course Overview- Printable detailed course overview & itinerary.
• Equipment List - Overview of personal clothing and equipment that you'll need for this course.
• Registration Form - Outlines policies, and essential information. One required per participant.
• Health Form - This form enables our guides to have accurate health information in the event of an emergency.
• Land Based Activity Waiver - One required per participant. Guests under the age of 18 may go on one form.
• Travel Info - Helpful information on how to get to/from Argentina.

• Expedition gear - group camping equipment, tents, stoves, etc...
• Expedition food - all food while out in the field.
• Transportation during trip - departure and return to Mendoza.
• Professional instructors - Our leaders have extensive knowledge of the area and a passion for leading in wild places.

 
  Students are responsible for the following:

• Personal clothing & equipment - review the equipment list included under "Documents"
• Food and Lodging in Mendoza - We are happy to recommend our preferred options.
• Travel insurance - travel insurance is required for all international programs with IWLS.
• Airfare & travel to course location - review the "Travel Information" under "Documents" for more details.
• Reviewing course policies - please reference our policies page for policies regarding payment, cancellations, refunds and student responsibilities.
• Gratuities

 
  To Book your adventure, follow the steps below:

• Please call to confirm availability at 1-800-766-3396 or fill out an online form to request more information: Request More Info
• Place a deposit of $500 or 25% of trip cost (whichever is less) to reserve your spot: this can be place over the phone by credit card, check in the mail, or through our payment gateway.
• Once you've reserved your spot, you'll receive a welcome packet with all the necessary registration forms and trip information.
• Be sure to submit all trip registration documents at least 45 days prior to your course. This includes information on your arrival/departure, lodging, dietary, and medical information.

  Feel free to call or email anytime if you have questions about your upcoming trip. Our team is excited to help you prepare for your adventure!