The Mountain Training Center is the premiere online backcountry and avalanche course provider. Offering courses for beginners and seasoned vets.
Messy rope = wasted time when it matters most. 🪢 Learn the right way to stack your rope (and a whole lot more) in our upcoming Rock Rescue course with Emilie Drinkwater. Join the waitlist from the link in our bio and get 40% off. ⛰️
🧗♂️Know how to lower your partner when things go sideways? This is a carabiner crank lower, a key skill for getting a climber down a short distance on a plate-style device.
Snippet from our upcoming Rock Rescue course with IFMGA guide Emilie Drinkwater. Join the waitlist from the link in our bio and get 40% off when it drops. ⛰️
How To Rappel With Saddle Bags 💼
Is it really windy? Is there poison ivy sitting below the wall? Are you worried about tossing your ropes into the trees?
If you said yes to any of the things above then saddle bags should be what you reach for.
04/20/2026
THE BASELINE KIT
Is this all you will ever need? No.
The baseline kit is a starting point. You can build upon and expand it based on conditions and objectives. Excluded are the basics for backcountry skiing and riding such as avalanche safety equipment.
These specific items are not specific recommendations. If your jam is the lightest weight stuff out there, feel free to swap things as you see fit. This kit will cover the majority of people in the majority of glaciated terrain.
Read more at the link in our bio.
Take a look at the must-haves of working guide harness. Is this more or less than you bring for a day of cragging?
04/11/2026
Ski Mountaineering Gear Guide: Skiing & Splitboarding the Pacific Northwest Volcanoes | Mountain Training Center Ski Mountaineering Gear Guide: Skiing & Splitboarding the Pacific Northwest Volcanoes by Will McKay. Expert insights on avalanche safety, backcountry skiing, and mountain training for all skill levels.
🏔️ Passing A Knot With A Munter 🏔️
When a piece of rope is damaged, often times the simplest solution is isolating the damage with a simple overhand on a bite. The issue you can run into from there is having that same knot interfere with both up and down systems.
In this video, Emilie Drinkwater demonstrates how to pass a knot while using a Munter hitch.
This is a preview from our upcoming online course: Rock Rescue with Emilie Drinkwater.
04/06/2026
🏔️ All it takes is five minutes & your body will thank you 🏃♀️
You can read the whole article along with the exercise demos at the link in our bio.
04/06/2026
Last week, I sat down with IFMGA Mountain Guide Emilie Drinkwater to chat about her new course: Rock Rescue with Emilie Drinkwater.
Working with Emilie on this has been a bit of a surreal experience. When I first moved to Salt Lake City and started to try and get into the guiding industry, she was the first person I reached out to. Since then Emilie has acted as a mentor over the years and even ended up being my examiner for my ski guiding exam.
Emilie is widely known to be one of the best mountain guides AND educators in the United States. From steep skiing slopes to technical rock terrain, her deficiencies are seemingly non-existent...
The Importance of Rock Rescue with IFMGA Mountain Guide Emilie Drinkwater | Mountain Training Center The Importance of Rock Rescue with IFMGA Mountain Guide Emilie Drinkwater by Will McKay. Expert insights on avalanche safety, backcountry skiing, and mountain training for all skill levels.
01/10/2026
ANNOUNCEMENT ⚠️
Mountain Training Center has been recognized as an A3 Approved Curriculum Provider for Recreational Level 1 Avalanche Course Curriculum.
For only $25, existing Recognized A3 Providers may now use our online course in conjunction with their in-field instruction. We cover the online education while your guides deliver exceptional in-field instruction.
For more information please reach out to [email protected]