I recently found myself with the time and ability to go anywhere in the world and spend a season learning mountaineering/climbing. Any suggestions or ideas on where to go and what to do?

I made the leap from backpacking to mountaineering a couple of seasons ago through courses with the Mazamas and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in India. I have climbed some of the popular peaks in Oregon and Washington and have spent a couple of months trekking at altitude in Nepal. I'd like to plug into some type of climbing organization, company, group of climbers, school, volunteer, or internship program for part of a year and focus solely on learning solid climbing skills. I've spent a good amount of time in areas all around South America, Europe, and Asia and I'm considering a good portion of the world as open territory for this mountaineering quest (also speak Spanish/basic Hindi).

Specific suggestions for the best way to make the most of this opportunity to build mountaineering skills with a solid few months to devote solely to the endeavor??

Thanks!!

Much too jealous to offer suggestions.

Good luck!

I'm a married man .... how could I devote months to ... ANYTHING ..... ?

What's your budget?

CanadaHiker wrote:What's your budget?

Probably midrange. I can live cheaply for a few months and simply climb and pay for a few classes too. I'd prefer linking up with an organization/company/mentors/school or formal volunteer/internship program.

borutbk wrote:Consider relocating to Slovenia. If you live here, the alpinistic schools are almost for free, and in the beginning the association helps out with specific gear. It's not a joke. If you are dedicated you can pick up a lot. All Slovene alpinists went through these schools. A more recent reference might be Steve House who dedicates a chapter of his book to the Slovene alpinism school.
Classes (and outings) usually start in autumn, or in the spring time.

Takes more than a few months, though.

Wow, I'd love to learn more. I'm getting the Steve House book from the library. Do you have any websites or ways to look up more information about the schools?

Thanks for looking that up and translating! This gives me a start on some research.