Course was outstanding. Our Instructor/mentor quickly evaluated the individual student skill sets and experience to tailor our learning and allowed us to challenge ourselves. Individually, when a topic or skill was becoming difficult Helene usually could simply read the body language and provide the necessary input to achieve the skill. Following the group work on the final day my confidence to take additional training and challenge myself in new terrain has improved significantly. Logistic coordination for transportation with 49 North was great. Instruction and mentorship from Helene was outstanding. Use of scaffolding techniques during the course to introduce skills in bite-size portions prior to consolidation in group work was very well done. Dave ~,

It was truly a fantastic trip. Thank you again for providing such a great experience. Ben Porcher, Courtenay, BC.

The course was first class and I feel much safer and confident in the alpine now thanks to it. Chris Istace, Chemainus, BC.

Great weekend! Awesome learing opportunities, great terrain, steak and potatoes in the alpine, what more could I ask for? I'd do it again! Patrick Horsefield, Nanaimo, BC.

Thanks again to Jan Neuspiel of Island Alpine Guides for an amazing experience! In the last couple of years I have taken various climbing instruction, an avalanche course and a guided mountain hike/climb on Vancouver Island. All three outdoor educators/guides (Cliff, Karen and Jan) have been outstanding! My most recent adventure was a helicopter fly in to Matchlee Mountain. Three days of excellent instruction at a magical location, all under blue skies and warm weather; and to top it off a climb to the summit! My climbing partner (Albert Pozar) and myself looked forward to this trip as a once in a life time adventure. Now we say a helicopter fly in mountain experience with IAG will be an annual event! Dale Combs, Duncan, BC.

I was amazed at how much you learn in three days of instruction with IAG - not to mention a helicopter access adventure in the mountains. The value from this course is incredible and I now feel confident venturing into terrain that I would have avoided before. Carl Tessmann, Cumberland, BC

Many thanks for the great course. Loved the energy, teaching, ability to adapt to all levels, improvise for conditions and maximize value! We'll see you again. Jordan Anderson and Tida Brisotto, Victoria, BC.

Thanks for an awesome trip. I've gained an immense appreciation for what you do and a thirst to continue on. Carol Ann Patterson, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Thanks for a great trip. I will certainly recommend your outfit to anyone I can, I thought it was first class. It was good to meet new people with similar interests. Awesome group to be with for this trip. Keep me in the loop on the improvised rock anchors course. I am keen to keep learning. Daryl Aason, Shawnigan Lake, BC.

Killer trip, once in a lifetime, I couldn't have asked for a better experience! Jordan Campbell, Campbell River, BC.

"Taking this course was the best decision I've made this year" Duy Tang, Comox, BC.

This 3-day course was an exceptional, informative, and fun experience that was rounded out with world class instruction. I learned more than I could have imagined and am excited to build upon my newfound knowledge with more alpine experiences, many of which will most definitely be with IAG. I strongly recommend this course to anyone who is looking to gain valuable mountaineering skills while enjoying awe-inspiring surroundings! Easha Acharya, Nanaimo, BC.

Course was awesome! Exceeded my expectations and then some. Ken was such an awesome guide. His approach to teaching was perfect. He made you think and process yourself but was there with guidance when you needed a hand. I will definitely recommend this course to others looking for technical skills to advance their mountaineering/backcountry skill set. David Leith, Campbell River

Amazing trip. Not only was the weather and location perfect, our guide Ken was incredible. He was approachable, easy going and had an absolute wealth of experience about life in the mountains. Would recommend for sure. Rob Livingstone, Victoria, BC

Thoroughly enjoyed the course, the instruction and the group overall. Ken was a great instructor and was patient enough with me while the skills slowly returned to me after a long absence from the mountains. John Considine, Victoria, BC

The course was great! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it very informative, engaging, and fun! As well, it was very well-organized, which I appreciated. I would expect the guide to be knowledgeable and competent. I wasn't expecting the guide to bring such a level of spirituality to the course. I deeply appreciated his perspective on life in the mountains. It was a rich and rewarding experience. I would definitely recommend it as well as consider taking another one of your courses that you offer. I very much appreciated the other participants as well, and am hoping to get up in the hills with a couple of them at least. Jeremy Page, Victoria, BC

Ken was a marvellous instructor. He not only taught us about safety, but also mountain etiquette and trusting in our gut instinct, and philosophies of mountaineering so that when you head out, you have a purpose and the skills to bring you home safe again – and that means leaving our arrogance and ego at home. It was a wonderful experience and I would recommend it to everyone starting out with mountaineering. Anne Nguyen, Nanaimo, BC

Thank you for an incredible weekend. The smile has yet to leave my face. I've now been on two IAG courses and both were phenomenal. I was really impressed with the quality of training, the depth of knowledge we were provided during the course and the incredible location for it to take place. The small delay in departure Saturday was more than made up for by the helicopter ride and the proximity we were able to keep to the Alpine Classroom - what a magical location for the course. I found the course to be the right level of demanding, challenging of my limits and of risk management. While feeling excited and focused, there weren't any moments in which I felt unsafe or over exposed despite the seriousness of the terrain we were in. Andrew did an incredible job of managing the group throughout the course, and I was particularly impressed with how well he was able to monitor and oversee two separate ropes teams traversing the mountain. I've spoken with other guides in the past and I know what an incredible responsibility this can be, to manage the systems and risk for themselves and 5 strangers in their care. Andrew also did an excellent job of monitoring how we each were doing, and assisting us only when necessary or requested. Not only that, but it turned out he had been taking fantastic photos for us the entire time, sharing them with us on Monday at our debrief. Our group is collecting all our photos into a single dropbox, which I may be able to share with their permissions. I've been enthralled by mountaineering for quite some time now, but as a freshwater paddler from Ontario - the mountains have otherwise been inaccessible to me for lack of experience and skill. I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity this past weekend to begin to build the foundation I need to explore these places with as minimal risk as possible. Jonathan Horvatin, Victoria, BC

The trip was fantastic! It exceeded my expectations, Andrew is an exceptional guide. The Covid risk management was very well managed and didn’t hinder my experience of the course. Hats-off to Andrew for taking great care of us. I look forward to taking more courses with Island Alpine Guides. Mark Toth, Courtenay, BC.

The information I learned was incredibly useful and will be useful no matter where I am mountaineering. The objectives laid out by the course itinerary were exceeded. Austin,

The instruction was clear and the personal life experiences and stories from the instructor made learning interesting and enjoyable. It was a safe and challenging course that instilled confidence for further backcountry adventures! ~,

I had a blast learning these important mountain skills. I can't wait to get back out again. Matthew Lettington, Nanaimo, BC.