In writing this manual on technical progression we adopted a model similar to other texts on sport, for example skiing. Generally speaking the majority of manuals on alpinism explain how to climb a wall, a ridge, a glacier…
It would be like a ski manual explaining how to descend a black or a red trail without explaining about snow plows, parallel turns, wedels, and without allowing the student to adapt his style to the terrain and his own abilities.
Here, we give priority to describing the actual movements rather than the terrain. We start with easy exercises such as walking on snow and finish with the most difficult techniques such as the use of ice axes and crampons.
Naturally one must take into consideration that snow and ice are constantly changing elements :
"Mountains are not a tennis court on which the ball bounces always in the same way".
After having done all the exercises on the appropriate terrain (each exercise is presented in the most suitable environment), the student can go out into the mountains with the knowledge of how to adapt to hard or soft snow, to splintering ice, to cornices, to storms, to fatigue, to inadequate training and other big or small disasters that render more difficult, if not impossible, to carry out the planned route. It will be up to the student, thanks to his experience, sensitivity and ability to adapt, to decide, after having evaluated the mountain himself, which technique to use, whilst respecting the rules of security and caution, and if necessary give up.
The text was presented to the technical committee of the Alpine Guides- Alpinism instructors and adopted as the official text for the Italian Alpine Guide diploma course.
In order to coordinate the teaching methods of the numerous companies of Alpine Guides, it is hoped that it will become the basic text for the Italian Alpine Guides schools (Italian School of Alpinsm, Ski Alpinism, and Climbing).
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