Mountain Sense:
Knowledge Is Power

Epic video tutorial courses for climbers and skiers
Thousands of satisfied climbers and skiers like yourself
Tackle bigger objectives with a larger toolbox of skills
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New

Backcountry Splitboard Mountaineering Course

Discover the allure of untracked waist-deep powder with Mark Smiley, Adam Zok, Joey Vosburgh, and other snowboarding pros. The online course adds to the helpful and entertaining tools MTN Sense provides to help you go bigger and deeper in the backcountry. You bring the motivation, we bring the knowledge.

Ski Mountaineering Course

Discover the allure of untracked waist-deep powder with Mark Smiley, an esteemed backcountry skiing guide and the course instructor at MTN Sense, the renowned company offering ski mountaineering courses and backcountry ski lessons.

New!

Avalanche Safety Course

Avalanche safety course by Mark Smiley (MTN Sense) is an online course meticulously crafted for recreational skiers and riders eager to acquire invaluable avalanche training. With Mark Smiley and eight other guides and ski pros as your instructors, this course is your gateway to mastering the art of finding the best snow while steering clear of avalanches. If you're keen on developing and honing your avalanche safety and backcountry traveling skills, you've landed in the perfect spot.

Crevasse Rescue Made Easy Course

Learn the fast and easy way to do crevasse rescue. Leaning on modern techniques and equipment, this process is a breeze. Step foot on a glacier with confidence by learning crevasse rescue in under two hours.

Beyond Level One Course

Mark Smiley (MTN Sense), offers an exceptional avalanche online course meticulously designed for recreational skiers and riders eager to gain invaluable avalanche training. As your instructor, Mark Smiley provides the expertise to guide you through this advanced course, which serves as your gateway to mastering the art of finding the best snow while steering clear of avalanches. Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast looking to develop and refine your avalanche safety and backcountry traveling skills or aspiring to achieve the coveted 'rec level two' certification, you've come to the perfect online course destination.

Mountaineering Course

Getting started in mountaineering? Enroll in this beginner mountaineering course by Mark Smiley, the instructor, covering all aspects of alpine skills and mountaineering. Reaching a challenging summit is immensely rewarding. Yet, when you venture into the mountains, you contend with various elements that elevate risk exposure and failure potential. Stack the odds in your favor for your next mountain mission with the skills acquired here.

Worldwide Smartphone Navigation Course

Your smartphone is a powerful tool. Lean in on the technology that's been tested and proven to work for more than a decade. This concise course covers several GPS app and tools that will help you anywhere in the world.

The Rock Anchor Mastery Course: Bomber. Svelte. Swift.

First we learn the rules, then we learn how to properly break them. Bomber anchors should take less than 60 seconds to construct. Mark Smiley gives over fifty rock climbing anchor examples from the field. Expand your definition of what a good anchors is, how to make great anchors, and when less is more. Open the doors to bigger objectives by refining the art of rock anchor craftsmanship.

Rappelling Techniques Course: Avoid Epics!

Discover fifty modern techniques for rappelling in many situations. For many climbers, rappelling is perceived as 'the most dangerous part of the day.' This course is tailored to replace fear with confidence inspiring skills. After mastering these skills and techniques, rappelling will shift from a stressful gamble into a low-stress puzzle of choosing the right tool for each situation.

ALL MTN Sense Courses Bundle

This is for all the MTN Sense course. Mountain Sense is a collection of tutorial videos made by IFMGA Mountain Guide, Mark Smiley. Check out the many different offerings covering Ski mountaineering, avalanche education, rock climbing anchors, rappelling, naviagation and crevasse rescue for glacier travel.

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"Ride with poles in the back hand always... otherwise you might lose your front tooth... like me."

"Thank you for making something designed specifically for splitboarders. I gleaned so much from this!"

"This course was incredible! It's packed with useful information in a really fun and engaging way. Joey and Adam together is the icing on the cake. I have taken a lot of courses at this point and this one has to be my favorite."

I'm a relatively experienced climber and skier, but still found many useful tips and tricks in this course. Crevasse rescue can be an uber complicated subject, but Mark breaks it down into simple, easy-to-understand components. It's easy to pause, rewind, and re-watch the videos as many times as needed. Mark also provides updated content as new gear and refined techniques become available so the content always stays up to date. Highly recommended!

Andrew Traylor

Crevasse Rescue

Mark Smiley brings a different approach and humor to this course. In particular, I enjoyed learning about finding the best corn snow! Janelle’s portion about being a better partner is also particularly useful because it provides specific examples of ways to communicate with others. Thanks for the fresh take on this avalanche educational online course!

I am a few years past my Avy 2 class and I completed this program with my spouse/ski partner who is going into a Avy 1 class this winter. We both walked away with new knowledge and stoke for the upcoming season.

Absolutely phenomenal. The wife and I learned a bunch and laughed the whole time doing it.

John via Instagram

Avalanche Safety Course

Thank you for what you do! I climbed and skied Mt. Rainier in a single push with a team of two last spring. We couldn’t have felt comfortable up there in that terrain if my buddy hadn’t bought your crevasse rescue course. We both obsessed over the videos in preparation. Your vids helped us be so much safer and gear efficient.

Hayden Beck

Crevasse Rescue

Mark brings a different approach and humor to this course. In particular, I enjoyed learning about finding the best corn snow! Janelle’s portion about being a better partner is also particularly useful because it provides specific examples of ways to communicate with others. Thanks for the fresh take on avalanche education!

As I venture into more advanced terrain and beginner mountaineering objectives the Tetons, I'm very thankful to have a catalog of videos I can reference at my own pace. The format allows for an entertaining review of good material, with the ability to re-play the specific skills that I need more work on!

Dude...your video tutorials are perfect! All that info is absolutely invaluable. Answers all my questions. THANK YOU!

Who is Mark Smiley?

Mark Smiley's passion for adventure has taken him on 30+ expeditions on five continents. He and his wife, Janelle, are the only people that have attempted to climb all 50 Classic Climbs of North America (48 successfully). He was part of a team to set a world record skiing across the entire Alps Mountain Range (1100 miles and 292,000 vertical feet) in a mere 36 days.

His avalanche safety training style is fun, mellow, and easy to understand. As an IFMGA Certified Mountain Guide, Mark Smiley is among the world's elite guides to have reached this status. More important than this certification is his candid style of conveying the best avalanche skills training techniques that will benefit you the most.

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