Glacier Travel Course

Unlock the Skills to Explore Glaciated Routes for Your Climbing Adventures

Develop Essential Glacier Travel and Mountaineering Techniques for Cascadian Volcanoes and Big Mountains Worldwide

All Glacier Travel Course dates are offered on a custom basis. 2 people mininum

The Cascades offer a world-class playground for climbers, with countless legendary routes to explore—but many of these climbs pass through challenging glaciated terrain. Join our Glacier Travel Course to learn how to navigate glaciers safely, manage rope systems, conduct a crevasse rescue, and recognize and mitigate glacier hazards.

Mount Baker’s pristine, rugged glaciers provide the perfect classroom, where you’ll learn in a hands-on environment and receive immediate feedback from AMGA trained mountain guides. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced climber, you’ll gain the skills needed to explore glaciated peaks across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Choose from our 2-day or 3-day options, with the 3-day course offering more opportunities for focused skill-building and practice.

Course Highlights

• Expert Instruction: Learn from highly qualified AMGA trained guides with extensive personal and worldwide mountaineering experience.

• Comprehensive Curriculum: Learn and practice a wide-range of glacier skills that will enhance your mountaineering toolkit.

• Hands-On Experience: Put your skills to the test with real-world glacier scenarios, under the direct guidance and support of seasoned experts.

• Breathtaking Terrain: Immerse yourself in the stunning landscapes of Mount Baker and the North Cascades, one of America’s most iconic mountain ranges.

Register Now

Don’t miss the chance to enhance your climbing skills with this transformative course! Secure your spot today to learn glacier travel techniques and explore the stunning, glaciated terrain of our home, the Pacific Northwest!

Best For

• Any climber looking to explore the glaciated mountains around the Cascades or worldwide. Some climbing and rope experience is ideal, but not necessary. This course can help any climber looking to learn glacier skills, ranging from a beginner to expert.

• Moderately fit hikers/climbers ready for 5-6 miles of hiking per day and 3,000’ of elevation gain.

• No prior glacier experience is required—we provide the training to help climbers of all levels develop the necessary skills.

Goals

• Glacier Travel: Learn techniques for safe, efficient movement across glaciers.

• Rope Management: Learn essential knots, hitches, how to coil the rope, how to set up your rope interval and maintain proper tension, and how to safely belay, rappel, and ascend fixed ropes.

• Snow Anchors: Gain hands-on experience building and using various snow anchors, including the use of pickets, ice anchors, and snow bollards.

• Crevasse Rescue: Practice mechanical advantage systems, self-rescue techniques, brute-hauling, and rope ascension during real-world crevasse rescue scenarios.

• Hazard Recognition: Learn to identify and mitigate glacier hazards like crevasses, rockfall, icefall, moulins, and snow bridges.

• Camp Setup & Cooking: Learn how to melt snow for drinking water, cook in alpine environments, and build a safe, bomb-proof camp.

• Navigation: Develop navigation skills for safely traveling in hazardous glacier terrain, including probing snow bridges and planning routes.

Itinerary

Day 1:

• Meet and Greet at the Glacier, WA office, then hike the Heliotrope Ridge trail to Hogsback Camp (~2,300’ elevation gain).

• Set up camp, and dive into cramponing and self-arrest practice.

• Begin rope skills training: knots, hitches, and rope management.

• Glacier walk: Identify hazards and start snow anchor practice.

• Evening discussion on navigation and route planning.
  

Day 2:

• Early breakfast and depart for a day on the glacier.

• Lead the group through crevassed terrain and practice recognizing and avoiding hazards.

• Crevasse rescue training: Conduct rescues with real crevasse scenarios, learning mechanical advantage and self-rescue techniques.

• Practice rappelling and rope ascension.

• Return to camp for navigation practice and camp breakdown.

Day 3 (Optional):

• Stay an extra night at Hogsback Camp for more glacier skills practice.

• Practice leading the team around crevasses, seracs, and moulins.
  Apply more advanced crevasse rescue systems and get extra feedback from your guides.

• Break camp and head home for a well-deserved shower!