Glacier Travel Course

Course Highlights

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

During the Glacier Travel Course learn how to navigate glaciers and avoid crevasses safely, manage glacier travel and crevasse rescue rope systems, perform a real 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 in the Cascades, to the Alaska Range, and even the Alps

• 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 techniques such as 2 person & 3 person rope teams, direct haul and indirect haul, 2:1, 3:1, and 6:1 systems, and the use of 60 meter, 40 meter, and 30 meter ropes

• 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 glaciated mountain ranges.

Client to Guide Ratios:

• 4:1 Ratio: Maximum of 4 spaces available per guide.
• Prices: Based on a minimum of 2 participants
• Private Courses: Available for custom dates
  

Course Overview

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

• 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 (T-Trench), 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.

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.

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! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the Glacier Travel Course for?

This course is for climbers, mountaineers, hikers, skiers, and splitboarders who want to learn safe glacier travel skills for Cascade volcanoes, North Cascades objectives, and bigger glaciated mountains worldwide.

Do I need previous glacier travel experience?

No prior glacier experience is required. Some hiking, climbing, or rope experience is helpful, but the course is designed to build practical glacier skills for motivated beginners through experienced climbers.

What skills will I learn in the Glacier Travel Course?

You will practice rope management, knots and hitches, glacier travel spacing, hazard recognition, snow anchors, crampon and ice axe movement, basic rescue systems, navigation, and alpine camp skills.

What is the difference between the 2-day and 3-day options?

The 2-day option introduces the core glacier travel and rope skills. The 3-day option allows more time for scenario-based practice, route planning, glacier navigation, and additional feedback from your guide.

Where does the course take place?

The course is commonly based on Mount Baker/Kulshan and nearby North Cascades glacier terrain. Exact locations depend on season, snowpack, access, weather, and group goals.

Cancellation

It is your responsibility to be familiar with our Payment, Cancellation, and Rescheduling Policies. When you book a trip with Guided Exposure, you are agreeing to our policies outlined here:

guidedexposure.com/pages/cancellation-policy