Ski Mountaineering Course
Develop your Ski Mountaineering Skills with Our 4-Day Course on Mount Baker
A Mount Baker ski mountaineering course is for backcountry skiers ready to move into glaciated alpine terrain, summit objectives, and more technical ski descents. Over the course of 3 nights and 4 days, you’ll learn, practice, and apply essential skills for climbing and skiing Cascade volcanoes and peaks abroad. Build practical systems for glacier travel, rope management, crevasse rescue, crampon and ice axe movement, route planning, and descent strategies. Each day, we’ll take glorious runs around the glaciers, providing participants with the opportunity to lead the group and receive immediate feedback from our experienced guides, resulting in rapid skill development.
- Expert Guidance: Receive instruction and feedback from seasoned ski mountaineering guides that are qualified through the AMGA and extensive personal experience.
- Hands-On Learning: Apply skills in real-world scenarios with direct supervision and support.
- Group Leadership: Take turns leading the group through galciated terrain up slopes, and back down ski runs.
- Beautiful Terrain: Explore the breathtaking landscapes of Mount Baker and the North Cascades.
- Prices: Based on a minimum of 2 participants
- Private Courses: Available for custom dates
- Glacier Travel: Master the techniques required for safe and efficient travel across glaciers. Including crevasse avoidance, rope tension, rope intervals, compression and tensions zones
- Crevasse Rescue: Learn and practice crevasse rescue techniques to ensure safety on glaciated terrain. Including 3:1, 5:1, and 6:1 mechanical advantage, self rescue, and rope ascending.
- Snow Anchors: Understand how to build and use snow anchors for various mountaineering applications and snow conditions.
- Knots & Hitches: Gain proficiency in essential knots and hitches used in ski mountaineering.
- Rope Use: Learn to use the rope with a belay while descending steep and icy slopes.
- Self-Arrest: Develop self-arrest skills to stop a fall on steep snow and ice while skiing or cramponing.
- Winter Camping: Acquire the skills for setting up and living comfortably in a winter camp including water, staying warm and dry, and site location.
- Secure Riding Movement: Enhance your riding technique to handle variable snow conditions
- Strong Intermediate or Higher Skiers and Splitboarders: Ideal for those with solid skiing or riding abilities and experience in skinning.
- Fit Adventurers: Participants should be able to ascend 4,700 vertical feet over 4 miles in a day and a total of 7,200 vertical feet over 12 miles round trip.
- Backcountry Enthusiasts: Those with moderate or above fitness levels, ready for 4 days of continuous activity in the mountains.
4 Days of Shred-ucation right here on Mt Baker
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Day 1: Meet and greet at our office in Galcier WA, gear check at World HQ, and travel to camp on the Coleman-Deming, Squak, or Easton glaciers.
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Day 2: Engage in roped glacier travel and route finding, self-arrest techniques and limitations, and rappelling for ski mountaineers. Enjoy a warm-up ride before moving to the next camp.
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Day 3: Dig into ski mountaineering specific snow anchors, crevasse rescue, navigation, belayed skiing, and ski from a summit, descending to our next camp.
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Day 4: Put all acquired ski mountaineering skills to the test during a summit climb of Mount Baker and a ski descent back to camp at Hogsback, Crag View, or Sandy Camp. Return to the trailhead at Heliotrope Ridge, Schriebers Meadow, or Paul Scott Trail.
Take your ski mountaineering skills to the worlds peaks with our comprehensive 4-day ski mountaineering course. Whether you're aiming to rip around Cascade volcanoes such as Dakobed, Kulshan, Tahoma, or Klickitat to peaks around the world, this course provides the foundation and advanced techniques you need.
This 4-day course is best for strong intermediate or advanced backcountry skiers that can ski intermediate slopes in variable snow and who want to move confidently through glaciated ski terrain, climb Cascade volcanoes, and build technical ski mountaineering systems.
Students practice glacier travel, rope intervals, snow anchors, knots and hitches, rope use on steep terrain- ski belays and rappeling, self-arrest, winter camping, route selection, group leadership, and secure skiing movement in variable conditions.
Yes. You should already be comfortable skinning, skiing variable snow, managing transitions, and traveling in the backcountry. This course builds on existing touring skills and adds mountaineering systems such as snow camping, life on the glacier, mountain weather, and all glacier travel protocol.
The course is typically based on the Coleman-Deming, Easton, or Squak Glaciers on Mount Baker/Kulshan or nearby on the Sulphide or White Salmon Glaciers on Mount Shuksan in the North Cascades. Final locations are chosen based on snowpack, weather, access, and the group’s objectives.
Bring a ski touring setup, avalanche safety equipment, helmet, harness, crampons, ice axe, glacier travel gear, overnight equipment, layers, food, and water capacity. A final gear list is confirmed before the course.
Gear list
Gear list
Gear required varies trip to trip. Your guide helps you decide what to bring or leave during the gear check. Need to rent crampons, ice axe, harness, or helmet? Let us know when you book.
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:
