Mt. Baker - Glacial Mountaineering Course (4-1/2 Day)
Mt. Baker - Glacial Mountaineering Course
Approaching the Coleman Glacier on Mt. Baker
4-1/2 DAY Glacial Mountaineering course
mt. baker BASE CAMP
Itinerary
Prep Day - Travel via to the Skagit Valley, WA. The team will start with a welcome meeting around 3:00PM and run through a group gear-check and program orientation. We will make sure that you have everything you need to be successful, ensure your crampons are sized to your boots, teach you how fit your harness properly, and introduce some basic climbing knots.
Day 1 - Depending on conditions, we will travel to the trailhead for the Easton Glacier Route or the Coleman-Deming Glaciers Route (~3,700’). The team then hikes to base camp where we will learn to set up camp on snow. Once camp is set we will move on to “snow school”, learning to travel on snow with the use of an ice axe and to self arrest in the event of a slip or fall. We will finish our day with more knot practice, an introduction to glaciers and their hazards, and dinner.
Days 2 - Taking advantage of the morning’s firm snow, we start our day learning various crampon techniques before moving on to roping up for glacier travel, traveling as a team, and navigating crevasse hazards. The second half of this day will be spent learning to build snow anchors and discussing crevasse rescue scenarios.
Day 3 - The team will spend the day learning and practicing crevasse rescue systems. Depending on conditions we may choose to move to a higher camp for learning these skills and positioning for greater success of our student led summit attempt.
Day 4 - With an alpine-start, we will begin our student led summit attempt. Under the close supervision of your guide, the team will use all of the previously developed knowledge and skills to navigate around hazards on their way to the top. We will then return to camp, pack-up and descend all the way to the trailhead.
Description
Are you inspired by the big mountains of the world? Have you always wanted to explore the craggy glaciers of the Cascades? Our 4-1/2 day Glacial Mountaineering Course is deigned to give you the skills to be a contributing member of a summit team on the glaciated peaks of the Pacific Northwest and around the globe.
This hands-on course starts with the fundamentals of personal travel and safety in glaciated terrain and graduates to team travel strategies. The capstone experience of this course is a student led summit attempt of Mt. Baker via the Coleman-Deming Glaciers or Easton Glacier route. Along the way students will learn everything from camping on a glacier to snow anchors, and basic crevasse rescue for teams.
Details
Location: Mount Baker
Ratio: 3:1 climber to guide (max. 6 climbers)
Length: 4 days + 1/2 day travel and prep
Cost: $1299.00 per person
Dates: June 26-30, 2024
Custom dates are available for this program by submitting a Private Booking Request or
calling our office at (619)432-5462.
Includes
Skagit Valley camping accommodations on night one of the program
All breakfasts and dinners on the mountain
Tents
Stoves and fuel
All group climbing equipment
Emergency communication
Guide guaranteed to be working with in their Scope of Practice
Excludes
Personal climbing and camping equipment
Lunches and snacks on the mountain
Transport to the Skagit Valley
Overnight accommodations on the final night of the program
TOPICS COVERED
Equipment Selection and Use
Glacier Terminology and Hazards
Camping on a Glacier
Leave No Trace Principles for Glacier Travel
Ice Axe Techniques
Crampon Techniques
Walking in Balance
Self-Arrest
Basic Climbing Knots for Glacier Travel
Roping up for Glacier Travel
Rope Team Travel
Snow Anchors for Crevasse Rescue
Basic Team Crevasse Rescue
Students participating in a crevasse rescue activity.
All scheduled programs can also be booked with custom dates and itineraries. Please see our Custom Guiding pages for more information or Contact Us for a custom program.
All programs are subject to the Mountain Bureau LLC Terms & Conditions