
Climbing Course
Winter Mountaineering & Advanced Crevasse Rescue (aka Intermediate Glacier Travel) - Mixed Cohort
Looking to be a glacier rope lead? Want to take your basic crevasse rescue skills and apply them to more scenarios? Would you like to prepare yourselves to go out on glaciers in winter and spring? Are you interested in learning 2-person glacier travel and solo crevasse rescue? This course prepares you to plan trips and introduces you to the above topics.
- Thu, Feb 1, 2024 - Mon, May 27, 2024
- Committee: Seattle Climbing
- Members: $420.00
- Availability: FULL, 9 on waitlist (36 capacity)
- Cancellation & Refund Policy
application/registration for waitlist opens Nov 29 (9:00 PM)
Application Results:
Selected applicants will be notified ASAP in the order the applications are received, starting at 9 pm on Nov 27th. Filling out the application shouldn't take more than 2 minutes.
Selection Criteria/NOTES:
First Come First Served, as long as the below criteria are met.
- Membership in The Mountaineers
- Technical Skills:
- Basic Alpine Climbing Course or Basic Glacier Travel Course or equivalency
- Wilderness First Aid or equivalent
- Wilderness Navigation or equivalent
- AIARE Level 1 (must be completed prior to Winter Mountaineering Experience Trip. Not required to be completed at the time of application)
- Experience: Scrambling and climbing experience (at least 3 basic glacier climbs and preferably at least 2 winter scrambles/snowshoeing/backcountry skiing)
- Conditioning: Ability to hike Mount Si to the bottom of the haystack in under 2 hours or Mailbox Peak in under 2.5 hours with a 35 lbs pack (30 lbs for people weighing less than 130 lbs) in the Aerobic Zone.
- Volunteerism: Volunteers are the heart and soul of our community at The Mountaineers.
"The Mountaineers rely on skilled and passionate volunteers to pass their love and knowledge of the outdoors on to others. Inspiring others to love and protect the outdoors - and teaching them to do it safely and responsibly - is the heart of our mission and we invite you to be a part of it."- 24+ hours of volunteering commitment in the past year at Mountaineers' or outside
- Ability to help with the Basic Climbing Courses at glacier/snow-related field trips and with Navigation Courses at in-person workshops & field trips during the course year at a minimum.
Those who were waitlisted for the 2023 course will be given first dibs before the registration opens to the public.
This course is the pre-requisite course to becoming a rope leader on glacier climbs for The Mountaineers.
This course also prepares you with the fundamentals of winter glaciated mountaineering trips, safe traveling techniques, systems for 2-person travel, and executing rescues.
CURRICULUM
- Winter Mountaineering: emergency shelters, snow anchors, belaying, lowering, steep snow, gear management
- Advanced Crevasse Rescue: Higher mechanical advantages and efficiencies (5:1, 6:1, 7:1, 8:1, 9:1) for hauling/raising systems than that taught in the Basic curriculum (2:1 or 3:1)
- Small Party Rescue: Scene Size-up, making and executing a plan, releasable hitches, administering aid
- Glacier Travel: anchors and belaying in firm snow/ice, glacier navigation and terrain selection, trip planning
- Leadership: leading a rope team on glacier climb, techniques for rope management and moving efficiently, working with basic students and peers
- 2-person glacier travel: Rope setup, traveling techniques, and solo crevasse rescue
Course lectures, Workshop, field trips & experience trips:
- Kick-off: Socializing. Basic skills check & review (knots, rope ascension, 2:1 or 3:1 hauling system on a 3-person rope team.
- Lectures: These will be held on The Mountaineers' coassemble platform. You will be added to it once registered and can take them asynchronously. The topics for lectures are:
- Theory on gear and course expectations (to be completed before course kick-off)
- Glacier travel techniques (to be completed 2 weeks before ET#1)
- Trip Planning & Leadership (to be completed 2 weeks before ET#1)
- Field Trips (FT):
- FT 1: (Optional to those who took Int. Rock Modules) Top site belays and lowering, rappel to ascension conversion.
- FT 2: Equilizing anchors, mechanical advantages.
- FT 3: Rope set up for 2, 3, and 4-person rope teams, full crevasse rescue practice on unconscious fallen climber
- FT 4: Small Party Rescue - Escaping the system, rescuer setup with patient care, and moving injured climber over technical terrain.
- Experience Trips (ET):
- ET1: Rescue practice in real crevasse hopefully, building emergency shelters, winter camping, winter gear use, trip planning execution
- ET2: Navigating crevasses, traveling on steep slopes, and mentorship to navigate and plan for a destination (Sherman Peak)
This module is one of the 6 Intermediate course modules. To learn more about the intermediate program visit the Seattle Intermediate webpage.
An intermediate info session will be planned soon, please reach out to the course lead to show your interest and ask any questions that you may have.
Badges you will earn:
Course Activity | Date | Availability | Leader |
---|---|---|---|
WMCR - Kickoff | |||
Seattle Program Center |
Thu, Feb 8, 2024
Registration closes Feb 6
|
0
participants
0 instructors
|
|
WMCR - Field Trip 1 - Belaying/Lowering/Ascending (optional) | |||
Seattle Program Center |
Tue, Feb 13, 2024
Registration closes Feb 11
|
0
participants
2 instructors on waitlist
|
|
Seattle Program Center |
Thu, Feb 15, 2024
Registration closes Feb 13
|
2
participants
0 instructors
|
|
WMCR - Field Trip 2 - Equalizing Anchors and Mechanical Advantages | |||
Seattle Program Center |
Tue, Feb 27, 2024
Registration closes Feb 25
|
0
participants
0 instructors
|
|
Seattle Program Center |
Wed, Feb 28, 2024
Registration closes Feb 26
|
0
participants
0 instructors
|
|
Seattle Program Center |
Thu, Feb 29, 2024
Registration closes Feb 27
|
2
participants
0 instructors
|
|
WMCR - Field Trip 3 - Rope Setup + Full Rescue Practice | |||
Seattle Program Center |
Tue, Mar 12, 2024
Registration closes Mar 10
|
1
participant on waitlist
1 instructor
|
|
Seattle Program Center |
Wed, Mar 13, 2024
Registration closes Mar 11
|
0
participants
0 instructors
|
|
Seattle Program Center |
Thu, Mar 14, 2024
Registration closes Mar 12
|
2
participants
2 instructors
|
|
WMCR - Field Trip 4 - Small Party Rescue | |||
Cougar Mountain Crag |
Sat, Mar 30, 2024
Registration closes Mar 28
|
0
participants
2 instructors
|
|
Cougar Mountain Crag |
Sun, Mar 31, 2024
Registration closes Mar 29
|
1
participant
2 instructors
|
|
WMCR - Experience Trip 1 - Rescue + Emergency Preparedness | |||
Mount Rainier Lower Nisqually Glacier |
Sat, Apr 13, 2024 -
Sun, Apr 14, 2024 Registration closes Apr 11
|
1
participant on waitlist
2 instructors
|
|
Mount Rainier Lower Nisqually Glacier |
Sat, Apr 20, 2024 -
Sun, Apr 21, 2024 Registration closes Apr 18
|
2
participants
1 instructor
|
|
WMCR - Volunteer Day - Instruct at Basic Field Trip | |||
Magnuson Park |
Tue, Apr 23, 2024
Registration closes Apr 21
|
1
participant on waitlist
0 instructors
|
|
Magnuson Park |
Thu, Apr 25, 2024
Registration closes Apr 23
|
1
participant
0 instructors
|
|
Snoqualmie Summit Ski Areas |
Sun, Apr 28, 2024
Registration closes Apr 26
|
2
participants
0 instructors
|
|
Snoqualmie Summit Ski Areas |
Sat, May 4, 2024
Registration closes May 2
|
2
participants
0 instructors
|
|
Magnuson Park |
Tue, May 21, 2024
Registration closes May 19
|
3
participants on waitlist
0 instructors
|
|
Magnuson Park |
Thu, May 23, 2024
Registration closes May 21
|
2
participants on waitlist
0 instructors
|
|
WMCR - Experience Trip 2 - Glacier Travel & Mentorship | |||
Mount Baker Recreation Area |
Fri, May 10, 2024 -
Sun, May 12, 2024 Registration closes May 8
|
5
participants on waitlist
2 instructors
|
|
Mount Baker Recreation Area |
Sat, May 25, 2024 -
Mon, May 27, 2024 Registration closes May 23
|
2
participants
1 instructor
|
See course description.
Name/Description |
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2018 Intermediate Alpine Climbing Handbook Info about prerequisites for modules and club climbs, graduation requirements, course tracking and more. |