Winter Mountaineering & Advanced Crevasse Rescue (aka Intermediate Glacier Travel)

application period for this course has ended. we are sorry if you missed it.

REGISTRATION Period (do not register unless you have been offered a spot):

• Spots for Women and Non-binary Affinity Trips:
  Nov 4 - 7
• Spots for waitlisted students from 2023 and earlier:
  Nov 8 - 11
• Open for all (about 20+ spots):
  Nov 12 onwards

Selection Criteria/NOTES:

Applicant selection will be lottery based. Below requirements must be met to join.

• 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 Overnight Experience Trip. Not required to be completed at the time of application) 
• Experience: Scrambling and climbing experience (at least 2 basic glacier climbs and at least 1 of each type of snow and rock scrambling)
• 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 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.

Course lectures, Workshop, field trips & experience trips:

Please read the details on the course schedule and expectations here:
2025 Course Schedule & Expectations
We highly encourage you to be thorough with this before applying. If you have questions, please reach out to us and we would be happy to respond to your questions within 48 hours.

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

This module is one of the 6 Intermediate course modules.