Snowshoeing Course
Intermediate Snowshoeing Course
Backcountry Snowshoe Skills Course - Seattle
Contacts
- Fri, Nov 1, 2013 - Sat, May 31, 2014
- Committee: Seattle Snowshoeing Committee
- Members: $65
- Availability: 12 (30 capacity)
- Cancellation & Refund Policy
Registration for this activity includes both the lecture and the all-day field trip (location and logistical details provided at the lecture). Please note that attendance at the Lecture is MANDATORY in order for you to take the Field Trip.
The Backcountry Snowshoe Skills course is designed for adventurers who want to gain the skills and experience to handle more challenging snowshoe routes and terrain than those offered in Easy or Easy+ trips. Moderate and Strenuous trips are, in many cases, non-technical mountain-climbing routes with mountain peaks for destinations. The course will cover material needed to survive in backcountry terrain, including introductory avalanche awareness and response, incident response, emergency shelters, self-belay and self-arrest skills. This course is open to graduates of Basic Snowshoe (or formerly Snowshoe Lite) and also to graduates from Alpine Scrambling or Basic Climbing. See the snowshoe program web site for full details.
Current students and graduates of Backcountry Snowshoe Skills will be eligible to participate in Moderate and Strenuous snowshoe trips. Students must have already completed the field trip.
You must be fit for the more physically demanding courses like Snowshoeing, Alpine Scrambling or Basic Climbing. Try hiking up Mt. Si (8 miles round-trip; 3,550 ft. elevation gain) and see how you do. If you can get to the top of Mt. Si (to the view points in the haystack basin) in 2½ hours or less (barring icy conditions), you are probably in adequate condition for this course.
An ice axe is required for this course. Guidelines on how to choose a general ice axe (not for technical ice climbing) will be provided to you at the lecture, or students can go to a local outdoor retailer and request sizing assistance.
Carpooling for the field trip is strongly recommended, due to parking limitations. Read and understand how carpooling at the Mountaineers works. Please specify your carpool preferences for the field trip when signing up (or edit them later). Then click the link in your Profile to view other students' carpool preferences so that you can organize your own carpooling arrangements.
Students have until 4/30 to complete their requirements for graduation, which includes successful completion of the Navigation Course offered this spring in February and March.
Mountaineers members only
For additional questions, please email Larry.
Registration for this activity includes both the lecture on 1/29 and the all-day field trip on 2/8 (location and logistical details provided at the lecture). Please note that attendance at the Lecture is MANDATORY in order for you to take the Field Trip.
The Backcountry Snowshoe Skills course is designed for adventurers who want to gain the skills and experience to handle more challenging snowshoe routes and terrain than those offered in Easy or Easy+ trips. Moderate and Strenuous trips are, in many cases, non-technical mountain-climbing routes with mountain peaks for destinations. The course will cover material needed to survive in backcountry terrain, including introductory avalanche awareness and response, incident response, emergency shelters, self-belay and self-arrest skills. This course is open to graduates of Basic Snowshoe (or formerly Snowshoe Lite) and also to graduates from Alpine Scrambling or Basic Climbing. See the snowshoe program web site for full details.
Current students and graduates of Backcountry Snowshoe Skills will be eligible to participate in Moderate and Strenuous snowshoe trips. Students must have already completed the field trip.
You must be fit for the more physically demanding courses like Snowshoeing, Alpine Scrambling or Basic Climbing. Try hiking up Mt. Si (8 miles round-trip; 3,550 ft. elevation gain) and see how you do. If you can get to the top of Mt. Si (to the view points in the haystack basin) in 2½ hours or less (barring icy conditions), you are probably in adequate condition for this course.
An ice axe is required for this course. Guidelines on how to choose a general ice axe (not for technical ice climbing) will be provided to you at the lecture, or students can go to a local outdoor retailer and request sizing assistance.
Carpooling for the field trip is strongly recommended, due to parking limitations. Read and understand how carpooling at the Mountaineers works. Please specify your carpool preferences for the field trip when signing up (or edit them later). Then click the link in your Profile to view other students' carpool preferences so that you can organize your own carpooling arrangements.
Students have until 4/30 to complete their requirements for graduation, which includes successful completion of the Navigation Course offered this spring in February and March.
Mountaineers members only
For additional questions, please email Larry.
Badges you will earn:
Intermediate Snowshoeing Course
This course has no scheduled activities.
Basic Navigation Course
What to Bring on the Backcountry Snowshoe Skills Field Trip Snowshoes, the Ten Essentials and wool or synthetic pile clothing, and an ice axe and helmet (see below) are required. Gear is not available at the trailhead. You must arrange for your own rentals in advance of a trip. A Gear List can be found near the end of this course guide. What to Bring on a Non-‐Course Moderate or Strenuous Snowshoe Tour In addition to the gear and clothing one should bring to an easier snowshoe trip, additional gear may be necessary or required by a trip leader. Geography, weather, and avalanche conditions are factors that necessitate additional equipment. Such gear may include: ice axe, shovel, avalanche probe, avalanche beacon, or portable traction devices such as crampons, YakTrax or Microspikes. Trip leaders will note in their activity descriptions and/or follow-‐up correspondences what additional equipment they expect trip participants to bring. Participants are expected to procure their own items. The Ice Axe An ice axe is essential for snowshoeing trips rated Moderate or above. You can also use it for alpine scrambling and mountain climbing. Get a general-‐purpose ice axe with a curved head and a shape comfortable enough to carry in your hand for several hours. The ones with rubber sleeves on the shaft may give you a good grip and insulate from the cold, but they are difficult to pull out of the snow during self-‐belay. Get covers for the spike and pick to protect you and your snowshoeing buddies when you carry the axe on your pack. The appropriate ice axe length is determined by a combination of your arm length and your height. To check for the right ice axe length for you, stand in a relaxed position with your arm straight down at your side, holding the axe with your palm flat on top of the head and your fingers wrapped around. The spike should come down to mid-‐ankle. For most people, that measurement will correspond to a 65 cm or 70 cm axe. Most snowshoers and scramblers find this length most versatile: a longer axe is heavier and more awkward to use as the slope steepens; shorter axes won’t support you except on technical terrain. You’ll want a wrist loop or leash on your axe so you don’t lose it. You can make one from 5 feet of narrow nylon webbing or purchase a commercially available leash. Remember that an ice axe is a sharp “weapon” and can injure you or your partners. Carry it properly and use it with care. Helmet/Head Protection The climbing helmet, a standard piece of equipment for climbers and scramblers, is designed to protect your head from falling objects such as rock fall or another climber’s falling gear. It is also designed to protect you from the impact of falling on hard surfaces such as rock or ice. While helmets are not standard equipment for snowshoers, due to the nature of ice axe arrest practice, we will be using them for the Backcountry Snowshoe Skills field trip. If you have your own climbing helmet, please bring it to the field trip. We will also have several on hand to lend to students for the day.
You must register for this course to see course materials.