Description

Our Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue course teaches the essential techniques you need to move safely on crevassed terrain: rope team travel, anchor building, glacier hazard recognition, self-arrest, efficient rope management, and both single- and multi-person crevasse rescue systems. The day combines classroom instruction with hands-on field exercises, giving you repeated practice of rope commands, travel spacing, running belays, picket and snow-ice anchor construction, pulley systems, and patient extraction methods. Taught by AMGA-certified guides, the course emphasizes decision-making and risk reduction so you leave confident in your skills and ready to apply them on guided climbs and independent objectives alike; recommended prior experience includes basic alpine travel and comfort on steep snow.

Who this course is for

• Experienced hikers, climbers, backcountry skiers or mountaineers who have taken a mountaineering fundamentals course

• Participants preparing for guided glacier climbs or alpine objectives

What you’ll learn

Glacier travel fundamentals

• Proper personal equipment and layering for glacier travel.

• Footwear, crampon fitting and use, and efficient walking technique on hard snow and ice.

• Route selection across glacier features, assessing snow bridges and crevasse-prone areas.

• Travel configurations: single guide with clients, short-roping, and 2-3 person rope teams.

• Spacing, rope length selection, and travel pace for safety and efficiency.

Crevasse fall prevention and self-rescue

• Recognizing and avoiding weak snow bridges and terrain traps.

• Self-arrest and recovery techniques after a slip on steep snow approaching a crevasse.

• Use of prusiks and mechanical ascenders for self-rescue from a crevasse or steep snow.

Partner rescue and crevasse extraction

• Efficient on-site assessment and organization after a crevasse fall.

• Simple, practical anchors in snow and ice (deadman, ice axe, pickets).

• Construction and use of mechanical advantage hauling systems (Z-pulley and 3:1 variations).

• Short hauling systems that prioritize speed and safety for typical guide/party scenarios.

• Patient stabilization and communication during rescue.

• Rope management and knots

• Teamwork, roles, and decision-making

  • Assignment of roles in a rescue: primary rescuer, haul/team manager, patient care.

  • Communication protocols and safety checks under stress.

  • Risk assessment and when to call for additional help vs. self-recovery.