Difficulty:
Beginner, experience with backcountry ski travel recommended
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Fitness:
Ability to be in the snow for 6 hours
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Season:
May - July
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Group Size:
1-4 participants
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Duration:
6-8 hours of field time
Location:
Beartooth Pass, MT
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Includes:
Rental climbing equipment, group equipment, & instruction from a professional guide
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Excludes:
Food, transportation, lodging, personal items, and guide gratuity
Course Details
This alpine ski skills course is built to set skiers up with the skills they need to safely execute a crevasse rescue and learn the fundamentals of snow anchors and snow safety. Day 1 will cover the crevasse rescue skill in a 1 on 1 or team rescue scenario with mechanical advantage. On day 2 participants will ski a small objective and practice the new learned rope and anchor skills. This an essential course before travelling in glaciated terrain.
Skills Covered:
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Preparation and gear selection​
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Snow climbing techniques & self arrest
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Route finding on a glacier
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Glacial travel systems
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Review of knots and hitches
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Snow anchors
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Transferring a load to an anchor
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Rappelling & rope ascension
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Mechanical advantage and improvised hauling
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This course starts with a briefing at our office in Red Lodge. Here, we discuss the gear necessary and learning objectives for the day. Depending on conditions, we head to a location on Beartooth Pass with spring snow to review travel techniques before digging into technical skills. All students will have the chance to run through a mock crevasse rescue by the end of the day, with direct feedback from their instructor. The goal of this course is to provide skiers with the ability to travel safely on a glacier, avoid crevasses, and perform a rescue if necessary.
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**Don't see a course date listed? Email our office to see if there is one coming up, or start a course of your own! Many of our courses are custom and low ratio, built to your needs.