Glacier Travel Skills – Fernie

Details

Please complete a waiver acknowledgement here before booking.

Learn to travel on glaciers more confidently, recognize crevasse hazards, and practice the rope skills used in crevasse rescue.

This 2-day course combines classroom learning with hands-on practice on the glacier. You’ll explore the glaciology behind route selection, learn techniques for managing glacier travel, and practice the rope systems used to respond to a crevasse fall.

Starting with the fundamentals, your ACMG-certified guide will build your understanding step by step before you put your skills into practice. With a maximum of six participants per guide, there’s room to ask questions, work through techniques, and get practical feedback.

Small group: Maximum 6 participants
Instruction: ACMG-certified guides
Duration: 2 days – One classroom day and one field day
Location: Fernie, BC

More Info

  • Ability to travel in the backcountry terrain
  • Comfortable spending a full day outdoors in mountain conditions.

Equipment Lists

Day 1 — Indoor & Outdoor Practice

Takes place in Downtown Fernie.

Required equipment

Please bring the following items for the first day:

  • Snacks
  • Pen and pencil
  • Climbing harness: A lightweight harness with gear loops that can be put on over your boots and outerwear.
  • Accessory cord: Two 5 m lengths of 6 mm cord (cordelettes).
  • Carabiners: Two locking and two non-locking carabiners.

Day 2 — Field Day at RCR

Required equipment

We’ll spend the day travelling on skis or splitboards and practicing glacier travel and crevasse rescue techniques. Please bring all of the following equipment.

Food and hydration
  • Lunch and snacks: Bring a sandwich and plenty of easy-to-eat snacks, such as bars, jerky or cheese. We may not have the time or suitable weather for a long lunch break.
  • Water and warm drinks: Bring at least 1 L of water and, ideally, a thermos of hot tea or chocolate. Hydration-pack tubes can freeze in cold conditions, so water bottles are recommended.
Clothing and personal equipment
  • Winter clothing: Dress for a full day in cold, changeable mountain conditions. Bring spare warm layers.
  • Day pack: At least 30 L, with enough room for food, spare clothing and technical equipment.
  • Sunglasses and ski goggles: Bring both if possible. Goggles can fog during physical activity, while sunglasses are useful in suitable conditions.
  • Sunscreen.
Ski and snowboard equipment

Bring the equipment appropriate to your preferred mode of travel:

  • Skis: Alpine touring skis with touring bindings, or telemark skis.
  • Splitboard: Splitboard with climbing skins.
  • Ski poles: Recommended for all modes of travel.
  • Climbing skins: Stick-on skins are required if using skis or a splitboard.

Please practice changing your bindings between ski and touring modes, or transitioning your splitboard between touring and riding modes, before the field day.

Avalanche Safety Equipment
  • Avalanche transceiver: modern three antenna, digital model.
  • Shovel: metal and collapsible.
  • Probe: collapsible probe.
Technical equipment
  • Climbing harness: A lightweight climbing harness with gear loops that can be worn over your boots and outerwear.
  • Accessory cord: Two 5 m lengths of 6 mm cord (cordelettes).
  • Carabiners: Two locking and two non-locking carabiners.
Optional technical equipment

The following items are not required, but you are welcome to bring them if you already own them:

 

Need equipment? Mountain Addicts has some gear available to rent. Contact us in advance to confirm availability, or check with local outdoor and ski shops.

Important:  A Fernie Lift Pass will be required for the field day.

our Instructors and Guides

The Mountain Addicts team is obsessed with safety. All of our guides are members of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG). The ACMG is the only internationally recognized professional association of trained and certified mountain guides and instructors in Canada. Our guides come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and Mountain Addicts will find your perfect match.

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