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Detailed Description PDF »
The Glacier Travel Workshop provides an introductory level of instruction on the climbing techniques necessary to travel safely on a glacier. This very popular workshop is packed full of information during the day followed by lectures at night. Expect to be on ice for the duration of the workshop days. All skills instruction will take place on the glacier. Night lectures take place at the base of the glacier off the ice.
Deposit: $100 (Balance Due: 60 days prior to starting date.)
Cost Includes: AMS instructors, group climbing equipment.
You are responsible for: Transportation to and from the Matanuska Glacier, gate fee, lodging, personal equipment and clothing.
The first morning is spent teaching basic knots, wearing a harness, using crampons, self-arrest position, placing ice screws, and building anchors. After a lunch, we practice rope coiling, belaying, and stacking for glacier travel. Students break into rope teams and practice traveling and route finding skills. Next we move into simulated crevasse fall scenarios from simple assistance to raising systems, all on flat terrain.
The morning of the second day is spent at a cliff lowering "victims" over the edge so they can practice fixed-line ascension while the rescuers set up hauling systems. The afternoon is spent roping up for glacier travel in 2, 3, and 4 person teams and incorporating extras such as sleds. The exact itinerary will depend on conditions and instructor preference.
We will meet in the parking lot at the toe of the Matanuska Glacier at 8:00 a.m. sharp on the morning of day one. Please be on time. The glacier is accessed from the Glacier Park Resort (phone: 907-745-2534)which is located at mile 103 on the Glenn Highway near the Long Rifle Lodge and a mile west of Caribou Creek. Follow the dirt road to the entrance gate, pay the entrance fee, and continue on a couple of miles to the parking lot at the end of the road. Pay no mind to the "No Trespassing" sign; just go right on through. The "toe" of the glacier provides an ideal classroom for our skills intensive workshop.
Participants are on their own for the night. Camping at the Glacier Park is one good option, but be aware there is an additional camping fee.
The nearby Long Rifle Inn, which overlooks the Matanuska Glacier, has nightly dining and rooms available (single & double occupancy). Call 907-745-5151 for reservations.
Sheep Mountain Lodge, located close to the glacier, also provides accommodations. Call for reservations 907-745-5121 or 1-877-645-5121.