Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue
Home base is the AMS headquarters in the town of Talkeetna, 3 hours North of Anchorage, Alaska. Our headquarters are efficiently set up for teaching with a climbing wall, fixed line ascension simulation, and much more. The workshop takes place outside, providing instruction on climbing techniques and safety systems necessary to travel safely on a glacier. This is an introductory workshop, covering a large amount of material. Come prepared for long days and loads of good information.
Features
- Mountaineering ground school
- Raising systems and fixed-line ascension
- Crevasse fall scenarios
- Self Arrest
- Roped glacier travel systems (on dry land)
- Belays
Schedule
April 5-6, 2025
Custom: March – August
Contact us about custom options
What's Included
- Instruction: 1 instructor for every 4 students
- Individual glacier travel safety rig: color-coded webbing and cordage
- Group Equipment: ropes, pickets/ice screws, webbing, sleds, wands
- Emergency cell, First aid, repair kit, and AMS headquarters support
Our glacier travel and crevasse rescue course’s day-to-day itinerary is designed to make sure you get the most out of an introduction to Alaska mountaineering. Your instructors introduce leadership and glacier travel skills in a progression that develops competent and self-reliant climbers.
Day 1
Meet at 8 a.m. at 13765 Third Street, Talkeetna, Alaska. We will have a group orientation and introductions, gear check, and rental issue. For the rest of the day we will be covering self-arrest, knots, rope identification and care, crampon techniques, and anchors.
Day 2
Meet instructors at the AMS headquarters on third street lot at 8 a.m. after eating your breakfast and being prepared to climb. At this time, we’ll issue any gear needed for the day’s activities, before going out to practice coiling, belaying, and stacking the ropes on the snow covered dry land glacier travel day. Students will form rope teams and practice traveling roped. The day will also include practicing crevasse rescue scenarios. We will introduce mechanical advantage and raising systems. We plan to be wrapping up at 5 p.m. to de-issue any rental and group gear.
Participants are expected to be in average athletic condition, but no climbing experience is required. This is an entry level course with an extensive curriculum, so come prepared to receive a lot of information.
Two options that will help prepare you for this workshop:
- Read Glacier Mountaineering: The Illustrated Guide to Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue by Mike Clelland and Andy Tyson. It’s published by Climbing Magazine and is available at bookstores or by calling AMS. AMS instructors wrote this book and it reflects what they teach on this course.
- Practice these two basic climbing knots with a four foot piece of 6 mm cord available at climbing shops: The Figure 8 on a Bite and the Double Fisherman’s.
The instructors were highly competent and showed an exceptional level of care and concern for each and every student regardless of their skill level and abilities.
— Sean Lowther, Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue Workshop
This Workshop is hands-down worth every penny! The guides make sure you leave with the skills and knowledge to tackle any glacier scenario. I will definitely be doing more workshops with AMS.
— Kent Lockman
