1 Day Crevasse Rescue Clinic Itinerary

Meeting Time: 7 am
Meeting Location: Whittaker’s Bunkhouse, Ashford, Washington

The day begins in Ashford, where you’ll meet your guides and fellow climbers for introductions, a quick equipment check, and an overview of the day’s objectives. About one week before the course, your guide will send a pre-trip email with your confirmed meeting time and final logistics.

From Ashford, we travel in an Alpine Ascents van approximately 45 minutes to the Paradise Visitors Center before hiking to our classroom on the lower snowfields of Mount Rainier. We will base out of Paradise for the day learning and practicing glacier travel. The exact location of our “classroom” will vary based on snow conditions; courses in the earlier part of the year (April-June) will have a shorter approach hike (as short as 15 mins), while courses later in the season travel farther to reach suitable snow, sometimes up to 1.5 hours.

Throughout the day, students build the technical foundation for crevasse rescue and glacier travel. We practice setting up a rope for glacier travel and constructing snow anchors, then focus on hauling systems for crevasse rescue, emphasizing mechanical advantage. Students learn to execute a 3:1 Z-pulley rescue system as part of a three-person rope team, and for smaller teams, guides also demonstrate (and students may practice) the 2:1 drop-C system. As we hike back to Paradise in the afternoon, students continue practicing efficient rope team travel and applying the techniques learned throughout the day.

Skills Covered:

• Glacier travel systems
• Rope/belay techniques
• Knots & hitches used in crevasse rescue
• Construction/evaluation of snow anchors
• Basic haul systems (2:1 and 3:1)
• Advanced haul systems (5:1 and 6:1)
• Hauling sytems
• Ascending and descending in rescue scenarios
• Glacier travel risk management

This itinerary may be adjusted based on weather, snow conditions, and group progress.