Crevasse Rescue

As low as:

$210.00 / person

(at 6:1 ratio)
  • STRENUOUSNESS
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  • TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY
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Add-ons

Mountaineering Kit Rental $15.00

Ice Axe, Crampons, Helmet, Harness, Carabiners, Cords and Sling. All these items are required to participate in the course. See the precise technical gear requirements in the 'Gear List' tab within this course information webpage. Once purchased - our rentals are non-refundable.

About


Dial in your technical systems for glacier travel and crevasse rescue with a day of focused training. Minimal approach times to training areas help us maximize your time, providing opportunities for repeated scenarios under the expert eye of an ACMG Guide. 

This one-day course can accommodate different experience levels, acting as both an introduction or refresher. However, if you are new to traveling over technical terrain in the mountains, we recommend checking out one of our winter or summer mountain skills courses such as Mountain Skills Fly-In or Combined Alpine Skills. These courses include crevasse rescue in addition to many other necessary skills for safe travel in the mountains. 

Curriculum

  • Understanding glaciers and where crevasses form 
  • Route finding on glaciers
  • Roping up for glacier travel
  • Arresting a fall
  • Load transfer
  • Simple and complex improvised hauling systems
  • Rope ascension
  • Gear options

Included in the price

  • 1 day of instruction
  • Group technical gear (ropes, etc.)

Not included in the price

  • Transportation
  • Food
  • Personal technical equipment (available as an add-on when you book)
  • Accommodation
  • Personal gear

Questions? Check out our FAQ page for details about our booking and cancellation policy, and other commonly asked questions.

Locations


This course is typically delivered at Mount Washington Alpine Resort, just a short walk from the lifts. As this course is limited to one-day, we require a location that minimizes approach time and is easily vehicle accessible in order to maximize our time spent training.  

Please note that weather and conditions may dictate that the course is moved, so do your best to maintain flexibility within your plans.

All locations we choose will be possible as a day trip from the Comox Valley. We will confirm meeting details in a pre-trip email one-week prior. 

Itinerary



A typical day starts at 09:00 and ends around 17:00. The order of curriculum delivery will entirely depend on factors such as weather, course location, students and the guide assigned to your course. That said, here is a typical breakdown: 

08:30  - Meet in the parking lot at the base of the Sunrise chair at Mount Washington Alpine Resort. Here you will sign waivers, and your guide will hand out any rental add-ons purchased when you booked.  After introductions, you will travel a short distance to the training area, where you will set up for the day.

16:00 - Finish the day with a debrief and gear rental return.

Exact meeting details will be provided in a pre-trip email sent one-week prior to your course.

Questions? Check out our FAQ page for details, or send us an email.

Requirements


It is important to understand that this course has limited time, and therefore is not sufficient on its own to promote safe glacier travel. Crevasse Rescue teaches a number of skills out of context of a broader mountain skills training. If you have not had this broader context training or experience, we encourage you to consider it by taking courses such as 3-Day Alpine Skills, Combined Alpine Skills, or Mountain Skills Fly-In. 

To take this course, we recommend that you:

  • Have a basic understanding of knots at a minimum (this can be gained through courses such as Intro to Rock, or equivalent)
  • Have had some technical mountain experience (or are prepared to take a follow up course such as 3-Day Alpine Skills, Combined Alpine Skills, or Mountain Skills Fly-In)

Pre-course homework

We ask that you learn to confidently tie the following knots prior to attending so that we can make efficient use of everyone’s time: 

  • Figure 8 (follow through and on a bight)
  • Overhand
  • Double overhand
  • Double fisherman's
  • Clove hitch
  • Prussik 
  • Munter or Italian hitch
  • Munter Mule Combination Hitch
  • Daisy Chain

We recommend checking out the “Animated Knots” website for instructions.

Questions about the suitability of this course? Send us an email. We’re happy to help you find or customize courses to suit your needs. 

Gear List


Please ensure that all gear is functioning and in good repair. Temperatures encountered on this trip will depend on the time of year your trip is held, but this list should prepare you for most conditions. 

Technical

The following can be provided by IAG as a “Mountaineering Kit” add-on for $15 when you book.

  • Helmet (UIAA approved and adjustable)
  • Ice axe (50-80cm, general mountaineering tool) or skis*
  • 4 locking carabiners (one “pear” shaped)
  • 3 non-locking carabiners (two should be matching flat stock)
  • Harness
  • 7mm accessory cord (2 x five-meter lengths)
  • Double shoulder length sewn sling (120cm length, rated to 22kn)

*If your course is happening in winter and there is low density snow, skis will be the choice for anchors in which case participants should bring skis and couple ski straps rather than an ice axe.  

Clothing

Clothing may depend on the time of year, but please be prepared to get wet and have spare clothes to change into when you finish.

  • Base layer(s) (top and bottom)
  • Mid-weight insulation layer 
  • Warm insulation layer 
  • Waterproof jacket and pants 
  • Warm hat
  • Buff or neck warmer
  • Ski gloves or similar, 2 pairs 

Footwear

  • Leather or plastic mountaineering boots, or ski touring boots -- Stiff enough to effectively kick steps in snow (whatever you would normally be travelling in, whether that is skis or snowshoes)
  • Warm socks (plus option of liner)
  • Gaiters (optional if wearing pants with elastic cuff)

Other

  • Sun hat
  • Sunglasses which block 100% UV. 
  • Sunscreen (min 30 SPF for lips and skin) 
  • Water bottles (2 L ideally)
  • Pocket knife
  • Camera
  • Notebook and pencil (Rite in the Rain recommended)
  • Lunch (must be consumable on the go)
  • Backpack (around 30L or big enough to fit the contents of this list)

Rentals


Technical Gear: Our Mountaineering Kit rental includes all the items on the technical gear list, and is available for $15/day. These can be purchased when you book or requested later as an add-on. 

If you require other items from the personal gear list, perhaps check out Sports Rent based out of Victoria, Blue Toque Sports based in Courtenay, and/or on social media mountaineering/hiking groups to name a few.

Questions about gear? Check out our FAQ page  and blog, or send us an email. 

Testimonials

Everything was great. We had a pretty sharp group and Joe took that into account to keep the group interested and moving at a good pace. Well done!! Thank you. Ron Vlooswyk,
Joe was a very effective instructor. He got through the material efficiently even with our group's tangential questions. I came away feeling much more confident in my crevasse rescue ability, and I appreciated how he tailored the course to our main activity (ski touring) Theron Finley,
Great course, wonderful instructor. Kelly Sommer, Victoria, BC
All went well aside from the weather. Another great course from IAG Jes Garceau,
Privileged! Great day. Look forward to reinforcing it with the 3-day Glacier Ski course. Derek Kyostia, Comox, BC
It was a great course—far more complex than I expected. Graham is an amazing guide. Ulrike Schmidt, North Saanich, BC
Thanks very much for offering the crevasse rescue course yesterday. The course was a great learning experience. Matthew Benjamin, Victoria, BC
The course was very helpful and the instructor did a good job to help us get a lot out of the day. Alias Powell, Campbell River, BC
Excellent course, Graham was very knowledgeable and helpful. Richard Rae, Powell River, BC
The course was great! I learned a lot, and our guide was fantastic. Loren Leeuw, Nanaimo, BC
The training was amazing! This was my fourth IAG course and the second one taught by Ken Wylie. He’s a fantastic teacher and an amazing human being. We learned invaluable skills but also had a ton of fun. Colleen Chestnut, Bowser, BC
It was a great course! I went intending to just get a refresher, but it exceeded expectations. Joe was a able to provide additional nuance and travel advice to the course material. Very glad I attended. Anon.,
I enjoyed everything!! I think we had a pretty sharp group and Joe took that into account to keep the group interested and moving at a good pace. Well done!! Thank you. Ron V.,
I really liked the stepwise approach that Graeme took to teaching how to build crevasse rescue systems. It was useful to see how various different setups could be constructed with common gear if specialized gear was not available. It was a great course and I feel well-prepared to perform a rescue. Lance Shaver,
Graeme’s teaching style is so clear, calm and funny! This is my third course with Graeme and I always learn so much from him. We dialled in our technique throughout the day and it was the most confident I’ve ever felt at the end of a course! Jenn Joyce,