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Trip

Mt. Baker, WA

Mountaineering, Camping

Trip WA Glacier Mountaineering Course
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If you want to pre­pare for a big­ger expe­di­tion or gain the skills to climb on your own with­out a guide, this if the course for you.

Set in a spec­tac­u­lar alpine envi­ron­ment, this climb­ing course (operated by our partners at Mountain Madness) pro­vides abun­dant instruc­tion and train­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties in the craft of moun­taineer­ing. The class cul­mi­nates with one of the most sought after Cas­cades sum­mits — Mount Bak­er. This course is a fun­da­men­tal build­ing block of our climb­ing school and pro­vides moun­taineer­ing skills for snow, ice, glac­i­er, and rock climb­ing. The goal is to devel­op com­pe­tent, self-reliant alpine climbers. The course cul­mi­nates in the appli­ca­tion of skills learned toward the ascent of a major glaciat­ed peak such as Mount Bak­er or Mount Shuksan.

The active glac­i­ers, large alpine peaks, and diverse ter­rain of the North Cas­cades cre­ate an ide­al learn­ing envi­ron­ment for this course. Our goal is to devel­op com­pe­tent, self-reliant alpine climbers ready to climb local­ly, or in the greater ranges of the world. Our final day is reserved as a back­up sum­mit day or as a chance to learn basic rock climb­ing tech­niques at the scenic Mount Erie locat­ed near the San Juan Islands. This course is ide­al for any climber seek­ing inde­pen­dence in the alpine, or for those with some climb­ing back­ground, but lit­tle in the way of glac­i­er moun­taineer­ing training.
 
This course curriculum includes:

  • Roped glac­i­er trav­el, rope team man­age­ment, route find­ing, and navigation
  • Team and indi­vid­ual crevasse res­cue tech­niques and scenarios
  • Low angle to steep snow climb­ing tech­niques, ice axe posi­tion­ing, and mov­ing in balance
  • Snow and ice anchor selec­tion, con­struc­tion, and equalization
  • Intro to ice climb­ing and cram­pon techniques
  • Team and indi­vid­ual self arrest techniques
  • Belay­ing, rap­pelling, and rope management
  • Glaciol­o­gy and crevasse pat­tern prediction
  • Basic rock-climb­ing tech­niques, com­mands, and equip­ment use
  • Trip plan­ning using maps, com­pass­es, and altimeters
  • Camp con­struc­tion, camp man­age­ment, and cold weath­er camp­ing skills
  • Haz­ard assess­ment includ­ing dis­cus­sion of objec­tive vs. sub­jec­tive haz­ards, assess­ment of avalanche dan­ger, crevasse fall, rock and ice fall dangers
  • Prop­er cloth­ing and equip­ment for sur­vival in the glacial envi­ron­ment, moun­tain weath­er, alpine ecol­o­gy, effi­cient and self-depen­dent climb­ing tech­niques, and Leave No Trace ethics

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Itinerary
Itinerary
Note: Although we do our very best to fol­low the sched­ule list­ed, the very nature of climb­ing in an alpine envi­ron­ment requires flex­i­bil­i­ty. This itin­er­ary is sub­ject to change due to inclement weath­er, unsafe route con­di­tions, or oth­er rea­sons beyond our con­trol and in the guide’s best judgment.
  • 1
    Day number 1
    The day starts with an equip­ment ori­en­ta­tion and some food plan­ning. After the food plan­ning and equip­ment check, the group will shop for food items as you make your way up to your first train­ing loca­tion on Mt Erie. This day is ded­i­cat­ed to an intro­duc­tion to rock climb­ing tech­niques and prepar­ing for five days on the moun­tain. Over­look­ing the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Mt. Erie pro­vides an excel­lent chance to learn and prac­tice rock climb­ing tech­niques includ­ing appro­pri­ate equip­ment selec­tion, belay­ing, rap­pelling, and effi­cient move­ment over rock.
  • 2
    Day number 2
    After a hearty break­fast we dri­ve from Mt Erie to the trail­head and begin our hike to base camp. This hike is very stren­u­ous and can take from 4 — 6 hours depend­ing upon the par­tic­u­lar approach and the fit­ness of the group. (This is where all of your train­ing pays off!) You’ll hike through lush ancient forests, high alpine mead­ows, and even­tu­al­ly snow cov­ered areas en-route to our base camp. After estab­lish­ing camp, the remain­der of the day will focus on the skills nec­es­sary for the prop­er use of an ice axe, trav­el­ing in bal­ance, self-belay, and self arrest. You also begin learn­ing about plac­ing var­i­ous types of snow pro­tec­tion for use in the con­struc­tion of snow anchors, as well as belay tech­niques. We then focus on the skills required for safe and effi­cient glac­i­er trav­el includ­ing roped trav­el and self-res­cue (prus­sik­ing) tech­niques. This includes the means for each team mem­ber to cor­rect­ly tie into the rope includ­ing the prop­er spac­ing of climbers based on the num­ber of team mem­bers. After learn­ing the prop­er tech­niques for trav­el­ing as a rope team, we then make a short glacial ​“tour,” enabling us to prac­tice and com­pre­hend the day’s lessons. Dis­cus­sions late in the day will focus on nav­i­ga­tion with the use of a map and compass.
  • 3
    Day number 3
    Our main focus for the day is crevasse res­cue. Your group will get more prac­tice plac­ing effec­tive snow anchors and bol­lards and then learn to equal­ize them to cre­ate ​“bomber” anchors. You will put them to use as you learn the fun­da­men­tals of crevasse res­cue pul­ley sys­tems and then move on to more advanced pul­ley sys­tems. Your team will per­form a num­ber of team res­cues and a mul­ti­tude of real­is­tic crevasse fall sce­nar­ios will be addressed. We will con­clude the day with a dis­cus­sion of the moun­tain envi­ron­ment and meth­ods of eval­u­at­ing sub­jec­tive and objec­tive hazards.
  • 4
    Day number 4
    Today your group will move to a high camp, in prepa­ra­tion for your sum­mit attempt. After estab­lish­ing camp, you will fur­ther refine your steep snow and ice climb­ing with an empha­sis on French, Ger­man and Amer­i­can hybrid styles of cram­pon tech­nique. Lat­er in the day, your guides will lead a dis­cus­sion of avalanche ter­rain eval­u­a­tion and avoid­ance. That evening, we will make final prepa­ra­tions for the next day’s sum­mit attempt.
  • 5
    Day number 5
    After a pre-dawn wake-up and a quick break­fast, we climb our way toward the sum­mit. Today your group will apply the skills they have been prac­tic­ing all week toward the ascent of a major glaciat­ed peak. Depend­ing on con­di­tions and the pace of your group, it will take five to eight hours to reach the sum­mit. After enjoy­ing the views and a snack, and absorb­ing your accom­plish­ments, stu­dents will nav­i­gate and lead their team back to high camp.
  • 6
    Day number 6
    Today is reserved as a back­up sum­mit day or a chance to refine the skills you have been taught through­out the course. Depend­ing on the con­di­tions we may give more time to learn­ing advanced snow and ice skills or take the oppor­tu­ni­ty to go to At the end of the day, we will pack up our gear and head back to Seat­tle. Expect to be in Seat­tle between 6 and 8 p.m. on the last day.
Trip Package Includes
 
  • Pro­fes­sion­al guid­ing and instruction
  • Climbing/​backcountry per­mits
  • Trans­porta­tion from Seat­tle to the trail­head and back 
  • Tents
  • Group climb­ing gear
  • Camp­ground fees
  • 20% discount code at evo.com (exclusions apply)
Trip Package Does Not Include
 
  • Air­fare
  • Trans­porta­tion within Seattle
  • Hotel accom­mo­da­tions
  • Meals, stoves, fuel, and cook­ing equip­ment
  • Per­son­al climbing gear
  • Guide gra­tu­ities
  • Travel insurance (we recommend World Nomads)

Questions? Call or email us!
Area Information

North Cascades


Washington’s North Cascades are part of the greater Cascade Mountain Range, extending from northern California to British Columbia. With their steep and rugged topography, the U.S. section of the North Cascades as well as the adjoining Skagit Range in British Columbia are renowned for their dramatic scenery and world-class mountaineering.
 
Mount Baker Mount Baker Read More Mountain Madness Mountain Madness Read More
Trip Planning

Trip Planning

A com­plete cloth­ing and equip­ment list spe­cif­ic to your trip will be sent to you in a pre-depar­ture pack­et upon reg­is­tra­tion. Every year Mountain Madness reviews our lists and assess feed­back from our clients and guides for updat­ing these lists, giv­ing you the most com­plete and up-to-date guide­lines. Feel free to call us if you have ques­tions or need help locat­ing any of the items on the list. For a suc­cess­ful trip, it is extreme­ly impor­tant that you adhere strict­ly to the equip­ment list.

Pri­or to depart­ing on your trip, Mountain Madness staff will con­tact you to dis­cuss the par­tic­u­lars of your course or climb. This typ­i­cal­ly hap­pens about 10 days out. At this time you can review the equip­ment you have select­ed. Before pur­chas­ing any equip­ment, you are wel­come to call us and ask for rec­om­men­da­tions. We know that select­ing the right gear can be a chal­lenge and we are hap­py to help.

Mountain Madness has rental equipment available for those interested.



 
Carrying & Sleeping Gear
Climbing Gear
Clothing & Accessories
Cooking Gear
Other Important Items
FAQ
FAQ
  • What COVID-19 policies do you have in place?
    Mountain Madness has a detailed COVID-19 Operations Plan which will be shared prior to the trip. All participants must fill out a pre-trip COVID-19 questionnaire/agreement.
  • Do I need any prior training to participate in this course?
    As a summit to Mount Baker is a technical climb on glaciers, this course is intended for advanced-beginners. You don't need previous mountaineering experience but should be physically fit as the course is demanding. We recommend you have previous hiking and backpacking experience since you'll be overnighting outside.
  • How physically fit do I have to be for this course?
    This is a physically demanding course, and your abil­i­ty to enjoy the adven­ture depends on your health and fit­ness, thus it’s recommended that you are in good physical condition. Your trip will be more reward­ing if you pre­pare for it by con­di­tion­ing prop­er­ly well in advance. We believe that the best form of train­ing is sim­u­lat­ing the activ­i­ty you are train­ing for, and then increas­ing exer­tion as the rou­tine becomes easier. For exam­ple, walk­ing up hills and stair climb­ing are excel­lent ways to con­di­tion your low­er body, heart and lungs for climb­ing. Begin slow­ly, with­out the weight of a pack, and even­tu­al­ly add weight as you increase your train­ing pace. Then begin tak­ing longer hikes sev­er­al times a week with a weight­ed pack. Use water con­tain­ers for uphill hikes, then emp­ty the con­tents for the descent to reduce knee stress. It is never a bad idea to sup­ple­ment these work­outs with run­ning, swim­ming, bicy­cling, or oth­er forms of aer­o­bic activ­i­ty as well as weight training.
  • Who are the guides?
    Mountain Madness guides are high­ly expe­ri­enced instruc­tors that have been trained by the Cana­di­an Avalanche Asso­ci­a­tion (CAA), the Amer­i­can Moun­tain Guides Asso­ci­a­tion (AMGA), and the Amer­i­can Insti­tute for Avalanche Research and Edu­ca­tion (AIARE). They are the best, most­ high­ly trained instruc­tors!
  • What will the weather be like on my trip?
    Like all large moun­tain ranges, the Cas­cades tend to gen­er­ate and attract their own weath­er, mak­ing con­di­tions impos­si­ble to pre­dict. Typ­i­cal­ly July, August, and Sep­tem­ber have the best weath­er, but opti­mum or adverse weath­er can occur at any time. You should be pre­pared for a wide range of tem­per­a­tures, from freez­ing nights and snowy and windy con­di­tions, to bright sun­shine inten­si­fied by high alti­tude. These wide fluc­tu­a­tions make it espe­cial­ly impor­tant to bring every­thing on the equip­ment list. Because our climbs and cours­es take place in the unpre­dictable moun­tain envi­ron­ment, your guides will make deci­sions regard­ing the trip itin­er­ary based on cur­rent weath­er and route con­di­tions. Moun­tain Mad­ness guides will make every attempt to fol­low our trip itin­er­aries, but the deci­sion to amend an itin­er­ary is always at the dis­cre­tion of your guide. Sum­mits are not guar­an­teed, and fail­ure to sum­mit is not suf­fi­cient cause for a refund.
  • Are rentals available?
    Yes, rental gear is available and can be rented directly through Mountain Madness. Please inquire for pricing.
  • How heavy will my pack be?
    You will be required to car­ry a por­tion of the group gear and food in addi­tion to your per­son­al gear. This should be tak­en into con­sid­er­a­tion when decid­ing what you will bring. A good rule of thumb is to try to keep your pack weight below 40 pounds, which will allow for adding the group equipment.
  • Do I need to bring and prepare my own meals?
    As part of any goal to become a self-sufficient mountaineer, being able to carry and prepare your own food in the backcountry is all part of the adventure. If you’d like any recommendations, please feel free to ask. In addition to meals, be sure to bring along your favorite munchies, ener­gy food, and after din­ner treats.
  • What if I need to cancel?
    evo will refer to the Mountain Madness cancellation policy. If you need to can­cel your trip, please submit your noti­fication in writ­ing. Your trip will be can­celled from the date we receive writ­ten notice. You will be assessed a can­cel­la­tion fee accord­ing to the fol­low­ing schedule: More than 60 days from trip depar­ture — $75 fee reg­is­tra­tion fee. 60 days or less from trip depar­ture – 100% of trip cost
  • What if I need to change the dates of my trip?
    All date changes must be received in writ­ing. There will be a fee of $100 for date changes. Any date change can be dif­fi­cult and is sub­ject to all addi­tion­al incurred expens­es as assessed by Moun­tain Mad­ness. Changes will be made at the sole dis­cre­tion of Moun­tain Mad­ness and may not be pos­si­ble. Date changes are for cred­it only (no refunds) and valid for one year from writ­ten change notification.
  • I need accommodations in Seattle. Do you have recommendations?
    Yes, there are plenty of options, depending on your preferences. Near Sea-Tac Airport: Cedarbrook Lodge (4-star), Double Tree Hotel Seatac (4-star), Hampton Inn Seatac (3-star), Hilton Garden Inn Seatac (3-star). Near Mountain Madness: Georgetown Inn (2.5 star), The Grove (2-star).
  • When and how do I meet up with the group?
    You will receive detailed instructions regarding when and how to meet the group from Mountain Madness.
  • What is the maximum number of guests on the trip?
    There is a maximum of 10 guests for this course. The guest:guide ratio is 5:1, with groups of 10 being split into 2 groups due to COVID.
  • Is there a minimum age required for this trip?
    We will accept par­tic­i­pants 15 years or old­er, if they are accom­pa­nied by a legal guardian. You must be 18 years or old­er to attend a trip on your own.
  • I need accommodations in Seattle. Do you have recommendations?
    Yes, there are plenty of options, depending on your preferences. Near Sea-Tac Airport: Cedarbrook Lodge (4-star), Double Tree Hotel Seatac (4-star), Hampton Inn Seatac (3-star), Hilton Garden Inn Seatac (3-star). Near Mountain Madness: Georgetown Inn (2.5 star), The Grove (2-star).
Testimonials
I've climbed with Mountain Madness twice, and both have been extraordinary experiences. The guides are literally world class, and their abilities truly shine on the most challenging objectives.
Mark
Trip Guest
I’ve climbed all over the world with MM and couldn’t recommend them higher. Their guides are world class and are knowledgeable, appropriately cautious but eager to get you to the summit, amiable and yet able to challenge you to do things you didn’t think you could! Their front office is easy to communicate with and keeps you up to speed with everything throughout the whole process from pre-climb to post-climb. If you’re thinking about climbing, I would strongly and without reservation recommend mountain madness.
Andrew
Trip Guest
Jake was an awesome guide, super informative. MM was fantastic, had good options for renting gear, easy to work with.
Kayla
Trip Guest

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