Mount Baker Glaciated Ski Seminar
5 Days of Glacier Travel and Ski Mountaineering Training
Develop the skills to travel and ski safely and confidently in glaciated mountain terrain during our 5 day Glaciated Ski Seminar on Mount Baker. This course combines hands-on instruction with progressively more challenging ski mountaineering objectives, using the glaciers and alpine terrain of the North Cascades as a classroom.
Mount Baker, also known as Kulshan, is one of the best venues in the Cascades for learning the systems required for glacier travel and ski mountaineering. Over five days, our guides cover glacier travel, crevasse rescue, steep snow climbing, avalanche assessment, route finding, and steep skiing techniques in complex alpine terrain. The goals of the course is not simply to ski Mount Baker, it is to develop the knowledge, skills, and judgment required to become a more capable ski mountaineer in glaciated terrain.
Schedule: 5 full days of instruction and skiing with overnight camping on the mountain. Open enrollment course dates below with custom dates available upon request for private instruction.
Group Size: Maximum of 4 skiers per instructor.
Prerequisites: Previous backcountry skiing/snowboarding experience required. Skiers must be proficient descending black diamond terrain in the resort.
Course Description: Introductory glacier travel and ski mountaineering course for advanced backcountry skiers and snowboarders.
Pricing: $3,115 per skier.
Location: The Glaciated Ski Seminar is based on Mount Baker.
Elevation: 10,781 ft / 3,286 m
Learn How To Ski On A glacier
Skiing in the high alpine requires a different set of skills than backcountry skiing. Once you move onto a glacier and into technical alpine terrain, you need to understand how to travel safely across crevasses, manage a rope team, respond to a crevasse fall, evaluate snow conditions, and transition efficiently between skiing and climbing.
Our Glaciated Ski Seminar provides an intensive introduction to these systems while allowing participants to put them into practice in real mountain terrain. Instruction is integrated throughout the five day program rather than limited to isolated skills sessions. Each day builds on the previous day's material, allowing you to develop increasingly sophisticated systems as you move into more challenging terrain.
What You'll Learn On The Glaciated Ski Seminar
The course focuses on the skills required to travel efficiently and responsibly through glaciated ski terrain. The itinerary is flexible based on conditions, but includes instructional topics outlined below and a summit attempt and ski descent from Mount Baker.
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Learn how to move efficiently as an individual and as part of a rope team on glaciated terrain. Topics may include:
Glacier hazard identification
Rope team travel
Traveling on skis across glaciers
Glacier route finding and crevasse identification
Assessing snow bridge stability
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Crevasse rescue is an essential skill for anyone traveling on glaciers. You'll learn the systems used to respond to a crevasse fall and practice building and operating rescue systems in real world terrain. We believe in the importance of application, it is expected for all participants on the course to experience real crevasse rescue practices. Instruction may include:
Arresting a crevasse fall
Anchors and snow protection
Mechanical advantage/hauling systems
Self rescue considerations
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Ski mountaineering often requires climbing terrain before it can be skied. Depending on conditions, we'll introduce or refine techniques for moving efficiently on steep snow and ice. Topics may include:
Crampon technique, including French technique and frontpointing
Ice axe use, including self arrest and self belaying
Snow and ice anchors
Belaying
Climbing with skis
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Technical skills are only part of becoming a better ski mountaineer. Good decisions are what allow those skills to be applied effectively.
Throughout the course, guides will discuss how to evaluate the mountain environment and make decisions as conditions change. Topics may include:
Mountain weather
Avalanche hazard
Glacier conditions
Route selection
Terrain management
Group management
Risk management
Building a plan and adapting it in the field
Plan Your Glaciated Ski Seminar
Who Is This Course For?
The Glaciated Ski Seminar is designed for experienced backcountry skiers who want to progress into glacier travel and ski mountaineering. Participants should be:
Strong and confident backcountry skiers
Comfortable skiing variable snow and off-piste terrain
Prepared for long days in the mountains
Interested in learning glacier and alpine systems
Comfortable carrying a mountaineering pack
Prepared to travel efficiently in a team environment
Previous ski mountaineering experience is helpful but is not necessarily required. Participants should have a solid foundation in backcountry skiing before taking the course. If you're unsure whether your experience is appropriate, contact us before registering.
Why Learn Ski Mountaineering With Skyward Mountaineering On Mount Baker?
Mount Baker is a significantly glaciated mountain, providing unique challenges and a dynamic alpine environment. The mountain's glaciers are constantly changing. Crevasses open and close between seasons, snow bridges weaken, and the best route can change year to year. For that reason, the exact itinerary and objectives are determined by current conditions rather than fixed in advance.
Skyward Mountaineering has guided climbers and skiers in complex mountain environments since 1996. Our guides emphasize technical competence, thoughtful risk management, efficient systems, and sound decision making formed from decades of experience and professional guide training. As an AMGA Accredited Business we adhere to the highest industry standards and all Glaciated Ski Seminars are taught exclusively by AMGA certified Ski Guides.
We believe the best mountain education goes beyond teaching individual techniques. Our goal is to help you understand how the pieces fit together so you can make better decisions when you're eventually traveling without a guide. The result is a course designed not just to get you up and down Mount Baker, but to make you a more capable ski mountaineer moving forward.