Glacier Travel Course Information Package
Welcome to our Glacier Travel course! I am looking forward to the course and hope you are too.
If you landed on this page and are NOT signed up for a course please email me to ask for a price quote for a private course for you or your group. We do not have any openings on scheduled courses at this time.
If you ARE signed up for a course please read this information package carefully and let me know if you have any questions.
YOU NEED TO DO THE FOLLOWING:
Click here to read and understand the guide waiver. You will need to sign this waiver at the beginning of the trip. It is important that you understand it before you arrive.
Please have everything listed for the car camping/Columbia Icefields section on this gear list.
Let me know if you need me to provide any equipment for you.
Important Dates and Times
Day 1
8.30 AM: Arrive at the Wilcox campground (near the Columbia Icefields), choose and pay for your campsite. Google Maps location is here. Campsites are available on a first come-first serve basis so no reservations are required. Sites are normally available in the morning.
9 AM: Meet at the entrance to the campground. We will sign waivers, check gear and then head up to a crevasse rescue practice site. Be prepared to spend all day outside.
Day 2
5.00 PM: You can expect to be finished the day and heading back home from the Columbia Icefields between 4 and 5 PM.
Equipment
Please have everything listed for the car camping/Columbia Icefields section on this gear list.
You DO NOT need avalanche rescue equipment for this course.
A sturdy pair of waterproof hiking boots with ankle support and stiff lug soles will work for this course.
Please let me know if you would like me to provide some equipment for you as soon as possible.
Course Itinerary
Day 1:
Drive to the Wilcox Campground and pay for campsites ($24.85 per site). Campsites are available on a first come-first serve basis so no reservations are required. Sites are normally available in the morning.
Session: review and use of equipment and clothing
Head to field site at Parker's Ridge (5 minute drive and half an hour walk)
Session: walking on snow and ice using crampons and ice axe
Session: self arrest
Session: roping up for the glacier
Session: crevasse rescue practice
Day 2: Glacier travel day on the North Glacier of Mt Athabasca
Travel techniques on the glacier
Route finding
Review of techniques presented on the first day
Possible Itinerary Changes
There is always the possibility of having to change this itinerary due to weather or conditions. Please be flexible in your expectations.
Risk and Safety in the Field
Safety is our first priority but it is important to understand that no matter how well prepared we are there is still an element of risk to mountaineering activities.
You will need to sign a waiver that will make you well aware of that risk.
It is important to listen to the instructor's directions and if you are uncertain of what is expected of you please ask.
If you have any safety concerns while in the field please make them known to the instructor.
We will be able to communicate to outside rescue agencies with a radios and an InReach device.
Mountain Rescue
I nearly thirty years of guiding I have only had two guest evacuations from the field for minor injuries and one for a medical condition. The probability that we will need a rescue are low.
This trip is in both Banff and Jasper National Parks where mountain rescue is provided free of charge if you have a valid vehicle permit for both parks (a Banff resident pass is not valid in Jasper). It is your responsibility to ensure you have this vehicle permit - it acts as your rescue insurance. You may purchase this pass at park gates and information centres.
Medical Issues
If you have any pertinent medical issues that I should know about, please make sure you include that when you fill in the guest information form.
Staff
Instructor: Mark Klassen. I am an ACMG/IFMGA certified Mountain Guide with 30 years experience. Click here for more info about me.
Remember, YOU NEED TO DO THE FOLLOWING:
Click here to read and understand the guide waiver. You will need to sign this waiver at the beginning of the trip. It is important that you understand it before you arrive.
Please have everything listed for the car camping/Columbia Icefields section on this gear list.
Let me know if you need me to provide any equipment for you.