Description

ACC Vancouver!! After a two year hiatus, the Ski Touring & Glacier Travel Course is back 😃

Join us for this fun ski touring experience!!

If you are interested, please see the details below.

Important: Read Carefully

Course selection is based on screening, not waitlist position. Only 12 participants will be selected for this course. This course is open to skiers and splitboarders.

This course is designed for ACC members with intermediate skiing and mountaineering experience who want to enhance their skills for advanced backcountry tours, glacier travel, and trip leadership. Spanning three weeknights and two intensive back-to-back double day weekends, this program equips participants with essential skills such as terrain and micro-terrain management, avalanche awareness and decision-making, roped travel, and crevasse rescue.

Participants should already have a solid foundation in backcountry touring and seek to refine their abilities for more challenging objectives. The demanding schedule requires a high level of fitness, endurance, and technical proficiency to ensure successful completion.

**All dates and evenings are mandatory. Dates may shift only for exceptional weather circumstances.**

Course Signup Dates

• December 6th, Friday – Course participant signup deadline
• Early January – Course WhatsApp Kick-Off

Pre Course Evenings

• January 28th, Tuesday
  • Intro Night: Gear Requirements & Course Review
  • Time: 6:30pm – 9pm
  • Location: TBD
• January 30th, Thursday
  • Pre-Course Seminar: Beacon Search Refresher
  • Time: 7pm – 9pm
  • Location: TBD

Weekend 1: Ski Touring Skills (Coquihalla Pass) – Friday, January 31 – Sunday, February 2

Friday, January 31

Time: 6:30pm – 9pm

Location: Hope (specific location TBD)

Activity: Classroom session

Skills covered:

• Teamwork
• Pacing
• Terrain management
• Micro-terrain awareness
• Avalanche awareness and decision-making

Saturday, February 1

Time: All day

Location: Coquihalla Pass

Activity: Outdoor practice session

Skills covered:

• Leadership
• Navigation
• Pacing
• Track setting
• Avalanche rescue
• Terrain management

Evening: Classroom debrief

Sunday, February 2

Time: All day

Location: Coquihalla Pass

Activity: Outdoor practice session

Skills covered:

• Outdoor practice and rescue scenario
• Group companion rescue scenario

Concludes in the late afternoon

Return: Travel back to Vancouver

Pre-Course Seminar: Crevasse Dry Rescue Refresher

Wednesday, February 5th

Time: 6:30pm – 9pm

Location: TBD

Activity: Practice session

Skills covered:

• Rope ascent and raising systems (drop loop and 3:1)
• Knots and Prusiks

Weekend 2: Ski Mountaineering Skills (Whistler/Blackcomb Backcountry) – February 8th – 9th

Saturday, February 8

Time: All day

Meeting Point: St. David’s United Church, Taylor Way (time TBD)

Location: Whistler/Blackcomb Backcountry

Activity: Outdoor practice session

Skills covered:

• Transitions
• Ski Crampon Use
• Ice Axe Use
• Route Setting
• Rope management
• Roping in
• Crevasse rescue

End of Day: Participants will return home.

Sunday, February 9

Time: All day

Meeting Point: St. David’s United Church, Taylor Way (time TBD)

Location: Whistler/Blackcomb Backcountry

Activity: Outdoor practice session

Skills covered:

• Transitions
• Ski Crampon Use
• Ice Axe Use
• Route Setting
• Rope management
• Roping in
• Crevasse rescue

End of Day: Participants will return home. Course concludes.

Weather Contingency Notes:

Pending weather and snow conditions, we may need to shift the course 1 week later. Please hold February 15th & 16th as a backup for Weekend 2.

Locations are subject to change based on weather conditions.

Participant Responsibilities:

Participants are solely responsible for:

• Personal travel to and from course locations on all dates. We strongly encourage carpooling when possible.
• Lodging for the first weekend in Hope. We can assist with motel options. (Feb 1 – 3)
• Backcountry pass lift tickets (Approx. $48 per day) for the second weekend in Whistler. (Feb 8 & 9)
• All meals, snacks and beverages.
• Personal Equipment (ACC will only provide glacier travel ropes).

Course Expectations:

Preference will be given to previous ACC IBS students with continued backcountry experience post course.

The STGT course is one of the ACC’s flagship courses, teaching dedicated participants advanced techniques for backcountry touring. Participants are expected to already be proficient backcountry tourers with at least one season of experience and be highly self-sufficient with the basics of touring. Nutritional management, clothing, basic equipment usage, and intermediate skiing/split boarding abilities will not be a focus of this course and therefore must be already fully understood. This is NOT a beginner course; please take our Intro to Backcountry Skiing course if you are new to touring.

For those looking to take their backcountry touring to the next level with glacier travel, multi-day traverses, terrain management, mico terrain navigation, and team leadership, this is the course for you!

Course Fee & Refund Policy

Cost: $185

Important: Payment instructions will be provided upon acceptance. Do not pay until notified.

Cancellation Policy: There are no refunds for any reason including sudden injuries or other health reasons as per ACC Course Policy. We will only issue refunds for complete course cancellation. We can connect participants with waitlist members who may be interested in purchasing one’s course spot. The ACC does not facilitate any transfer of funds.

Skills and Experience

• Downhill Skiing: Ability to safely ski black diamond runs in any conditions while carrying a heavy pack.
• Touring: Comfort and fitness for tours of at least the following.
  • 800 m of vertical ascent (300m/hour)
  • 15 km distance
  • 8-10 hours duration
• Crevasse Rescue: Recent training or practice within the last year. Previous dry school courses are sufficient for this.
• Rope Work: Familiarity with glacier travel and rope management from previous required crevasse course training.
• Avalanche Training: AST 1 or equivalent, completed within the last 3 years or at course instructor’s discretion.

Equipment Requirements

Note: This is not a course for rented gear. Participants must be proficient with their own personal equipment and all equipment must be in working order. Failure to have all items may result in participants being unable to join a course day.

• Ski Boot Crampons: Automatic recommended.
• Ski Crampons
• Ice Axe: Mountaineering length or short climbing length. (NO ice climbing axes).
• Avalanche Rescue Equipment: Shovel, probe, and beacon.
• BCA Link Radio, Rocky Talkie radio or other FRS two radio. (Rent here)
• Backpack: Minimum 30L capacity, must be able to A-Frame or Diagonal Carry
• Ski touring or climbing helmet
• Climbing Harness: Ski touring harness is recommended, though a regular climbing harness is sufficient.
• Additional Items:
  • Locking and non-locking carabiners
  • Various slings
  • Prusiks
  • Pulley
• Optional: Traction devices

How To Sign Up:

VERY IMPORTANT!!!

1. Click the orange “REGISTER” button at the bottom of this page below “Sign-up”.
2. Fill out this Course Application Form to be added to the waitlist. You need to register for this event and fill out the application form as part of the screening process.
3. The Event Organizers will review the responses over the next couple of weeks and move people over to the Confirmed List if they fit the course criteria.
4. Once on the Confirmed List, we will send out an email with payment instructions. Please DO NOT PAY until you are contacted.

For questions or further details, please contact the course coordinator.

Todd Powell & Claire Xiao

 

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Participation on this trip falls under the ACC waiver that is signed electronically upon membership renewal.