Join us on a week-long glacier course. The aim is to teach you all you need to explore glaciers without a guide.
The glacier course aims to make you confident on the glacier. To achieve this, we practise route finding, belaying, rescue, orientation, snow slope techniques, and basic climbing. Each guide is responsible for three to five participants, ensuring you receive good support throughout the course week.
The first two days of the course are spent on ice. Ice is often the most exciting part of the glacier, and we practise walking, belaying, and rescue techniques on it.
The following two days of the course are conducted on snow. Although snow may seem safe, it presents the most significant challenges. You will learn to search for and assess snow bridges, secure them with snow anchors, and navigate steep snow slopes safely.
Finally, there is a day on which participants can try more independently, including some climbing for those interested.
Normal fitness is enough to handle a glacier course, but you should be used to hiking in the mountains with a backpack, and to long days out in shifting weather. Some days will be long, others short. In any case, you will have time to recover with good food and socialising in the evenings.
Choose how many places you want (up to the number available) and add them straight to the cart.
This detailed course plan shows the activities planned for each day. It is more flexible than it looks, and the course leader will adapt it according to participants, weather, and conditions on the glacier.
The meeting time is at 19 (7 PM).
For the courses in Jotunheimen, we use some time to set up tents. The camp is a ten-minute walk from the parking. Afterward, there is an introduction round, equipment distribution, and learning some initial knots. We have a view of the glacier from the camp.
For the courses in Jostedalen, we meet at Jostedal Camping, go through an introduction round and equipment distribution, and practise the initial knots.
The day begins with us practising walking in crampons to safely traverse flat, sloping, and steep ice, both with and without an ice axe. We also learn how to use ice screws, cut steps, and leap over small crevasses.
After lunch, we will rope into teams and walk on the blue ice. Already one of the participants will lead the team. Throughout the course, everyone will take turns leading to practise belaying and choosing the route.
We will teach rescue techniques in the evening and prepare ourselves for a blue ice rescue the following day.
The first part of the day is spent on rescue operations in blue ice. We practise key positions: number one in the crevasse, number two belaying, and the last person directing the rescue. By Wednesday and Thursday, everyone should have tried all key positions. The guide will have a safety rope during the rescue to ensure it proceeds safely.
After lunch, it’s back out on the ice to practise route selection and protection, but now in slightly more challenging ice conditions with a focus on actively using the rope team to avoid setting too many screws.
This day begins with snow rescuing. This is realistic rescue training, where one must be careful always to be secured. Therefore, we often spend more time on snow rescue than blue ice rescue.
At the end of the day, we will walk in the transition between snow and ice, practising route selection and protection. Since crevasses can be hidden under the snow, this is often the most challenging area on a glacier. It is always exciting to check whether the snow bridges are safe.
In the evening, there will be planning for the next day’s excursion and a bit about orientation.
This day is the longest, both in time and distance, where we will ascend a glacier slope and cross a plateau to reach a summit. Along the way, we will practise orientation and steep snow slope techniques. When practising snow slope techniques, we focus on safely navigating steep snow using the ice axe and being able to stop sliding.
During the courses on Smørstabbreen, the route often takes us to Kalven (2034 m) and occasionally to Storebjørn (2223 m). When we are in Jostedalen, we spend more time navigating the glacier as it is longer and typically reaches the plateau of Jostedalsbreen (Jostedal glacier).
This day is the longest of the course, and we often don’t return until late in the evening.
In the first part of the day, we will climb, rappel, and do other activities that participants want to try. Occasionally, we also demonstrate more advanced rescue methods.
After lunch, we usually send the rope teams out on a trip without a guide. It is good practice to have to decide on route selection and protection independently of a guide. Of course, the guides will observe what is happening from a distance.
The evening is used for evaluation and socialising.
Sunday has a short schedule: We pack up and head home.
Everything you need to know before the course, on one sheet per course.
You bring your own food for the week. Breakfast is eaten in camp, and there are usually two lunches on the glacier. Sandwiches work well on the move, together with something hot in a thermos. Dinner is usually started as soon as we are back from the glacier. Food that needs to be kept cold can be put in watertight bags and placed under stones in the lake. Remember to put every stone back where it was, so we leave no trace. Some food keeps better if it is fried beforehand. Many bring freeze-dried meals for dinner. Porridge is also a good breakfast that keeps well.
Many ask what kind of boots to bring. The basic rule is that they must reach above the ankle. On the glacier, boots with a stiff sole are best, while stiff soles are less comfortable on the trail. Our crampons fit all mountain boots and do not need step-in welts at the heel. If you are unsure whether your boots are good enough, send us an e-mail or give us a call.
In summer, glacier ice is both wet and dirty. Waterproof clothing such as Gore-Tex is a good idea. But glacier grit can be hard to wash out, so think twice before bringing your newest and finest jacket and trousers.
Sleeping in a tent does not have to be uncomfortable. Our camps are either at a campsite or so close to the road that you can make an extra trip or two to the car. Bring an extra good mattress, a pillow and a chair. You can even bring a duvet if you do not like sleeping bags. And remember: do not pump the mattress rock hard, you will sleep badly. It is not quite glamping, but a little extra comfort makes a big difference to how you enjoy the week.
Both locations are unique and excellent places for glacier courses, each offering a different experience, but the courses are the same.
In Jostedalen, you get to witness the vast, wild, and diverse nature of Jostedalsbreen while residing at a camp with toilets, showers, and a kitchen for making your food.
The courses at Jostedalsbreen (Jostedalsbreen glacier) are located in the innermost part of Jostedalen, where we have access to Nigardsbreen, Fåbergstølsbreen, and Tuftebreen. All three are glacier arms descending on the east side of Jostedalsbreen.
We stay at Jostedal Camping, which has excellent facilities and is near a shop and hotel. If you prefer not to camp, you can book a cabin at the campsite or a room at Jostedal Hotel.
Jostedalsbreen is the largest glacier on the European mainland, and we have held courses here since we started in 1994.
In Jotunheimen, you get to experience Jotunheimen with the most majestic mountains in the country, living the simple tent life close to nature.
The courses in Jotunheimen take place on Smørstabbreen (Smørstabb glacier), located in the western part of Jotunheimen near Sognefjellshytta.
We stay in tents for the entire week, approximately ten minutes walking from the parking lot. You will sleep in your tent, but we have a large tent with a stove as a shared room for breakfast and evenings, which is beneficial when the weather is wet or cold.
The glacier is about a 45-minute walk from the camp and provides all the challenges needed for a glacier course. Surrounded by high mountains, natural destinations include Kalven (2034 m) and Storebjørn (2223 m).
We have been conducting glacier courses here every summer since 1995.
This is where we stay during the courses on Smørstabbreen.
The classic glacier course has been offered since 1994 and is our bestseller. It builds on a long Norwegian tradition from the patent guide system through the development of standard courses for glacier hiking that evolved more than sixty years ago.
The price is per person and includes glacier equipment and instruction from a certified guide.
The courses run every week from late June to mid-August, at Jostedalsbreen and in Jotunheimen.