ALPINE EXPEDITION COURSE

  • Prepare for real expeditions

  • Push your limits

Join our alpine expedition course and learn all you need to prepare and conduct your own expedition. Or use it as a preparation for participating on advanced expeditions lead by others.

Course
Tough

ABOUT

Our Alpine expedition course aim to prepare you for expeditions involving glaciers and steep snow. The skills we cover includes basic and advanced walking and climbing in the blue ice areas, route selection through difficult areas of the glacier, rescuing on snow and ice, safe climbing in steep snow, use of fixed ropes, first aid, navigation, avalanche awareness and expedition camping on snow-covered glacier.

After the course you can take your first steps towards expeditions in the Arctic and Himalaya.

This is an advanced course that demands a lot from you physically. It is also a pre-requisite that you have experience from climbing and glaciers before you come. The more you know, the more you can learn from this course.

PROGRAM

Glacier mountaineering in Norway

Day 1

We meet in the early evening and talk through the course plan, your aim with the course, and your previous knowledge and experience.

The blue ice part of the glacier is focus this day. We start with basic repetition of walking techniques, use of equipment and ice-screws. Then we move into the ice formations to learn and practice our use of the rope and ice-screws to protect us.

We start the day by selecting a challenging route through an ice fall, and use our knowledge and skills to get through it. Then we arrange for a fall into a crevasse, and practice rescuing the rest of the day. First, we rescue using simple principles, then we move on to more advance and effective methods.

We pack our tents and move on to the glacier. With large packs, we first selects a route through the ice fall. A particularly challenging part is the area when we go into the snow-covered glacier, with thin snow bridges. Then we continue further into the glacier where we select a camp site on snow.

Based on the advanced camp on the glacier, we practice rescuing from snow-covered crevasses the first part of the day, further developing into effective methods of rescuing a person that is injured. Then we practice how to move safely in steep snow, and how to prevent and stop falls in different ways. We also set fixed ropes and test their safety.

This day we do one of two, based on your wish. We can move onto a summit from the camp. Navigating, steep snow, crossing snow-covered crevasses, and using fixed ropes will all be part of this day. Or we can use the entire day to practice safe movement in steep snow. In the evening we return to our glacier-camp.

We pack down the camp and returns down the glacier with our large backpacks. The the course is finished with an evaluation in the afternoon.

INCLUDES

This course includes certified guides with experience from their own expeditions. We expect you to have most of the climbing equipment, but we supplement what you need without extra cost.

Look at the FAQ section below for a detailed list of equipment you need to bring yourself.

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