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==Introduction==
[[Category:Glacier School]]
===What is Glacier School?===


'''What is Glacier School?'''
Glacier School is a 2-day (weekend) course intended to teach safe and efficient means of traveling over glaciers. The School is divided into two courses:


Glacier School is a 2-day (weekend) course intended to teach safe and efficient means of travelling over glaciers. The School is divided into two courses:
*Glacier 1 (G1)
1) Glacier 1 is designed for beginners to snow and glacier travel. It is expected that you have previous backpacking and camping experience.
**For beginners to snow and glacier travel. It is expected that you have previous backpacking and camping experience.
2) Glacier 2 is for students with previous glacier experience that want to learn more advanced skills or to climb a peak.


'''When is it?'''
*Glacier 2 (G2)
**For students with previous glacier experience that want to apply these skills by actually climbing a peak.


The course itself will be on the weekend of the 15th and 16th of September. We will leave Vancouver early on Saturday morning and return in the late evening on Sunday.
====What do I learn?====


There will also be a MANDATORY DRY SCHOOL (see below for more details) on Wednesday, September 12th. (Time and location TBA)
Check out the curriculum in [https://www.ubc-voc.com/mediawiki/images/5/56/Glacier_School_Manual_2018.pdf the glacier manual]


'''Where will it be held?'''
===What Happens at Dry School?===


Cerise Creek around the Anniversary Glacier in the beautiful Coast Mountains.
There will be a brief introduction to glacier travel before we outline what’s to be expected for the weekend. Then, we’ll arrange transportation, stove and tent groups, collect your fee (probably around $10), sell prussik cords, possibly lend out VOC gear if there's any left (max of 4 items each), and finally we’ll teach a few rope skills that will come in handy on the weekend.  If we can find a suitable place (tree) we'll practice prussicking. Please bring '''cash''' for all expenses (preferably small change).


'''What Do I Need?'''
===Expectations===
 
Basic overnight gear: Sleeping bag, sleeping mat, warm clothes, etc.
 
Glacier gear: ice axe, crampons, harness, and helmet.
The VOC has some of this stuff and will lend it out to students. If you borrow gear from the club, a $40 CASH ONLY per item deposit will be collected at DRY SCHOOL.
 
A tent and/or stove will be very useful. If you don’t have one you can arrange to share with others at the MANDATORY DRY SCHOOL.
 
Car: if you have one, great. If not, no worries, rides will be arranged at DRY SCHOOL.
 
If there’s not enough VOC rental gear to go around, some borrowing or renting from MEC will have to fill the voids. Please reserve rental gear early to ensure the gear you need will be available for the weekend.
 
Last, you’ll need 2 “prussik” cords (Don’t worry if you have no idea what that is). We’ll be selling it for about $8 per set at DRY SCHOOL.


'''How much does it cost?'''
$5 Photocopying/Surprise fee + $25 gas money + gear rental deposit
Please bring CASH for all expenses (preferably small change).
Your $5 pays for photocopying of useful information booklets that you’ll get at DRY SCHOOL. Also, we’ll have a little treat for everybody on Saturday night, as we camp below the glacier. The leaders are entirely volunteering.
You will be expected to chip in $25 for gas to and from Vancouver.
If you borrow gear from the club a $40 per item deposit will be collected at DRY SCHOOL. But you’ll get that money back.
'''What Happens at DRY SCHOOL?'''
There will be a brief introduction to glacier travel before we outline what’s to be expected for the weekend. Then, we’ll arrange transportation, stove and tent groups, collect your $5 fee, sell prussik cords, lend out VOC gear (max of 4 items each), and finally we’ll teach a few rope skills that will come in handy on the weekend.
===Expectations===
Students should expect to learn the following skills:
Students should expect to learn the following skills:


*Knots for mountaineering
*Knots for mountaineering
*Travelling over snow and ice with crampons
*Traveling over snow and ice with crampons
*Self Arrest
*Self Arrest
*Snow and ice anchors
*Snow and ice anchors
*Crevasse resuce
*Crevasse rescue
*Belaying techniques for mountaineering
*Belaying techniques for mountaineering


The prerequisites for being a student at glacier school are minimal.  Students must have overnight backpacking experience.  Some rope skills (such as belaying, common climbing knots, etc) are desireable but not absolutely necessary.
The prerequisites for being a student at glacier school are minimal.  Students must have overnight backpacking experience.  Some rope skills (such as belaying, common climbing knots, etc) are desirable but not absolutely necessary.
 
Instructors for glacier school are club members who volunteer their time, and are not professional guides.  If you don't feel comfortable taking responsibility for your own life in the context of an informal course advised by VOC instructors, you should take a mountaineering course offered by a professional guiding service.
 
==Gear List==
 
===Individual Gear===
The following is a list of equipment that every student '''must''' have. 
 
====Glacier travel====
* ice axe (general mountaineering type)
* helmet
* harness (best if leg loops are fully adjustable)
* 3 locking carabiners
* Belay device (optional)
* prussik cords - one each of 5mm x 1.5m and 5mm x 2.5m are suggested*
* crampons
* hiking or mountaineering boots appropriate for use on snow and with crampons
* sunglasses
* gaiters
* clothing to deal with cold, wind, rain and snow, including sliding bodily on wet snow
 
'''Note:''' The VOC has some of this stuff and will lend it out to students. If there’s not enough, some borrowing or renting from MEC will have to fill the voids. Visit www.mec.ca and search for "rental." Please plan ahead.
 
You’ll need 2 “prussik” cords (Don’t worry if you have no idea what that is). We’ll be selling it for about $8 per set at DRY SCHOOL.
 
==== Overnight ====
* Sleeping bag
* Sleeping pad
* personal toiletries
* a group with tent, stove, pots, etc
* headlamp
 
===Team Gear===
Each team will need the following equipment.  Your instructor can probably supply most of this stuff
* climbing rope 8.5mm+
* snow pickets
* anchor slings
* ice screws
* pulley
 
==History==
 
===16th-17th September 2006===
Held at Anniversary Glacier. [http://www.ubc-voc.com/gallery/v/glacier2006/ Photos] are available on the VOC Gallery.
 
===17th-18th September 2005===
Mt. Baker (Easton Glacier). 3+ hour drive SE of Vancouver. Dry conditions, and no snow patches for instruction and practice off the glacier.
 
===11th-12th September 2004===
Glacier School was held at the Anniversary Glacier near Joffre Lakes. In inclement weather coniditions, most people stayed in Keith's Hut. There are only a handful of decent camping spots nearby the hut. This would have been a problem had the weather not been so bad that there were no members of the public wanting to use the hut. Despite dry conditions on the glacier, there were good snow patches below the SE face of Joffre.
 
===September 2003===
Glacier school was held at the Easton Glacier on Mount Baker
 
===September 2002===
Galcier school was held at the Coleman Glacier on Mount Baker for the third consecutive year.  We were fined by the US National Forest rangers for having a group larger than 12 people.
 
===September 2001===
 
Held at Coleman Glacier.
 
===September 2000===


Held at Coleman Glacier.
"Instructors for glacier school are club members who volunteer their time, and are not professional guides. If you don't feel comfortable taking responsibility for your own life in the context of an informal course advised by VOC instructors, you should take a mountaineering course offered by a professional guiding service."


===September 1999===
===Logistics===
{{main|Glacier school logistics}}


Held at the Anniversary Glacier. We camped at the glacial lake formed by the terminal morain, out of sight of [[Keith's Hut]]. Since the winter had seen record breaking snowfall, the glacier was still in "spring" conditions. I am not sure how good of a venue this would have been otherwise (where to self arrest when all you have is ice?).
For all future Glacier school trip coordinators, logistics and organizational timeline can be viewed from the link cited above.


==Past Events==
See [[:Category:Glacier School]] for both past events and the next trip. The new trip page for the year is usually posted in August.
{| class="wikitable"
! style="width: 4%;" | Year
! style="width: 12%;" | G1 Location
! style="width: 12%;" | G2 Location
!Comments
|-
|2024
|Brandywine Glacier
|
|The snow situation was better than 2023, but still mostly bare ice. Weather continued to fight against us as we were graced with hail, lightning, and snow. We managed to have about 60 people camped around the glacier.
|-
|2023
|Brandywine Glacier
|Rhododendron Mountain + Warren Glacier
|This year was a bad snow year so the glacier was completely bare ice, compared to 2023 where the glacier was completely snow covered. The weather was horrendous, with rain, snow, and heavy winds enduring through most of the first day. Many people turned back to their vehicles or otherwise hunkered down until the weather cleared up. The second day was beautiful. With the glacier shrinking and snow cover decreasing, the camping area is not ideal for a group of 60+.
|-
|2022
|Brandywine Glacier
|Joffre Lakes
|Brandywine was almost perfect for G1 - the approach was fairly short and not too technical, allowing people to arrive at the (fairly benign) glacier at a reasonable hour and get more instruction time. The main issues were car shuttling on the last rough section of the FSR and the lack of super nice eye candy glacier features to get people stoked, although there was a cool bergschrund over which we practiced crevasse rescue.
|-
|2021
|Metal Dome Glacier
|
|G1 returned to the normal large group. Unexpectedly difficult terrain (involving glacier travel) forced the group to camp at a smaller site than expected, and if not for a surprise september snowstorm, there would have been no snow to self-arrest on. The part of the glacier we could access was steep, narrow, and heavily crevassed - not ideal for G1.
|-
|2020
|Cypress Glacier
Brandywine Glacier
|
|Due to COVID, G1 was organized as several completely independent groups, going to two locations (Cypress and Brandywine). Brandywine was excellent but had limited camping except on the glacier; Cypress hardly had enough snow to self-arrest and may not be a suitable location in the future.
|-
|2019
|Cypress Glacier
|Warren Glacier
|Heavy rain made crossing Roe Creek unsafe and so the school retreated to Skook Hot Springs instead. A second weekend for G1 was planned for October, but then it rained all weekend then too.
|-
|2018
|Anniversary Glacier
|Mt. Baker
|In contrast to the year before, a shorter than usual winter over 2017-18 made for a rocky Anniversary Glacier that wasn't so great. Rained heavily both days. Camped near the tarns and the terminal moraine and we did not use the hut.
|-
|2017
|Cypress Glacier
|
|A longer than usual winter over 2016-17 made for a good glacier at Cypress. Nice weather on day 1 turning to rain day 2.
|-
|2016
|
|
|
|-
|2015
|Easton Glacier
|Anniversary Glacier
|
|-
|2014
| rowspan="3" |Cypress Glacier
|
|
|-
|2013
|
|
|-
|2012
|Joffre Lakes
|
|-
|2011
| rowspan="6" |Anniversary Glacier
|
|
|-
|2010
|
|It rained a part of the time.
|-
|2009
|Mt. Baker
|The Anniversary Glacier was pretty well snow-free, making bad conditions for practicing ice axe arrests higher on the glacier - although there remained ample snow on the flats below the glacier for practicing self arrest while being dragged by a rope (Note this area is likely also glaciated, although generally not treated like a glacier). The weather was atrocious on Saturday but Sunday was sunny and warm. We had 40 people camped below the glacier. The Hut was being renovated and re-supplied with firewood, so we were not welcome there.
|-
|2008
|Joffre Lakes
|Weather was somewhat miserable both days.
|-
|2007
|
|
|-
|2006
|
|[http://www.ubc-voc.com/gallery/v/glacier2006/ Photos] are available on the VOC Gallery.
|-
|2005
|Easton Glacier
|
|3+ hour drive SE of Vancouver. Dry conditions, and no snow patches for instruction and practice off the glacier.  Weather was cold and wet.
|-
|2004
|Anniversary Glacier
|
|In inclement weather conditions, most people stayed in Keith's Hut. There are only a handful of decent camping spots nearby the hut. This would have been a problem had the weather not been so bad that there were no members of the public wanting to use the hut. Despite dry conditions on the glacier, there were good snow patches below the SE face of Joffre.
|-
|2003
|Easton Glacier
|
|
|-
|2002
| rowspan="3" |Coleman Glacier
|
|We were fined by the US National Forest rangers for having a group larger than 12 people.
|-
|2001
|
|
|-
|2000
|
|
|-
|1999
|Anniversary Glacier
|
|We camped at the glacial lake formed by the terminal moraine, out of sight of [[Keith's Hut]]. Since the winter had seen record breaking snowfall, the glacier was still in "spring" conditions. I am not sure how good of a venue this would have been otherwise (where to self arrest when all you have is ice?).
|}
[[Category:Events]]
[[Category:Events]]
[[Category:Glacier School]]

Latest revision as of 22:48, 20 December 2024

What is Glacier School?

Glacier School is a 2-day (weekend) course intended to teach safe and efficient means of traveling over glaciers. The School is divided into two courses:

  • Glacier 1 (G1)
    • For beginners to snow and glacier travel. It is expected that you have previous backpacking and camping experience.
  • Glacier 2 (G2)
    • For students with previous glacier experience that want to apply these skills by actually climbing a peak.

What do I learn?

Check out the curriculum in the glacier manual

What Happens at Dry School?

There will be a brief introduction to glacier travel before we outline what’s to be expected for the weekend. Then, we’ll arrange transportation, stove and tent groups, collect your fee (probably around $10), sell prussik cords, possibly lend out VOC gear if there's any left (max of 4 items each), and finally we’ll teach a few rope skills that will come in handy on the weekend. If we can find a suitable place (tree) we'll practice prussicking. Please bring cash for all expenses (preferably small change).

Expectations

Students should expect to learn the following skills:

  • Knots for mountaineering
  • Traveling over snow and ice with crampons
  • Self Arrest
  • Snow and ice anchors
  • Crevasse rescue
  • Belaying techniques for mountaineering

The prerequisites for being a student at glacier school are minimal. Students must have overnight backpacking experience. Some rope skills (such as belaying, common climbing knots, etc) are desirable but not absolutely necessary.

"Instructors for glacier school are club members who volunteer their time, and are not professional guides. If you don't feel comfortable taking responsibility for your own life in the context of an informal course advised by VOC instructors, you should take a mountaineering course offered by a professional guiding service."

Logistics

Main article: Glacier school logistics

For all future Glacier school trip coordinators, logistics and organizational timeline can be viewed from the link cited above.

Past Events

See Category:Glacier School for both past events and the next trip. The new trip page for the year is usually posted in August.

Year G1 Location G2 Location Comments
2024 Brandywine Glacier The snow situation was better than 2023, but still mostly bare ice. Weather continued to fight against us as we were graced with hail, lightning, and snow. We managed to have about 60 people camped around the glacier.
2023 Brandywine Glacier Rhododendron Mountain + Warren Glacier This year was a bad snow year so the glacier was completely bare ice, compared to 2023 where the glacier was completely snow covered. The weather was horrendous, with rain, snow, and heavy winds enduring through most of the first day. Many people turned back to their vehicles or otherwise hunkered down until the weather cleared up. The second day was beautiful. With the glacier shrinking and snow cover decreasing, the camping area is not ideal for a group of 60+.
2022 Brandywine Glacier Joffre Lakes Brandywine was almost perfect for G1 - the approach was fairly short and not too technical, allowing people to arrive at the (fairly benign) glacier at a reasonable hour and get more instruction time. The main issues were car shuttling on the last rough section of the FSR and the lack of super nice eye candy glacier features to get people stoked, although there was a cool bergschrund over which we practiced crevasse rescue.
2021 Metal Dome Glacier G1 returned to the normal large group. Unexpectedly difficult terrain (involving glacier travel) forced the group to camp at a smaller site than expected, and if not for a surprise september snowstorm, there would have been no snow to self-arrest on. The part of the glacier we could access was steep, narrow, and heavily crevassed - not ideal for G1.
2020 Cypress Glacier

Brandywine Glacier

Due to COVID, G1 was organized as several completely independent groups, going to two locations (Cypress and Brandywine). Brandywine was excellent but had limited camping except on the glacier; Cypress hardly had enough snow to self-arrest and may not be a suitable location in the future.
2019 Cypress Glacier Warren Glacier Heavy rain made crossing Roe Creek unsafe and so the school retreated to Skook Hot Springs instead. A second weekend for G1 was planned for October, but then it rained all weekend then too.
2018 Anniversary Glacier Mt. Baker In contrast to the year before, a shorter than usual winter over 2017-18 made for a rocky Anniversary Glacier that wasn't so great. Rained heavily both days. Camped near the tarns and the terminal moraine and we did not use the hut.
2017 Cypress Glacier A longer than usual winter over 2016-17 made for a good glacier at Cypress. Nice weather on day 1 turning to rain day 2.
2016
2015 Easton Glacier Anniversary Glacier
2014 Cypress Glacier
2013
2012 Joffre Lakes
2011 Anniversary Glacier
2010 It rained a part of the time.
2009 Mt. Baker The Anniversary Glacier was pretty well snow-free, making bad conditions for practicing ice axe arrests higher on the glacier - although there remained ample snow on the flats below the glacier for practicing self arrest while being dragged by a rope (Note this area is likely also glaciated, although generally not treated like a glacier). The weather was atrocious on Saturday but Sunday was sunny and warm. We had 40 people camped below the glacier. The Hut was being renovated and re-supplied with firewood, so we were not welcome there.
2008 Joffre Lakes Weather was somewhat miserable both days.
2007
2006 Photos are available on the VOC Gallery.
2005 Easton Glacier 3+ hour drive SE of Vancouver. Dry conditions, and no snow patches for instruction and practice off the glacier. Weather was cold and wet.
2004 Anniversary Glacier In inclement weather conditions, most people stayed in Keith's Hut. There are only a handful of decent camping spots nearby the hut. This would have been a problem had the weather not been so bad that there were no members of the public wanting to use the hut. Despite dry conditions on the glacier, there were good snow patches below the SE face of Joffre.
2003 Easton Glacier
2002 Coleman Glacier We were fined by the US National Forest rangers for having a group larger than 12 people.
2001
2000
1999 Anniversary Glacier We camped at the glacial lake formed by the terminal moraine, out of sight of Keith's Hut. Since the winter had seen record breaking snowfall, the glacier was still in "spring" conditions. I am not sure how good of a venue this would have been otherwise (where to self arrest when all you have is ice?).
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