Archive:Glacier School 2009

WE usually go to the Anniversary Glacier up by Cerise Creek, and practice ice axe arrests, walking with crampons, crevasse rescue, crevasse avoidance, and similar skills. Our "instructors" are not real instructors, but mere Members who have had experience with glaciers. This is suitable for people who have never seen a glacier up close, as well as for those who already have some glacier experience. We sometimes do a second camp, usually at the same time but a different place, where we get to practice more complicated glacier arts.

Trip includes camping at the foot of the glacier and usually some kind of party.

The trip size is limited by (1) the number of instructors we can find. (2) we don't like to totally trash the glacier with bodies. Because of this, if you really want to go to Glacier School, watch the notice board, and as soon as it is officially available, sign up for a spot on the list.

Date

September 19^th - 20^st, 2009

General Information

What is Glacier School?

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:

1. Glacier 1 is designed 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.

What Do I Need?

Basic overnight gear: Sleeping bag Sleeping mat warm clothes etc. second pair of clothes waterproof pants and jacket sunglasses

Glacier gear: Ice axe Crampons Harness Helmet prussiks (see below) 2 non-locking and 2 locking carabiners sunglasses snow-worthy crampon-worthy boots (will be explained at dry school)

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.

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 $5 per set at DRY SCHOOL.

How much does it cost? $5 for two prussik cords, unless you already have them. $15 for VOC expenses: Photocopying/booklet, beverages, poo bags, donation to the Flavelles, etc. $25 typical gas money, negotiated with your driver $40 typical gear rental deposit, refundable when the gear is returned.

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 gear rental. But you’ll get that money back.

Expectations

Students should expect to learn the following skills:

• Knots for mountaineering
• Travelling over snow and ice with crampons
• Self Arrest in snow (if there is any snow)
• Crevasse avoidance
• Snow and ice anchors (picket, t-slot, snow and ice bollards, v-thread, etc)
• Crevasse rescue
• Crevasse self and team rescue
• Belaying techniques for mountaineering

The prerequisites for being a student at glacier school are minimal

Sign up early as group size will be limited to ensure low student/instructor ratio and minimal environmental impact

Students must have overnight backpacking experience and a good attitude. 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, nor are they certified by any recognized school or association. 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.

Locations

<googlemap lat="50" lon="-122.5" width="400" height="300" zoom="7" scale="yes" controls="large" type="terrain"> (A)50.343187, -122.41941, Anniversary Glacier (B)50.34416, -122.477249, Joffre Lakes </googlemap>

Glacier 1

Anniversary Glacier / Cerise Creek.

Directions

UBC to Cerise Creek Parking lot (off Hwy 99). The pullout is located 7.5km (check your odometer) past the Joffre Lakes parking lot.

Glacier 2

Directions

UBC to Joffre Lakes parking lot

Dry School (Mandatory!)

When and Where?

Monday, September 15^th @ 7pm, Buchanan A-100

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.

What do I Need to Bring?

Glacier 1 students and other wishing to practice crevasse rescue, please bring your harnesses, biners and prussiks.

IMPORTANT: Bring your boots and crampons to ensure they are adjusted correctly if you have not done so previously or are unsure.

Glacier 1

This course is for glacier novices. Instructors will teach the basic glacier skills such as:

• Roped travel
• Self arrest
• Crevasse rescue
• Knots

Instructor sign up

Please post your name here along with any skills you feel comfortable teaching. There will be an instructor meeting (time TBD). There is a limit on the number of instructors as well, to be determined.

Student sign up

	Signup Closed
	This is the sign up and organization page for an old trip. It already happened on 19-9-2009. Please do not sign up for it.

Waiting List

Priority will be accorded to first people in the following list if any participants above drop. Please only put your name down once on this page, you can't sign up for both G1 and G2. If you are qualified for G2, you are not suitable for G1.

Come to Dry School!!! Waitlist people can usually be accomodated at Dry School.

Glacier 2

This course is for people who have taken Glacier 1 or have previous glacier skills, but aren't fully comfortable route finding on a glacier. This group will work on more advanced skills or climb a nearby peak with an experienced leader. Probably at a different location than G1

Instructors

Please post your name here along with any skills you feel comfortable teaching.

There will be an instructor meeting TBA. There is a limit on the number of instructors as well, to be determined.

Participants

	Signup Closed
	This is the sign up and organization page for an old trip. It already happened on 19-9-2009. Please do not sign up for it.

Glacier 1 Vehicles

Drivers please post your names here along with your vehicle capacity and departure info. If you have one, great. If not, no worries, rides will be arranged at DRY SCHOOL.

• Name (X spots) (Time of Departure from Vancouver - Time of Arrival to Vancouver)

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2. 
   
3.