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3-day Ascent of Mount Baker (3286m) with glacier training

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Join the certified guides of Alpine Ascents International for this 3 day glacier mountaineering course and summit of Mt. Baker!

Group

Cascade Range

3 Days

Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Fit

Beginner


Highlights

  • Learn glacier mountaineering skills that will be useful for future adventures
  • Low guide ratio guarantees lots of individualized instruction
  • Top the trip off with a summit of the beautiful Mt. Baker

Description

Learn the skills and techniques that are crucial for any aspiring mountaineer who wants to advance toward bigger and more complex climbs during this 3 day glacier mountaineering program!

Mt. Baker (3,286 m/10,781 ft) is a dormant volcano located north of Seattle in Washington state. Its 12 glaciers offer an endless vista of white, making it the perfect place for beginning mountaineers to learn and practice glacier skills and techniques while also tackling a challenging summit.

During this 3 day program, your expert instructors/guides will teach you the basics of glacier mountaineering on the slopes of Mt. Baker. After the daylong ascent carrying full gear, we will spend a day learning and practicing the most important elements of glacier mountaineering. You will receive instruction in: glacier travel, use of ice axe and crampons, safety skills, roping techniques, and more. With a low guide ratio of 3 participants to 1 guide, you are guaranteed lots of hands on instruction and individualized attention. On the final day of the trip, we will utilize all these skills as we head toward the summit.

While we will provide group climbing equipment and tents, you are responsible for personal equipment. We will provide you a complete list and, if you would like, can coordinate gear rental for an additional charge. There will be a mandatory gear check at our Seattle office the day before we leave for Mt. Baker. No mountaineering experience is required, although advanced beginners might also find this program helpful. However, a strong fitness level is necessary for completing the demanding climb.

Book now for a rewarding 3 day program – you will learn the basics of glacier mountaineering before heading up a beautiful peak for a rewarding climb!

Check out our other exciting adventures around the world: Kilimanjaro, 12-day trip with ascent via the Machame Route, 10-Day Volcano and Culture Expedition in Mexico, or 16-Day Mountaineering Expedition to Bolivia!

Price includes

- Guiding fee

- Transport during the trip

- Breakfast

- Dinner

Price details

Price for joining a group with a maximum of 9 people. Includes: Transportation, group climbing equipment (ropes and technical hardware), meals excluding lunch, and tents. Not included: personal equipment (list will be provided) and lunches. We can help arrange gear rental.


Itinerary

Day 1: Climb to Sandy Camp

We leave at 7am from the Alpine Ascents office in Seattle. (Note – mandatory gear check will be conducted the previous day in Alpine Ascents office).

Vehicle transfer to Schrieber’s Meadow. From there, we trek to the base of the mountain. The approach is moderately strenuous, starting from 3,400 ft. We will be carrying full gear up to camp. We can expect to reach Sandy Camp (6,100 ft) that afternoon. Guides will cook a hot meal and we will rest for the night.

Topics for instruction: Nutrition/hydration, rest steps, pressure breathing, camp setup/Leave no Trace, as well as mountain ecology

Day 2: Training Day

We begin the training portion of the program in the morning following breakfast. We will take a lunch break, but continue through the afternoon. At the end of the day, we will review the details for tomorrow’s summit push.

Topics for instruction: Safety aspects including – glacier travel, self-arrest, glissading, crampon and ice axes, anchors, and roping. We also discuss navigation, mountain weather, and learn about local history and glaciers

Day 3: Summit

We leave camp around midnight, after enjoying a hot meal and hot beverages. We can expect to reach the summit in 5-7 hours.

We first head up the Easton Moraine (7,000 ft) until we reach the Easton Glacier. We ascend the glacier until we reach the still-steaming crater rim (9,800 ft). Next, we climb the Roman Wall, finally reaching the summit plateau where we finally reach the 10,781 ft. summit!

After our celebration, we head back down to Sandy camp, where we break camp and head back to Schrieber’s Meadow where a vehicle transfer takes us back to Seattle. Group dinner in Seattle.

Topics for Instruction: Practice of the previous days’ lessons

 

Details

Accommodation

We will camp on Mt. Baker

Meeting point

We will meet at the Alpine Ascents office in Seattle

About the guide

We are one of the prime guiding agencies in the US and our mountaineering school is among the most reputed in the country. We are recognized as industry leaders all across North America.

All our expeditions are carefully planned as we believe that our work prior to the start of the trip is key to helping climbers achieve their goals. We provide a wealth of important information to help participants plan more effectively and our guides are always available to answer questions.

We believe putting together cohesive groups is key and we ask participants important details about their training and climbing or hiking experience. This is key to our safety record, which stands as the finest in the industry. Injury prevention is always our top priority.

We think of climbers as modern-day explorers. Whether attending a mountaineering course or climbing Everest, you can expect us to treat every trip as a unique exploration. We know you have joined us to embrace a challenge and to learn through experience.

Languages

English

Certificates

AMGA | IFMGA

Residence

Seattle, WA, USA


What people are saying about Explore-Share

Kumari Selvakumar

5.00

Sept 14, 2022

I’m extremely happy with the ease with which I could book via your site reliable and experienced guide. Thank you so very much, and I’ve started to recommend your site to my friends. Dimitris is not only an awesome guide, but a wonderful person who was always looking out to give me the best experience I can have when he found out how much I love climbing! He is the Best!

Niklas Warren

5.00

Sept 6, 2022

I am very pleased with Explore-Share! This was my first international climb, and the communication and response time were great. Herbie is a very skilled guide and very efficient. The entire booking process & payment was smooth. I will definitely use Explore-Share again. Thank you.

Greg

5.00

Aug 23, 2022

I was looking for a local guide for a hike I was planning and came across Explore-Share. They seemed to have good reviews and so decided to give them a try. The experience was very positive and completely happy with their service. I will be using them again for next trip.

Colin Finnegan

5.00

Aug 17, 2022

Easy to set up and find the perfect trip. Informative site that is easy to use. Guides are all great to work with and communicate all arrangements needed. As simple as can be!

Lesley Weber

4.00

July 16th, 2022

Thank you explore-share for a wonderful via feratta experience. We have been wanting to learn for a long time but don't have the facilities in Scotland. The guide Mitja was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, answering all my many questions and providing advice. On the day head to take another group but he quickly arranged another guide Borut, who was brilliant. We had a fantastic morning learning via ferrata at Hvadnik in the gorge. It gave us the confidence to later hire our own equipment and go out in Mojstrana. Altogether a five star + experience. Thank you.

Richard Scrivener

5.00

July 20, 2022

Hello! I have been thoroughly impressed by the service and assistance that explore-share have provided the past couple years in helping to plan my trip to the High Tatras in Poland. I really appreciated the flexibility that they provided in allowing me to rearrange my trip twice owing to covid. They were responsive and communicative throughout. This trip was part of my Stag weekend celebrations and explore-share connected me with an outstanding guide in the form of Marcel - he was an excellent recommendation and we really enjoyed our guided hike in the High Tatras with him. Marcel was an outstanding professional, placed a high focus on preparing well and staying safe, and was also a great guy! Highly recommend. Many thanks and best wishes - Richard

Yvonne Morrison

4.00

May 8, 2022

Our first time with Explore-Share. An absolutely fantastic experience from start to finish. Extremely good value, very well organised with attention to detail. We travel widely and this has by far been the best of experiences. Well done to all concerned. We are already looking at booking another trip!

Mark Stone

5.00

April 14, 2022

Great service by explore share. Our guide, Fred, gave us a fantastic day. Totally wild adventure that would be impossible on our own. I’m really impressed. Thank you very much.

James Dempster

5.00

March 9, 2022

I can’t recommend this enough. Great service, great price and the on the ground team was top notch. Top marks all round.

Leonardo Rodriguez

5.00

March 4, 2022

Everything went very well! Above our expectations! Thanks Explore-Share and Thanks Kiliholidays! Great support from all you! Thanks for the hard work and excellent level of commitment.

Daniel Martinez

5.00

Feb 2, 2022

Excellent job making your platform available to all mountain lovers. Our guide Gabrielle was an excellent companion

 

 

 

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