HomeBasic Glacier Climbing Course

Basic Glacier Climbing Course

The application window for the 2026 Glacier Course is now open. The submission window spans the month of February. Applicants will be notified of results in March.

Click here to access the application form

Want to learn some basic climbing skills? Looking to have fun in the mountains and make new friends?

The Basic Glacier Climbing Course will provide the instruction of glacier travel skills that you will need to climb the big volcanoes of the Cascades. The course will also introduce you to a fun and friendly climbing community. If you are a hiker, backpacker or gym climber dreaming of new heights, the Bushwhacker Glacier Course is a great start!

The course consists of weekly evening lectures, plus four field trips - see schedule below.

The classroom lectures are from 7:00pm-9:30pm. Doors open at 6:30pm and we must be out of the building by 10pm..

There are three sections, each section composed of six students, assistants and one instructor. Each section has its own outings. All sections will be together for the evening lectures.

The first and second field trips are full-day outings. The third field trip is an overnight. The fourth field trip is four days and three nights in the mountains. Weather permitting, the four-day field trip features hands on crevasse practice and a summit attempt of Mt Baker. All field trips require full days of activity. Do not plan to do something else the day of the field trips.

Course Requirements

Applicants should have some basic hiking and backpacking experience as well as comfort moving on steep terrain. Some outings will be strenuous with long days and applicants should be in good physical condition. Collaboration and effective communication are essential aspects of working in a team, particularly when it comes to rope travel.

Students will need the following equipment to participate in this course. We will talk a great deal about specific gear in the lectures - we advise course participants to hold off on new gear purchases until after the classroom discussions. Some gear can be rented, as well:

Mountaineering boots
Ice axe
Crampons
Climbing harness
Climbing helmet
Compass (simple base plate compass preferred)
Suitable outdoor clothing
Overnight camping equipment & backpack (the club provide stoves & tents)

Application

Applications for our glacier course are accepted in February. Please note that the number of available seats is based on the Club's ability to support the sections. Selected applicants will be notified in mid-March and all other applicants will be placed on a wait list. There is a wait list every year.

Note: Applicants do not have to be members of the club to apply for the course.

Location

The lectures will be held at The Good Shephard Center located in Wallingford.

Prussik Practice is typically at Marymoor Park in Redmond

Weather and conditions permitting, the field outings are held along highway 90, highway 2 and on Mt Baker.

Costs (2026)

Members $475

Gear

Students provide their personal gear, clothing, food, and transportation. The club provides group gear such as tents, ropes, stoves and fuel.

2026 Course Schedule

The Basic Glacier Course includes 9 evening lectures and 4 outings. The course follows a similar routine every year. We deliberately avoid Memorial Day weekend.

Apr 13	Mon	Classroom	Introduction, Physical Conditioning, Gear I

Apr 18	Sat	Mt Si	Field Outing I (Team 1 & 3), Team Building
Apr 19	Sun	Mt Si	Field Outing I (Team 2), Team Building

Apr 20	Mon	Classroom	Gear II Navigation Part 1

Apr 27	Mon	Classroom	Gear III Navigation Part 2

May 2	Sat	Stevens Pass	Field Outing II (Team 1 & 3), Snow Travel Skills
May 3	Sun	Stevens Pass	Field Outing II (Team 2), Snow Travel Skills

May 4	Mon	Classroom	Roped Travel Skills

May 11	Mon	Classroom	Expedition Gear and Food

May 16 May 17	Sat Sun	Cascades	Teams 1,2,3 - Field Outing III, Roped Travel Skills, overnight

May 18	Mon	Classroom	Z Pulley

May 23	Sat	-	Memorial Day Weekend
May 24	Sun	-	Memorial Day Weekend

May 26	Tue	Park	Prusik Practice Team 1 Pack Check

May 28 - May 31		Mt Baker	Field Outing IV, Glacier Travel Skills (Team 1)
May 29 - Jun 1		Mt Baker	Field Outing IV, Glacier Travel Skills (Team 3)

Jun 2	Tue	Classroom	Hazard Recognition & Avoidance, Glaciology Team 2 Pack Check

Jun 4 - Jun 7		Mt Baker	Field Outing IV, Glacier Travel Skills (Team 2)

Jun 9	Tue	Park	Course Completion Graduation Night

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to join the Bushwhacker Climbing Club to submit an application for the course?
No, you do not have to join the club in order to submit an application.

If you application is approved, you will need to join the club prior to taking the class. Membership fees are $35 a year.

Can I join the club?
Absolutely, we are always looking for more people to join the club that want to go hiking and be in the mountains. The caveat is, you can't go on club sanctioned outings that travel on glaciers unless you take the Basic Glacier Climbing Class.

Can I skip a class or outing?
No. Each class and outing builds on prior sessions so you must attend each session to move forward.

What happens if the weather is bad?
There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.

Do we climb Mt Baker?
The primary goal of the Mt Baker outing is to practice crevasse rescue in real crevasses. If the weather permits us an opportunity for a summit attempt, we will try and go for the summit.

How physically demanding is the course?
The focus of the course is on teaching the skills for glacier travel. As such we won't be going very fast. However, we will be in the mountains and weather can change so we must be able to move quickly if necessary, The application process involves providing round trip information climbing up and down X amount of elevlation while carrying N amount of weight.