Friday, April 9, 2010

The Final Stretch



The 10 day ski mountaineering guide course actually culminates with a 3 day mini-exam, so that candidates are then tested and certified to an assistant guide level. Over these 3 days, we take a close look at how they perform in 9 different areas:
  1. Risk Management
  2. Client care
  3. Technical Systems
  4. Application
  5. Terrain Assessment
  6. Movement Skills
  7. Mountain Sense
  8. Professionalism
  9. Instructional Technique
As examiners, we give the candidates an objective, and then they make the appropriate plans to try and accomplish that objective. For these 3 days we based ourselves out of Keith's Hut in the Cerise Creek drainage off of the Duffy Lake Highway. If you haven't been to the Duffy, you are missing out. Basically, it is like the Rogers Pass of the Coast Range. Road side access to 5,000 vertical feet of relief, with chutes, glaciers, summits and pillow lines every where you look. Typically, it has a deep coastal snowpack as well. We never got any of our 3m + probes to hit the ground once at and above treeline. I was speculating that up high on the glaciers, the snowpack was at least 4 meters deep.

The first day's objective was to tour in to Keith's Hut, get settled and then take us on a quick powder skiing tour near the hut.

Day two was to try and summit Mt Matier and ski the Anniversary Glacier and some other smaller summits in the area.

Day three was to ski the Twin One glacier and ski out from the Hut.

Here are a few photos of the days to give you an idea of what we were up to. Right now I am trying to edit a video that will showcase what the candidates do during these exams.


Touring for Powder below Joffree Peak


Can you find the skiers? White out turns on the Anniversary Glacier


Danny shows us his Alpine Guide rope coiling prowess


White out peak scrambling. Rime doesn't ski so well, let's leave the skis behind for the summit of Hartzell.


Touring below the west buttress of Mt. Matier


Matt thinks another day might be appropriate for the NW face of Matier.


The first group makes its way to the Anniversary Glacier


Danny trying not to lose it with another night of tour plans.

1 comment:

Andrew Burr Photography said...

wow, you still use a compass?