Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue

Written By Jordan Lenham

Learning to Move Safely in the Big Mountains

Picture this:

It’s early. The snow is still hard under your boots. The air is quiet in that way only high places can be. You and your partners are roped up, moving across the broad white shoulder of a glacier. The horizon is sharp jagged peaks, blue shadows, and the faint promise of a summit.

It feels like nothing can go wrong.

And then
A sharp crack.
A shift.
A holler that punches straight to your ribs.

Someone’s gone in.

This is the moment everyone imagines when they think of glacier travel the sudden drop, the rope tightening, the scramble to act. And here’s the truth:

Even highly trained professionals take longer than you think to execute a crevasse rescue in the real world.
It’s hard. It’s physical. It’s stressful. And it requires calm, practiced action.

That’s why learning these skills ahead of time — in a controlled environment — matters more than almost anything else in mountaineering.

Why Glacier Travel Matters on Vancouver Island

North face of Mt Tom Taylor - Strathcona provincial park

While many people think of glaciers as something you travel to the Coast Range or Rockies to experience, Vancouver Island has active glaciers, too particularly in the Strathcona and Comox Glacier regions.

Routes like:

  • The Comox Glacier

  • Mt Tom Taylor

  • Mt Rugged

…can involve real glacier hazards, depending on snow year, season, and melt cycles.

Later in the summer, crevasses can open wide.
In winter and spring, they’re hidden sometimes exactly when they’re most dangerous.

Understanding how to travel on rope, assess snow bridges, and respond to the unexpected is not optional terrain it’s essential mountain craft.

What This Course Actually Teaches You

This isn’t just knots and theory.

This is hands-on, muscle-memory, real rope team movement.

You’ll Learn:

  • Rope systems for safe glacier travel

  • Snow & ice anchor construction

  • Belay techniques & friction systems

  • How to arrest a fall as a rope team

  • How to build a 3:1 or 6:1 mechanical advantage haul system

  • How to escape the rope and transfer load

  • How to communicate under stress

  • How to not go in in the first place

This last part?
It’s the most important skill you will ever learn in glaciated terrain.

Summer vs. Winter

Same Skills, Different Terrain

We offer this course in both seasons, because glacier travel is not just a summer mountaineering skill:

What’s Different

  • SummerI ce anchors, rock transitions, bare glacier navigationMore visible crevasses + complex anchor building

  • Winter / Spring Snow anchors, rope spacing, hidden crevasse management travel on skis/splitboard, more probing and evaluation

Same core rescue systems.
Same ropework.
Same foundation of movement and decision-making.

Just learned in the environments you plan to move in.

1-Day vs 2-Day

What’s Right for You?

1-Day Course

You’ll learn the core rescue system, rope setup, anchors, and practice the haul.

Perfect for:

  • People refreshing skills

  • Those heading into moderate glacier travel terrain soon

  • Experienced rope users from climbing or rescue backgrounds

2-Day Course

This is where the muscle memory gets built.

You’ll:

  • Practice more scenarios

  • Perform rescue start-to-finish in real timing

  • Troubleshoot mistakes

  • Build personal confidence

Most students finish Day 2 saying:

“I didn’t just learn it — I got this now”

This is where confidence comes from.

Where This Course Can Take You

This course is a gateway.
Once you have these skills, entire worlds open up:

  • Classic ski traverses

  • Multi-day glaciated peaks

  • Alpine ridge routes

  • Remote volcano expeditions

  • Bigger Coast Range, Rockies, and Alaska objectives

Backcountry touring feels different when you know how to take care of your team.

Mountains feel bigger — but in the good way.

A Real Note on Crevasse Rescue Difficulty

Here’s the truth we teach on day one:

A crevasse rescue is not fast.
It is not easy.
It is not clean.

Even ACMG ski guides, patrol, and search technicians sometimes struggle when the real thing happens.
That’s why practice matters.
That’s why rope systems need to be automatic.
That’s why learning before you need it is everything.

And that’s exactly why we teach this course the way we do hands-on, scenario-based, repetition-driven learning.

The VIBE Approach

  • ACMG-certified instructors

  • Small groups → real coaching time

  • Real Island realistic terrain

  • Calm, supportive teaching style

  • Skills that stick when it matters

This isn’t just learning how to get someone out of a hole
It’s learning how to not put them there in the first place.

Ready to Learn the Skills That Unlock the High Country?

Course Info & Dates:
Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue — 1 Day & 2 Day Options

Jordan Lenham

Jordan Lenham is an ACMG-certified splitboard and rock guide, dedicated to helping others explore Vancouver Island’s mountains, coastlines, and backcountry terrain. With over 15 years of guiding experience, he has led expeditions across Canada, the US, Japan, Russia, Mongolia, and beyond, specializing in splitboarding, alpine climbing, and sea kayaking.

As the co-founder of Vancouver Island Backcountry Education (VIBE), Jordan is passionate about sharing his knowledge through guided trips, skills courses, and outdoor training programs. Whether it’s tackling steep couloirs, multi-day traverses, or remote alpine climbing routes, he thrives on pushing boundaries while keeping adventures safe and fun.

When he’s not guiding, Jordan is either chasing Fastest Known Times (FKTs) on mountain running routes, scouting first descents, or testing new gear always in pursuit of the next great line.

https://Vibebackcountry.com
Previous

The most underrated avalanche course in, Backcountry Education
Next

What to Expect on Your First Avalanche Skills Training Course (AST 1)