Clare, Evelyn, Robert (Glacier Coach!), and Bang
Robert was kind enough to lead a special glacier safety session on St. Mary’s Glacier. I was very excited he was going to spend a few hours with us going over glacier travel and glissading. It had been a few years since I practiced.
An example of a snow anchor
Around my birthday, I was invited to join an unguided trip on an attempt to climb Mt. Rainier! Of course I said yes. Almost immediately, I booked a flight to Seattle and started shopping for gear. I had about 5 weeks to obtain all the gear and get my body in shape to carry the weight ~57 lbs! I could not believe my luck, but also was a bit nervous about whether I would remember the skills with the ax as well as snow travel.
I had just purchased a brand new ice axe, so I wanted to make sure it was the right size for me. I ended up returning it for one that was a couple inches longer.
THANK YOU A MILLION to ROBERT for working with me on my glissade technique! It gave me the confidence I needed to go on the trip, knowing that I could self arrest!