Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue: Techniques for Safe Snow and Ice Travel MTA
Roping, navigation, self-arrest, and hands-on rescue skills for glacier routes

About this book:

Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue is a comprehensive field manual designed to equip mountaineers, guide trainees, and backcountry teams with the essential skills for safe and efficient travel across glaciated terrain. The book emphasizes a holistic approach, integrating technical proficiency with robust risk management and decision-making frameworks. It begins by establishing a deep understanding of glacier dynamics—formation, structure, and seasonal changes—to help travelers anticipate hazards such as hidden crevasses, unstable snowfalls, and shifting ice. This foundational knowledge underpins the core philosophy that prevention through terrain awareness and conservative travel protocols is the most effective form of safety.

The text systematically builds from individual movement fundamentals to complex team-based rescue operations. Detailed instruction is provided on equipment selection, including ropes, protection systems, and layering for extreme cold, as well as critical knots and hitches for snow and ice applications. Core travel techniques are covered extensively, including footwork with crampons, ice axe use, self-arrest, and roping up with appropriate team sizes and spacing. The book dedicates significant attention to navigation in challenging conditions, integrating traditional tools like maps and compasses with modern GPS technology, and offers protocols for route-finding, crevasse detection, and snowbridge assessment.

A major focus is placed on crevasse rescue mechanics, presented as a chain of interlocking behaviors where weakness in any link can compromise the entire system. The manual provides step-by-step guidance on load transfer, friction management, and progress capture, leading into detailed explanations of mechanical advantage haul systems (3:1, 5:1, and drop-loop). It also addresses specialized scenarios such as rope ascension for self-rescue, edge management to protect ropes during hauls, and patient care for hypothermia and trauma within the crevasse. The latter chapters adapt these skills for adverse conditions like night, whiteouts, and storms, and for ski or splitboard travel, while also exploring the crucial human factors of leadership, communication, and team dynamics.

Ultimately, the book advocates for a discipline of deliberate practice, providing structured training plans, drills, and assessment strategies to transform theoretical knowledge into instinctive, reliable action. It posits that true competence on glaciers arises not just from mastering hardware and techniques, but from cultivating sound judgment, fostering open communication within teams, and committing to continuous learning and rehearsal until rescue procedures become reflexive, ensuring the highest probability of survival in an inherently dangerous environment.

What You'll Find Inside:

• Understanding glacier terrain formation, structure, and seasonal changes to anticipate hazards like crevasses, seracs, and snowbridges
• Essential equipment selection and maintenance for glacier travel, including ropes, protection systems, tools, and layering strategies for extreme conditions
• Fundamental movement techniques, self-arrest skills, and team-arrest protocols to prevent and stop slides on snow and ice
• Proper roping up procedures, team spacing, communication protocols, and travel strategies for safe glacier navigation
• Step-by-step crevasse rescue systems from detection and arrest to haul systems, patient care, and extraction in various conditions

Who's It For:

This book is designed for guide trainees, backcountry travel teams, and independent mountaineers seeking reliable, field-tested glacier travel and crevasse rescue techniques. It provides practical instruction for teams of two to four people, with adaptations for larger groups and ski/splitboard travel, focusing on real-world application rather than theoretical knowledge. Readers will gain the skills needed to make sound decisions, execute efficient rescues, and travel safely in dynamic glacial environments.