A 2 night, 3 day mission to summit and ski one of the most glaciated peaks in the lower 48. We'll ski to camp, set up our tents, and get in a ski lap before calling it a night. The following day we'll prep the skills we need for our summit attempt, including efficiency techniques, ice axe, crampons and rope skills and get to bed early before our alpine start for the summit push. On day three we'll get up early, head for the summit and ski back to camp before we tear down camp and return to the trailhead.
Our maximum 3:1 skier to guide ratio means you'll get ample attention & coaching from our AMGA trained guides.
Ascent and descent options include: Coleman-Deming, Easton Glacier and Squawk Glacier Routes.
REQUISITE EXPERIENCE
Skiing
Advanced resort skiing & riding skills in off-piste terrain are required for this program.
Fitness
This is a physically demanding trip and a high level of fitness is required. Please reach out if you are unsure about your level of fitness and we can help determine if the trip will be right for you. Our partners at Pallas.io also offer training programs to help you build the fitness you need.
Dates
Available Dates
Prices
Refer to prices on overview pageItinerary
Day 1
8:00am Meet your guide at the trailhead. We'll do a quick gear check and review the plan for the day. The guide will discuss the route up to camp and we'll make any last minute adjustments needed. The guide will conduct a Trailhead Departure Check/Beacon Check.
8:30am Ascend to camp and build camp.
Day 2
Snow School!
In this program we'll cover: Ski Mountaineering Gear, Ice Axe Techniques including Self Arrest and Team Arrest (for Glacier Travel), Crampon Techniques, Mountaineering efficiency including the Rest Step, Descending techniques for mountaineering, Basics of rope team travel.
Early dinner and bed. We’ll review the plan for the following day, pack what we can to prepare and get to bed early to set ourselves up for an alpine start for the summit attempt.
Day 3
Alpine Start. Your guides will set the time based on warming for the day and the weather forecast. Summit Attempt. This will be a long day, gaining over 4,000’ of elevation over various snow surfaces and steep slopes. Ski Descent. Once we reach our high point, we’ll descend the route and ski the variations holding the best snow! Pack up camp and return to trailhead. We’ll break down camp, pack up our bags and descend to the trailhead. We’ll aim to be down by early afternoon.
Equipment
Baker Ski Mountaineering Gear Guide
Gear Guide / Packing List
Backcountry Touring Gear
- Alpine Touring Skis or Splitboard - Light to Midweight Setup with “Tech Bindings”
- Alpine Touring Boots or Splitboard Compatible Boots; Scarpa F1
- Ski Poles - Lightweight, Adjustable Poles with Baskets; BD Expedition 3 Poles
- Climbing Skins - Mohair Mix is Best; Black Diamond GlideLite Mohair Mix
- Ski Crampons - Specific to your Skis/Board
- Ski Strap - Voile Ski Strap or Similar
Avalanche Gear
- Avalanche Beacon - Digital Avalanche Transceiver; Black Diamond Guide Recon BT
- Avalanche Shovel - Collapsible, Aluminum Shovel; Backcountry Access BT2 Shovel
- Avalanche Probe - Quickdraw Style Probe; Backcountry Access Stealth 300
Technical Gear
- Climbing/Ski Helmet - Dual Rated Helmet; Petzl Sirocco or Black Diamond Vision
- Headlamp - LED headlamp with fresh batteries; Petzl Actik Core
- Climbing Harness - Light Alpine Harness; Petzl Altitude, Mammut Zephyr Altitude
- Two Locking Carabiners - Petzl Attache, etc
- Two Non Locking Carabiners - Black Diamond Hotwire
- Triple Action Locking Carabiner - Edelrid HMS Strike Triple FG Locking Carabiner
- Double Length Sling - Sewn Runner; Black Diamond 10mm Dynex Runner
- 5mm Cordelette - BlueWater 30ft. Accessory cord
- 1 Prusik loop - fixed 4’ loop of 6mm nylon cord or purpose built loop like Sterling “Hollowblock”
- Belay Device - Tube Style Belay Device; BD ATC Guide, Petzl Reverso
- Petzl Micro Traxion (optional)
- Crampons, Steel - Steel Crampons Compatible with Your Boots; Petzl Vasak or Crampons, Aluminum - Aluminum Crampons, Compatible with Your Boots. Please ask your guide which is appropriate for your objective
- Lightweight Ice Axe - An ultralight Axe for Steep Terrain; Petzl Ride, BD Raven Ultra
Head and Neck Layers
- Sun Hat - A Baseball Hat; Blackbird Mountain Guides Logo Hat
- Sunglasses - Dark Lens Glasses with Side Coverage; Julbo Shield
- Goggles - Ski Goggles with a Storm Lens; Julbo Aerospace Reactive
- Warm Hat - Lightweight Warm Hat that Fits Under Your Helmet;
- Neck Gaiter - Light to Midweight Neck Gaiters; Buff or your favorite Face Masks
Upper Body and Hand Layers
- Long Sleeve Base Layer - Lightweight, Synthetic/Wool; Patagonia SunHoody
- 2 Insulating Top Layers - Light to Midweight Insulation Layers; Patagonia R1 & NanoAir
- Puffy - Midweight Down or Synthetic with Hood; Patagonia Fitzroy or similar
- Hardshell Jacket, Hooded - Waterproof, Light, Gore-Tex, NOT insulated; Arc’Teryx Alpha FL
- Light Gloves - Light to Mid Weight for Warm Temps; Flylow John Henry Gloves, BD Tour
- Midweight Gloves - Mid to Heavy Weight for Cold Conditions; BD Legend
- Sports Bra - Wool/Synthetic
Lower Body and Foot Layers
- Socks - Midweight Wool/Synthetic; Darn Tough Via Ferrata
- Underwear - Wool/Synthetic
- Long Underwear - Wool/Synthetic “Long Johns”; Patagonia Capilene Air
- Softshell Ski Pants - Breathable, Weather Resistant Pants; OR Trailbreaker II
- Vented Hardshell Ski Pants - (Conditions dependent) Waterproof Pants for Extreme Weather
Camping & Backpacking Gear
- Sleeping Bag - Down or Synthetic Rated to 0F-20F; Feathered Friends Egret UL 20
- Sleeping Pad Inflatable - Insulated Inflatable Air Mattress; Therm-a-Rest NeoAir X-Therm, X-Lite
- Sleeping Pad Closed Cell Foam - Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite - The combo of both the inflatable and foam sleeping pad provides optimal warmth for sleeping on snow
- Compression Stuff Sack - To Pack Sleeping Bag; Ultralight Compression Stuff Sack Large
- Backpack - Lightweight, Simple 50 Liter Pack; Patagonia Alpinist 50, BD Speed 50 - MUST FIT ALL OF YOUR GEAR AND FOOD
- Wag Bags (Solid Human Waste Disposal Bags)
Food and Water
- Dinner - Favorite Freeze Dried or “Just-Add-Hot-Water” Meal for Each Night in the Field.
- Breakfast - Your Favorite Freeze Dried or “Just-Add-Hot-Water” Meal for Each Morning in the Field
- Hot Drinks - For After Dinner and During Breakfast; Instant Coffee, Decaffeinated Tea, Hot Cocoa, Tang, Whatever You Prefer
- Half Liter Nalgene Bottle - A Hard Sided Water Bottled that Can Act as your Mug For Hot Drinks and WAter Bottle During the Climb; Nalgene 16oz Wide Mouth Bottle
- Soft Water Bottle 1.5L - Flexible Water Bladder; Hydrapak Flux 1.5L
- ***Please bring at least one hard sided water bottle.
- Water Treatment or Filtration - Katadyn BeFree Filter Connects to Hydrapak Flux Bottles
- Bowl - Reuse your Freeze Dried Dinner Bag as Your Bowl, or Bring Another
- Spoon - 9” Long Handled Spoon (For Eating Food in a Bag); GSI Essential Spoon Long
- Snacks - Snacks and Lunch food for each day of the trip
Other Essentials
- Sun Screen (SPF 30 minimum)
- Lip Balm (with SPF)
- Hand Sanitizer
- Toilet Paper
Optional
- First Aid/blister Kit
- Chemical Hand Warmers
- Hydration System - Flexible Water Bladder with Hose; Hydrapak, Camelback, Platypus
Group Gear
Blackbird Mountain Guides will supply all of the group gear for the trip, including:
- Slingfin Tents (Designed and Headquartered in Berkeley, CA)
- Stoves
- Fuel for Stoves
- Ropes
- Snow Pickets (if required)
- Rock Protection (if required)
- Guide’s First Aid Kits