Summer mountaineering camp 2024 - Mummery Glacier
If you landed on this page via an internet search then please contact me for information on mountain guiding and rock climbing guiding in the Canadian Rockies, Bugaboos, or Rogers Pass. The information below is for clients booked on this trip.
If you are attending our Summer Camp please read this information package carefully. Hopefully this answers most of your questions but if not you can contact me. I’m really looking forward to this trip!
Click here if you are looking for a gear list.
If you get nothing else from this information package, please do the following:
Read the waiver carefully ahead of time. You don’t need to sign the waiver now, you will do that once you arrive for the trip.
Have a look at the gear list here and make sure you are able to bring everything on the list.
RISK
It is important to understand that no matter how well prepared we are there is still an element of risk while mountaineering. Some of these risks include:
crevasse falls
falls while climbing
snow avalanches
rockfalls
icefalls
cornice falls
interaction with wildlife
weather events
These risks are shared by both the group and the guides. You, the client, trust the guides to be dialled in and be able to help you out in case of an incident. The guides trust you to do the same if something happens to them! To help you understand your role in case of incident we will have a safety briefing and crevasse rescue training session at the beginning of the week. Other ways you can help reduce the risk to yourself and others is to:
be physically fit
maintain your situational awareness while climbing
speak up and let the group/guides know if you observe a hazard or safety issue
take a first aid course
if you have been trained in crevasse rescue practice those skills before the trip
You will need to sign a waiver that will make you well aware of these risks. You will sign it when you arrive for the trip. Please have a look at the waiver before the trip so you understand what the risks are and what you will be signing when you get here.
MOUNTAIN RESCUE
In nearly thirty years of guiding we have only had three evacuations from the field for minor injuries or illness.
Mountain rescue on British Columbia provincial lands, such as where this camp is located, may be performed in two ways:
The guide calls outside resources directly for help. These resources may be a helicopter company or an adjacent guiding operation. This type of call-out is often the fastest way to get help in an emergency situation, such as a serious injury from a crevasse accident or a fall. It may also be used for a minor injury or illness evacuation from camp, where search and rescue services are not required and will not respond. These costs would be in many thousands of dollars.
The guide calls for help from the local volunteer search and rescue team. This type of call-out takes longer to get a response, but may be used for non-emergency evacuations from the field such as an injured knee. As a general rule this type of call-out (helicopter expenses etc.) is paid for by the provincial government for recreational incidents, although that may not always be the case. There is a slightly greater chance that a commercial trip such as this will be charged rescue expenses (mostly helicopter costs), but there are few, if any, precedents for this. Whether a party is charged for the cost of a rescue is decided on a case by case basis by the provincial government (Emergency Management British Columbia); unfortunately it is not clear what parameters they consider when making this decision. Costs may run into many thousands of dollars.
If there are charges for a rescue, the group members that require evacuation are responsible for all costs.
You need to decide for yourself whether to buy rescue insurance for the small chance that we require a call out for outside resources and that you will be charged if those services are required. It may be appropriate for you to to purchase mountain rescue insurance for this trip.
Make sure to research options carefully to make sure they are appropriate for your situation. Here are some companies that provide this service:
American Alpine Club Global Rescue package. For the cost of a membership in the AAC (US$80) you get US$7,500 mountain rescue insurance. This would probably cover all or most of the cost for many incidents.
Global Rescue. US$500,000 coverage. You need to be more than 100 miles from your home for this to kick in so it is not appropriate for clients on Canadian trips who live in proximity to Alberta or British Columbia.
Tugo. This may be less expensive than the Global Rescue $500,000 package and may be appropriate for trips in Canada. You will need the optional adventure sport coverage.
FOOD and MEDICAL ISSUES
If any of you have special food requests or medical conditions I need to know about and which you did not include on the form when you paid for the trip please let me know as soon as possible.
IMPORTANT TIMES AND PLACES
All times are Mountain Standard Time (same as Calgary).
This schedule is preliminary, there may be changes before the trip starts.
8 AM, DAY 1
We will meet in Golden on the first day, at the Alpine Helicopters hanger at the airport, 204 Fisher Rd, Golden, BC V0A 1H0. We will drop the gear off that will be flown in and sign waivers.
One of the guides will fly in with this gear and start setting camp up.
The rest of the group will convoy up the Blaeberry Road to the Mummery Glacier trail parking, about a two hour drive.
There may be an opportunity to car pool to the staging area if necessary. Although the road is often passable to 2WD vehicles, it may be best to have an AWD/4WD vehicle with a bit of clearance, but we will not know the condition of the road until early summer.
From here the group will walk into the camp with day packs. It is 6-7 km and 600-800 m elevation gain. 4-6 hours.
DAYS 2-4
Climbing!
Day 5
Everyone will pack their personal belongings in the morning. For those who are keen there may be an opportunity to do another climb, weather and conditions permitting. The entire group will walk out, either together or in two groups. Mark will pack the main camp and fly out with the gear.
DELAYS
There is always the possibility of delays getting into or out from the camp due to poor flying conditions. Be prepared for this by not making important plans for right after the trip. If we are delayed on the way in you are responsible for your own accommodations.
Packing
This is how you should pack:
One day pack with all the gear and clothing you would normally use for a day of hiking. There will be off trail hiking so your climbing boots or a sturdy pair of hiking boots are required.
One medium or two smaller duffle bags with your camping and climbing gear. These need to be less than 20 kg apiece. Smaller bags are easier to pack than large ones even if there are more of them.
The Camp
The camp will be simple but comfortable:
One large cooking and dining tent. I’m hoping to have a portable electric fence around it in case a grizzly decides to wander by while we are out climbing.
Outdoor sit down toilets.
I am investigating options for a solar shower but no guarantee there will be one!
You supply your own tents and sleeping gear (option for renting a tent from me).
You should bring in a camp chair of some sort.
See the equipment list for the complete directory of what you need to bring.
Camp duties
We plan to have three staff on for the week. The staff will do the bulk of the camp chores but we will need help with some things such as kitchen clean up.
Climbing Objectives
These are the main objectives available:
Karakal (2950m)
Jones (3000m)
Nanga Parbat (3270m)
Gilgit (3120m), Helmer (3068m)
Barlow (3143m)
Mummery North and South (3300m)
THE Staff
Mark Klassen – That’s me.
Other staff TBD.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Read the guiding waiver carefully ahead of time. You don’t need to sign the waiver now, you will do that once you arrive for the trip.
Have a look at the gear list here and make sure you are able to bring everything on the list.
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions let me know! Email me.