Ski/Split
Mountaineering
Expedition
3 day - or - 4 day
The Glaciers on Kulshan
ARE REMOTE SKI OBJECTIVES REQUIRING ADVANCED SKIING ABILITY AND A DEEP DESIRE TO COMMUNE WITH A WILD AND POWERFUL PLACE.
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—involve one day of approach, one day of skills, a summit attempt, and one day of egress.
On each expedition, we ski a different glacier — making this an accessible adventure to do year after year!
4 days total, affords participants the opportunity to brush up on crevasse rescue and glacier skills prior to attempting the summit.
April 16-19th
&
April 22-25th
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—involves half day of approach, one day of skills, a summit attempt, and half day of egress.
We will ski one of the more accessible glaciers — Squak, Easton, or Coleman-Deming based on conditions.
3 days total, offers the ideal window for a summit ski and skills refresher.
May 1-3, 2026
All programs:
Include: Instruction, ski mountaineering guide, and group gear.
Does not include: Required personal gear, transportation, lodging, food, NW Forest Pass.
* Please read prerequisites and sample 4-day itinerary, listed below before applying.
Prerequisites: Previous cold weather camping experience, Avalanche Level 1 course, Advanced to Expert level skiing or riding ability, at least one season of backcountry touring experience (10+days), comfortable spending 8 hours moving in snowy and potentially inclement weather, the fitness ability to cover 10 miles and up to 5,500' of vertical gain on skis or splitboard in a day, and the ability to travel and ski/ride with a 30lb backpack all day while moving through challenging terrain.
**If you have questions regarding if you meet the prerequisites, please email me at julieann@groundingtruth.com.
* Previous snow camping experience, exposure to crevasse rescue, glacier travel or expedition experience recommended.
* Wilderness First Aid training (optional and desired)
The course is not solely aimed at accomplishing any large objectives, rather, it serves as an opportunity for participants to learn the craft of winter camping, packing a ski pack for an overnight adventure and how to traverse terrain.
The course will be about “experiencing the place” and involves skiing/snowboarding out of camp, navigation skills, group travel to move camp, and crevasse rescue skills refresher.
Sample Itinerary 4-DAy Expedition:
Day 1: Travel to Camp ~4 - 8 hours (depending on the route)
Day 2: Glacier Travel Skills and Crevasse Rescue
Ice Axe Anatomy, Techniques, and Uses
Booting Techniques (Up/Down)
Self Arrest/Team Arrest
Roping up for glacier team travel
Glaciated Ski considerations
Glacier Navigation
Travel Considerations (rope lengths, team configurations, experience and order, etc.)
Using the rope, Using our tracks, Using the map/tools
Snow Anchors (Ski T, H, I, Body belays, Axe, Other)
Knots Review
Mechanical Advantage
Putting it all together
Hyperstatic Rope considerations
Roped and Unroped fall considerations
Team travel differences with Skis vs. Without
Team C
Practice
Day 3: ~6-8 hour Summit Attempt & Glaciated Descent
Day 5: Course Debrief & Egress ~5-6 hours (Post Course Dinner in Bellingham!?)
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Sample Itinerary 3-DAy Summit Ski:
Day 1: Travel to Camp ~3-4 hours & Snow Skills
Ice Axe Anatomy, Techniques, and Uses
Booting Techniques (Up/Down)
Self Arrest/Team Arrest
Day 2: Glacier Travel Basics & Team Rescue Fundamentals
Roping up for glacier team travel
Glaciated Ski considerations
Glacier Navigation
Travel Considerations (rope lengths, team configurations, experience and order, etc.)
Using the rope, Using our tracks, Using the map/tools
Team C
Practice
Day 3: ~6-8 hour Summit Attempt & Ski (alpine start, BIG day) & Pack up Camp/Egress ~5 hours
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Interested in joining me on this adventure?
Dates:
April 16-19th - potentially 6 spots available with 2 women AMGA ski guides
April 22-25th - 3 spots
May 1-3rd - 3 spots
Led by Certified AMGA Ski Guides
3:1 ratio on each course.
OPEN TO EVERYONE
*It costs nothing to apply, serious inquirers only PLEASE.