Learn the skills to climb Mt. Baker
Mountaineering is about so much more than reaching the summit—it's about embracing the journey and all of the lessons it has to offer. As you learn to navigate steep snowfields, master the art of rope management, and conquer technical terrain, you'll discover a sense of empowerment that will stay with you long after the course has ended.
Known as Koma Kulshan to the indigenous Lummi people, Mt. Baker is the is the perfect place for our group to learn and practice essential mountaineering skills like snow and glacier travel.
This course is designed for women of all levels, from complete beginners to seasoned climbers looking to expand their skills. Led by professional alpine guides, you'll learn essential mountaineering techniques on one of Washington's most beautiful volcanos.
Introduction to Mountaineering
- Regular price
- $2,350.00 USD
- Sale price
- $2,350.00 USD
- Regular price
Dates Don't Work For You?
Dates don't work for you or want a more personal experience? Hire a guide for an individualized class! Contact us to learn more.
Dates Don't Work For You?
Dates don't work for you or want a more personal experience? Hire a guide for an individualized class! Contact us to learn more.
Details & Physical Requirements
Details & Physical Requirements
- Participants should also be able to hike a trail gaining 2000’ with an overnight pack weighing about forty pounds.
- No previous mountaineering or climbing experience required
What's Included & Not Included
What's Included & Not Included
Included:
- Five days of guiding at a 3:1 ratio
- Group dinner in Bellingham on first night
- All group climbing equipment
- Helmet & harness
- 1 night camping at Larrabee State Park
- 3 night in the backcountry
- All permits
Not Included:
- All transportation to, from and during the event. We will assist in arranging carpools
- Mountaineering Tent (available for rent by local gear shops)
- Northwest Forest Parking Pass
- All meals (guidance will be provided)
Cancellation & Trip Insurance
Cancellation & Trip Insurance
We have a very strict cancellation policy. We highly recommend purchasing trip protection to protect your investment.
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Climbing
During this course you'll have the opportunity to practice skills at the crag and in the mountains. We'll spend our first day together at Mt. Erie, in Anacortes, WA to refresh our rope skills and ensure the entire group is growing from the same foundation. After getting in some reps of knots, hitches and systems, we'll take our talents to the mountains to practice essential mountaineering techniques.
As we ascend Mt. Baker, each day presents new opportunities to put our skills into practice. With the guidance of your experienced instructors, you'll learn important skills such as snow travel, self-arrest, and crevasse rescue. These skills are vital to any mountaineering objective and enable you to be a safe and competent partner in the backcountry.
Accommodations
After our day of climbing in Anacortes, we'll spend the night at the group campsite at Larrabee State Park, conveniently located on the way to Mt. Baker.
For our three nights on the mountain, we will camp at various campsite on Mt. Baker. As we will be deep in the backcountry, there are no established amenities. Our team will bring everything we need to set up camp, treat water, and deal with our waste. She Moves Mountains can provide backpacks, sleeping bags, pads, water filters, and stoves for participants as needed. We will coordinate with participants beforehand to figure out the sharing of tents.
Meals
While this isn't a culinary experience, it is important to ensure that we are all fueled and fed during our journey. To kick off our first evening together, we'll have a group welcome dinner after our first day of climbing at Mt. Erie.
For the backcountry portion of our trip, we ask that you bring your own freeze-dried dinners, breakfasts, and snacks. She Moves Mountains will provide guidance on what to bring.
Weather
The weather on Mt. Baker is highly variable and changes from year to year depending on snow levels and temperature. While we do our best to choose a time of year with the best chances to summit, it is difficult to forecast the conditions for a given year. Given the variability of weather and snow conditions, it's essential for climbers to remain flexible and open-minded.
An important skill in mountaineering is reading the weather and making conservative decisions about when to climb and when to turn around. With four days on the mountain, we have some flexibility to shift our plans to take advantage of the best weather window to summit. Certain weather conditions, like thunderstorms or significant rain, could make a safe ascent impossible.
It's important to remember this course is about learning skills, not the summit. But we will certainly do our best, while making conservative decisions, to get the group to the summit.
Schedule
Day 1 | Trip Preparation
Our adventure begins with a foundational skills session at Mt. Erie, focusing on essential skills. We'll gather for a meet and greet, followed by a thorough gear check and review of basic skills such as equipment handling, tie-ins, and belays. In the afternoon, we'll delve into more advanced techniques including knots, hitches, rappelling, and mechanical advantage raises. We'll have a trip debrief in the evening to ensure we're all on the same page, before our group welcome dinner and packing up our gear.
Depending on the weather, we may end up packing up in the morning on our first day and hiking in to adjust our summit day.
Accommodations: Camping at Larrabee State Park
Day 2 | Approach Mt. Baker
We'll rise early in the morning to make our way to Heliotrope Ridge, where'll commence our hike to our campsite, Hogsback Camp nestled just below the glacier. In the afternoon, we'll transition to snow school, focusing on footwork, crampon usage, ice axe techniques, snow climbing, and self-arrest skills.
Accommodations: Camping at Hogsback camp (6,000')
Day 3 | Glacier Skills
In the morning we'll kick things off with glacier skills training, where we'll focus on glacier travel techniques such as footwork, crampons, ice axe, snow climbing, and self-arrest before moving to high camp.
In the afternoon, we'll learn and practice crevasse rescue.Depending on weather, this day can also include a summit attempt.
Accommodation: Camping at Black Butte camp (7,200')
Day 4 | Summit Mt. Baker
Another early morning as we set out to ascend Mt. Baker via the Coleman-Deming route. After summiting, we'll return back to our camp at Black Butte for the night.
Please note, depending on weather our route may change.
Accommodation: Camping at Black Butte camp (7,200')
Day 5 | Descent & Farewell
Depending on weather, this may also be a window to summit. Depending on our schedule, we'll descend our last day back to our cars, and celebrate our accomplishments with a farewell lunch or dinner in Glacier at Chair 9. From there we'll say our goodbyes and head our separate ways.
FAQs
How many participants come by themselves?
The majority of climbers come to our retreats alone - somewhere around 90%. If you are hesitating to join because you would be coming solo, please know that we expect a majority of our participants to be joining by themselves.
I've never climbed before. Can I still attend?
You do not need to be an experienced climber to attend. Climbing experience is helpful, but having the ability to hike up and down on rugged surfaces and take care of yourself in the cold will set you up to have a great time. With multiple instructors and options we can accommodate a wide range of abilities.
I'm an advanced climber. Will I be able to lead climb?
Probably. Lead climbing is certainly not a requirement for anybody on the trip, but we're happy to let you lead as long as you have prior experience as a leader and can pass a belay test similar to those found in most gyms (minus the falling).
Our main goal is to keep everyone safe, so on our first day out together we’ll just want to see that everyone is able to manage the rope, communicate, lead and belay safely before being cleared to do it throughout the week.
If you don’t plan on leading, we’ll just want to go through a quick belay test to make sure you’re good to go belaying those who are. For those aspiring to lead, we will try our best to coach you through the process throughout the week with the aim of you learning to do so safely.
What is the average age of climbers who attend?
We generally have a wide range of ages at our retreats. The average tends to fall anywhere between the ages of 26 to 45. But we have had quite a few women in their 60's join as well. It really is up to the attitude and physical ability of the participant.
This would be my first time camping. Can I still attend?
This course is probably best for someone who is not totally new to camping, because we don't have a lot of time built in to teach these skills. If you are interested in growing your still in the backcountry, we recommend enrolling in our Beginner Backpacking retreat to learn how to safely and confidently camp in the backcountry.
What happens if it rains or the weather is poor?
All of our retreats are rain or snow or smoke or shine. We do our best to choose dates where this won't be an issue, but it's always a possibility. Even more so with the changing climate.
If poor weather occurs we will propose alternative activities such as movement skills at the climbing gym, technical skills lessons such as anchor building or multi-pitch clinics, or hiking.
If poor weather will ruin your experience we suggest that you purchase "cancel for any reason" trip protection as we will not be providing any refunds due to weather related issues.
How many people will be on the trip, and is it mostly men or women?
Because ice climbing can only safely be done in small groups, this trip will be much smaller than some of our others. If the trip sells out, we will have 10 climbers and 5 guides.
Our trips are 90% women. Men are perfectly welcome, but they tend to be outnumbered, making even these mixed gender trips a very woman-centric space. Our guide team will also predominantly be made up of women.
How heavy will my pack be?
We aim to keep our packs at about 40 pounds. Our guides will help you in planning what to pack to ensure the most efficient gear makes it into your pack. You will also be asked to carry some group gear, which will also be factored in as the group packs. up.
What if I have dietary restrictions?
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I'm plus sized. Am I able to climb?
We aren't experts in this area as this is not the lived experience of our current instructor team. But we want you here and we are committed to making your experience a positive one.
If you can:
- Hike three miles over varied terrain while carrying a 15 lb backpack
- Do 20 squats
- Have good balance
- And maintain a positive attitude
CLIMBING IS FOR YOU!
Currently the most limiting factor is the ability to fit into a harness. We have harnesses that can accommodate up to a 56inch waist. We are looking into getting a fleet of fully adjustable harnesses before next season starts.
If you want to learn more from plus sized climbers I highly recommend looking into Climb Big. Climb Big is an organization with a mission to "Make climbing more accessible for fat folx."
Can I bring my pet?
We know you love your fur babies, but unfortunately we cannot allow pets on any of our group trips or clinics.
Are payment plans available?
Yes we have types of payment options. Please visit our Payment Plans page for more information.
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