Glacier skills course
4.92(36)Bernina, Engadin, SwitzerlandCourses
Three days on the Morteratsch glacier learning to walk on ice with crampons, rope up and read crevasses, with a qualified mountain guide.
- Crampons, ice axe and rope work on a real glacier
- Crevasse rescue practice
- A night in a mountain hut at 2,700 m
- Six people per instructor
About the trip
Walking on a glacier opens up a whole new level of mountain trip, but it needs skills you can only learn on the ice. This course teaches them on the Morteratsch, one of the most accessible glaciers in the Alps.
Over three days you learn to walk in crampons, use an ice axe, rope up as a team and spot crevasses, then practise a crevasse rescue in a safe spot. The night is spent in a mountain hut with the Bernina peaks glowing outside.
You need to be a confident hillwalker. All technical kit is included.
What's included
- Two nights: one in Pontresina, one in a mountain hut
- Breakfasts and dinners
- Crampons, ice axe, harness and helmet
- Mountain railway tickets
- Marco, a qualified mountain guide
Your guide
Marco Dellantonio
Lead guide, Dolomites and Swiss Alps
Marco is a qualified mountain guide from Val di Fassa who has spent twenty summers between the huts of the Dolomites. He plans every route around the best coffee stop and the best view, usually in that order.
Meet MarcoDay by day
8 km, 400 m up
Fitting crampons and harnesses, then a first walk on the lower glacier.
7 km, 700 m up
Rope work, ice axe practice and a climb to the Boval hut.
9 km, 700 m down
Rescue practice in the morning and a walk back down the glacier.
