This was a second attempt in two weeks. The first attempt we had to cut short because Chad camped on the (false) summit that night and brought a rainy storm to the mountain. Perhaps Shasta did not like them sleeping on the top.
Anyway, we practiced various skills necessary for glacier traverse and finally were able to get on Hotlum Glacier to practice crevasse navigation, detecting, and crossing over snow bridges. It sounds simple but for many of the team members it was the first encounter with this type of challenges. However, they all did well and I had no problem to rope with them. (I cannot remember when the last time I roped on a glacier.) It is my small contribution to keep people safe in the mountains.
Falling!!!
As of conditions, it was warm and snow bridges were soft. The Hotlum Glacier is in a good shape though. However, one has to be careful with route choice and crevasse crossing because there are many hidden traps and other surprises or disappointments awaiting inexperienced climbers.
Here is the video with highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPzAV_T-cKc
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPzAV_T-cKc[/youtube]
For more extended footage check out the trip report:
Glacier Traverse & Crevasse Rescue Practice
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