Hi All,

I'm and avid hiker from the Pittsburgh area. I'm not into technical climbing (i'm comfortable with class4 but never do class5), but as I've become slowly more ambitious over the years, my hikes have been leading me into higher elevations with snow and ice. I'm trying to find out how to get some hands-on experience with glacier travel techniques that will help keep me safer on my excursions and allow me to lend a hand if a hiking buddy gets in a bind. Unfortunately, most safety classes seem like they're a plane ride away to either the north or west.

Also, can anyone recommend anywhere relatively close by to practice self arrest? I've spent quite a bit of time studying, but i know that isn't going to mean anything if I haven't trained my body to employ the correct techniques at a moments notice during a fall.

Hoping there are some locals who might be able to lend some friendly advice or even a bit of their time.

Thanks for the help,
Rev

RevBeard wrote:Also, can anyone recommend anywhere relatively close by to practice self arrest?

Define "close by."

If you get enough snowfall, you can practice on any local hill nearby.

The Adirondacks in upstate New York has some slopes and chutes where you could practice.

Mt. Washington in New England definitely has some slopes that would be of interest.

I'm two hours south of you, but I'm an old and broken-down climber.

Sierra Ledge Rat wrote:

RevBeard wrote:Also, can anyone recommend anywhere relatively close by to practice self arrest?

Define "close by."

If you get enough snowfall, you can practice on any local hill nearby.

The Adirondacks in upstate New York has some slopes and chutes where you could practice.

Mt. Washington in New England definitely has some slopes that would be of interest.

I'm two hours south of you, but I'm an old and broken-down climber.

Thanks for the reply. Honestly, the closer the better, but I'm not opposed to driving somewhere and making a weekend of it. The whites and the Dacks would definitely offer some good places to practice. I've seen a few classes offered up that way too.

The thing i struggle with closer to me, is that the snow never really seems to get hard enough to simulate that uncontrolled slide feeling like on a glacier. I'm planning to reach out to a few of the local ski resorts to see if they'd let me on some of the slopes before they open.

Thanks again for the feedback.