print page | send as email | email editor

Dawn Glanc of Exum Mountain Guides demonstrates the proper technique for self-arresting with an ice ax during Exum's snow school Thursday near Cody Peak. The class teaches students techniques for traveling across and climbing snow and ice. NEWS&GUIDE PHOTO / BRADLY J. BONER

View our entire photo gallery >>

There is something disconcerting about sliding headfirst on your back down a snowfield, even if it isn’t steep and even if the slope kicks out in a safe flat area.

All it takes to stop is a crunch to a near sitting position and your ice ax tip plunging into the snow near your hip. If all goes right, you will flip over onto your stomach, allowing your feet to dig into the snow while using the ax to create a brake.

It isn’t so hard, in theory. The challenge comes when you are sliding, gaining speed by the moment, slightly disoriented from a fall and have only seconds to stop yourself on the snow rushing below you without  clipping your face or leg with your ax.

“Things just get out of control really fast on snow,” said Calvin Hebert, a guide with Exum Mountain Guides.

Knowing how to self-arrest, or stop sliding on snow, is one thing; actually being able to execute the move is another.

Exum’s snow school, which starts in early summer and runs until there is no longer snow in the mountains, is about learning to avoid falling and how to save yourself if you do slip.

About one-third of all accidents in Grand Teton National Park are slips and falls of unroped people on snow — and that doesn’t include the accidents of those roped on peaks traversing snow, park spokeswoman Jackie Skaggs said.

Usually people aren’t prepared for winterlike conditions and don’t have an ice ax or don’t know how to properly use it if they are carrying one, Skaggs said.

They don’t realize snow conditions can easily lead to injuries from post-holing through an unstable snowpack or slipping on a shallow slope and gaining speed before crashing, she said.

Most people experience walking on snow on flat land, said Dawn Glanc, a longtime climbing guide in her first season with Exum.

They don’t realize how much the situation changes when snow is on a slope.

When people are hiking, they are often quick to recognize they don’t have the tools to climb something steep on rock, Hebert said. People evaluate snow differently and don’t always think the consequences can be just as serious, he said.

“But it can be fatal,” Glanc said.

Snow school originally began to teach Exum clients tackling the Grand Teton the extra skills necessary for navigating the snow that stays on the routes often into July, Hebert said.

The class has since grown in popularity, attracting those wishing to hone basic mountaineering skills. Joshua Smith, 27, is working his first season as a ranger in Yellowstone National Park. He was comfortable exploring the backcountry but was unsure how to handle the snow that remains high in the mountains until late in the summer. After the daylong program he took Thursday, he said he felt he had a better understanding of how to avoid falling and felt confident he knew what to do if he did fall.

Exum also offers an early season class to park concession employees. The abbreviated class teaches ice ax use, Hebert said.

People who spend time in the mountains regularly don’t always think they need to take a class on safety. When out with friends, novices often rely on a quick demonstration on how to use an ice ax or what to do if they slip.

“But they’re not there to teach you,” Glanc said.

Over the years, Glanc has met numerous people whose first experiences on snow were terrifying because they didn’t fully understand what they were doing or what to do if they fell.

The Exum class breaks down the steps and explains why a certain knot might be better than another or how to determine if crampons should be used or if a hiking party should tie into a rope, she said.

Taking a class arms those in the mountains with information to at least ask the right questions when evaluating situations, she said.

Smith’s class took place near Cody Peak at the top of the Aerial Tram at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. It began with the basics as soon as the students got off the tram.

Snow on the trail provided the first lesson in assessing snowpack, conditions and finding the safest and easiest route.

The next lesson was basic, as well: How to kick steps in the snow and make good choices for foot placement to avoid slipping.

From there, the class progresses to practicing self-arresting in a variety of situations. Students practice while sitting, sliding on their back or heading down the snowfield headfirst, both with and without an ice ax.

The class ended with traversing snow while roped in teams, building snow anchors and safely glissading down snow faces.

As more people learn to climb indoors in gyms, Hebert said, they no longer learn the mountaineering basics, such as how to rappel without a harness or properly use an ice ax — the things Hebert first learned 30 years ago when he began climbing. These are the fundamentals of mountaineering, Hebert said. They are also the fundamentals taught in the snow class.

People come to Jackson to hike and are often surprised by snow high in the Tetons during summer. Sometimes to negotiate areas, people need to bring together snow, hiking and basic rope skills, he said.

A daylong class doesn’t make a person an expert, but it can help someone make an educated decision when approaching a snow-covered area, he said.

Jonathan Rolf, 26, of Chicago, planned to start his climb of the Grand with the guide service Friday.

Snow school was a requirement for his climb.

“The snow is the most dangerous part” in June and early July, Hebert said of the Grand.

On the mountain, when climbers are tied together, multiple people’s lives are at risk, Hebert said.

Rolf has backpacked and hiked and knew how to self-arrest — he had seen it done — but never tried it himself. The class was less about learning something new and more about getting more confident in using the skills, he said.

Last year Rich Bowman, 52, of Houston, was hiking in Colorado and ended up on a snow patch he was uncomfortable negotiating. He realized that despite his experience hiking and backpacking, he didn’t know what to do on snow.

The best part of the class for him was practicing to self-arrest. Time and time again, he and other students in the class launched themselves down a snowbank. Sometimes he was able to stop faster than others. Another time he rolled and had to fight to fully stop. Each time he got better and more confident.

“It’s still kinda clumsy,” he said. “But you gotta be able to do it.”