Soldiers use Outdoor Rec to go higher

By Spc. Sean Harding (Army Reserve)March 8, 2017

John Dorman, senior alpine guide and instructor for the JBLM Alpine Club, demonstrates how to properly use and track an avalanche beacon
1 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – John Dorman, senior alpine guide and instructor for the JBLM Alpine Club, demonstrates how to properly use and track an avalanche beacon at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, February 25, 2017. The basic a... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
An airman in the Air National Guard practices crevasse self-rescue at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course
2 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – An airman in the Air National Guard practices crevasse self-rescue at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, February 26, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give students a taste of mountaineering as... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Justice Johnson sets up a rescue pulley system at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course
3 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Justice Johnson sets up a rescue pulley system at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, February 26, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give students a taste of mountaineering as well as the skills ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Mark Deschenes, left, and Derrick Pierson, carry a sled loaded with supplies at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
4 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Mark Deschenes, left, and Derrick Pierson, carry a sled loaded with supplies at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington March 4, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give students a taste of mountaineering as well as the skills needed to part... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Eatonville, Washington is one of several mountain towns that JBLM Apline Club members can visit as they travel to Mount Rainier National Park
5 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Eatonville, Washington is one of several mountain towns that JBLM Apline Club members can visit as they travel to Mount Rainier National Park to complete the practical portion of the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course. The basic alpine course is de... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Mark Deschene, front, uses glacier travel techniques as part of a mountaineering rope team, at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Mount Rainier National Park
6 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Mark Deschene, front, uses glacier travel techniques as part of a mountaineering rope team, at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, March 5, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give students a ta... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
A student practices glacier travel as part of a mountaineering rope team, at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
7 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A student practices glacier travel as part of a mountaineering rope team, at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, March 5, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give students a taste of mountaineer... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
A student practices self-arrest techniques at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Mount Rainier National Park
8 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A student practices self-arrest techniques at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, March 4, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give students a taste of mountaineering as well as the skills neede... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joseph Byrnes leaps off of a snow bank to simulate falling into a crevasse, at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Mount Rainier National Park
9 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Joseph Byrnes leaps off of a snow bank to simulate falling into a crevasse, at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, March 5, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give students a taste of mountaine... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
John Dorman, left, explains backcountry skiing safety, at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
10 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – John Dorman, left, explains backcountry skiing safety, at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, March 5, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give students a taste of mountaineering as well as the ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Jeff Wilson skies to his destination during the practical portion of the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course
11 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Jeff Wilson skies to his destination during the practical portion of the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, March 5, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give students a taste of mountaineering a... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Emily Rossin uses a splitboard to navigate snow-covered terrain during the practical portion of the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course
12 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Emily Rossin uses a splitboard to navigate snow-covered terrain during the practical portion of the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, March 5, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give students ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Kim Wilson practices her snowshoe technique during the practical portion of the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
13 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Kim Wilson practices her snowshoe technique during the practical portion of the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, March 5, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give students a taste of mountaine... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Alpine guide Derrick Pierson uses snowshoes to walk to his destination during the practical portion of the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course
14 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Alpine guide Derrick Pierson uses snowshoes to walk to his destination during the practical portion of the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, March 5, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give st... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
"Namaste," students stop for hot coffee and ice cream despite the moderate sleet and snow conditions at the conclusion of the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, in Ashford, Washington
15 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – "Namaste," students stop for hot coffee and ice cream despite the moderate sleet and snow conditions at the conclusion of the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, in Ashford, Washington, March 5, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give stu... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Students prepare the sleeping areas inside their tent at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
16 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Students prepare the sleeping areas inside their tent at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington March 4, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give students a taste of mountaineering as well as the skills needed to participate in their first ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Alpine guide Derrick Pierson explains the hazards of cold-weather camping at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
17 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Alpine guide Derrick Pierson explains the hazards of cold-weather camping at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington March 4, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give students a taste of mountaineering as well as the skills needed to partici... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Joseph Byrnes pulls himself to safety during a simulated crevasse rescue, at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
18 / 18 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Joseph Byrnes pulls himself to safety during a simulated crevasse rescue, at the JBLM Alpine Club basic alpine course, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, March 5, 2017. The basic alpine course is designed to give students a taste of mountaineer... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Imagine that it's 10 degrees outside. You're literally sleeping in a hole in the snow that you dug out with your shovel, and the only thing that's separating you from the wind and heavy snow and sleet pounding the side of the mountain that you're on is a flimsy, but determined tent.

You have to poke the ceiling of your tent with your trekking pole every half hour to keep the snow that's accumulating there from in caving in, which would cause you to asphyxiate or freeze to death if left unchecked. If you accidentally stumble outside of your campsite in the middle of the night, you could fall up to your arms in snow that could be well over 60 feet deep.

This isn't a drill, or mandatory unit readiness training in a remote region of Alaska. There are soldiers doing this for fun!

The Basic Alpine course is just one of several instructional mountaineering courses that the JBLM Alpine Club, a branch of Joint-Base Lewis-McChord Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) offers to service members, family members, retirees and Department of Defense (DoD) civilians.

"The Basic Alpine course is designed for people who want to experience mountaineering to dip their feet in and see if it's what they want," said John Dorman, Senior Alpine Guide and Instructor for JBLM Alpine Programs.

"It's to really open your eyes and show you what's out there," he added.

Feet in the Water

Consisting of four full days of instruction, spread over two weekends, the Basic Alpine course introduces and familiarizes students with a wide-range of mountaineering skills and knowledge, including self-arrest, glacier travel, how to use an ice axe, signs and symptoms of high-altitude sickness, crevasse rescue and more.

The course culminates in an overnight practical exercise at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. There, students learn how camp in the snow, survive sub-freezing temperatures, navigate the backcountry, and practice the skills that they learned in the classroom in a realistic training environment.

Going Higher

After completing the basic course, many students then go off to climb Mount Rainier and other mountains in the Northwest. Some also take the Intermediate Alpine course, and eventually head to Denali, North America's highest peak, in Alaska.

"Mount Rainier is what a lot of people start off doing," said Dorman. "If you want to do bigger and bigger mountains, obviously you have to go somewhere else. It's a natural progression of mountaineering."

"The ultimate destination of course, is Nepal, the Himalayas," Dorman said. We have the capability to do some of the 8,000 meter peaks. We've priced out Cho Oyu, Ama Dablam, Island Peak, as well as some of the smaller peaks there. The sky is literally the limit."

Making the Grade

"I thought [the Basic Alpine Course] was phenomenal," said Mark Deschenes, an operations officer with I Corps. "These opportunities can't be found anywhere else that I'm aware of in my 27-year military career."

"We wanted to climb Mount Rainier," said Jeff Wilson, an active duty airman. "We're going in August," added his wife, Kim, who also took the course.

"John and Derrick have a very large depth of knowledge," said Joseph Byrnes, an active duty soldier stationed at JBLM. "You can tell that they're passionate about mountaineering and sharing their experiences."

Dream Big

"I have a gentleman who's doing the highest peak in every state," said Dorman. Mountains like Denali, Rainier and Mount Whitney require technical climbing skills, and "over the next three years, he's going to work with us to achieve that goal."

Another member of the club is training to climb K2, the world's second highest mountain, in 2020.

Since MWR is funded by the Department of Defense, the Alpine Club is able to offer its courses and trips for significantly less than equivalent offerings from civilian recreation companies, in some cases even as much as half as much.

Start Somewhere!

"If you're interested in mountaineering, and it's hard not to when you stare at Rainier every day from where we work, then you should absolutely go for it," said Deschenes.

"Go for it! Use your leave for something cool," added Wilson.

"Get out there, go do it!" concluded Dorman.

For more information visit jblmalpineclub.blogspot.com , or email JBLMalpineclub@gmail.com

Related Links:

301st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade

JBLM Alpine Club

JBLM Morale, Welfare & Recreation

Mount Rainier National Park