Course Objectives

The aim of this course is to provide students with the basic skills and knowledge needed to plan and go on trips in the high mountains and glaciers. Students will also further develop their practical and pedagogical qualifications with regard to their guiding skills within a chosen type of physical environment.

Course Description

The course is divided into two periods: mountains/glaciers and optional practical specialisation.

- Mountain/glaciers – skills and knowledge:

• The importance of having enough energy in store when going on trips in the wilderness, planning trips in accordance with one’s ability, choosing an area according to ability, safety, responsibility and consequence analysis
• Planning trips: trips in groups, safety procedures and norms for participants on basic glacier hikes
• Equipment, adapting equipment
• Walking on snow: securing falls and deceleration, with and without an axe, tying climbers together, negotiating steep slopes, backsliding in a rope team
• Walking on snow: walking in a rope team, safety measures, axes and the use of snow anchors
• Walking on blue ice: using crampons, walking techniques and movement solutions, French technique
• Walking on blue ice: using an ice axe when walking, securing and climbing, standing-place, prusik climbing
• Walking on blue ice: walking in a rope team, course anchorage, using pulleys in rescues
• Walking on blue ice: rappelling, pulleys, rescuing injured persons
• Blue ice/snowy areas: walking, practice in leading a rope team, rescue in snowy areas
• Climbing peaks: orientation and choice of route, climbing steep scree slopes, safety measures when climbing
• Hikes through varying terrain: practice and experience
• Weather and weather signs
• Knowledge of physical environment: glaciology, glacier landscapes
• Cultural knowledge: using glaciers in a cultural-historical perspective
• People on the glacier: using glaciers in a cultural-historical perspective
• Outdoor life on the glaciers: history and development
• Glacier nature and glacier theory
• Glacier guiding and guiding theory: trip norms, procedures, organisation, working methods, and leadership.

In terms of content and level the course can be compared to the Norsk Fjellsportforum’s standard for glacier courses.

In addition, students will choose one of the three specialisations: mountain/glacier, coast – sailing or waterways.

- Coast – sailing, specialisation II, skills and knowledge:

• The importance of having enough energy in store when going on trips in the wilderness, planning trips in accordance with one’s ability, choosing an area according to ability, safety, responsibility and consequence analysis
• Being ready for the sea: the leader’s responsibility
• Rescuing members of your group and first aid, capsizing practice
• Using boats: rowing, sailing, load and trim, choice of harbour and mooring, manoeuvring, sharing tasks and roles, basic procedures, trial sailing and trimming
• Basic procedures in square sail boats
• Navigation, also outside the skerries, night sailing using lights and between sectors
• Weather, wind, currents and correcting for drift
• Theoretical issues and other materials equivalent to the licence for pleasure boats ( Båtførerprøven)
• Planning trips: sailing/rowing trips in groups, safety procedures and norms for participants
• The guide’s various roles
• Sailing and rowing in small boats rigged with spritsails, tacking, reach, range and height, drift, ballast and packing of boats
• Maintenance of boats and equipment, rigging and sails, including repairing hulls, rigging and sails, storage of oars, rigging and sail making
• Didactics and methodology, including training on pre-industrial society, the qualification of guides, leaders (høvedsmenn) and formal education
• Nature along the coast and coast culture

- Mountains/glaciers, specialisation I, skills and knowledge:

• The importance of having enough energy in store when going on trips in the wilderness, planning trips in accordance with one’s ability, choosing an area according to ability, safety, responsibility and consequence analysis
• Planning trips: trips in groups, safety procedures and norms for participants
• Rock-fall walking, bouldering
• Basic rock climbing in cliff areas, use of ropes, belaying points, rappelling and rock climbing techniques on cliffs
• Basic ice-climbing, ice walking, climbing on ice
• Specialisation in glacier exploration: equipment, walking in rope-teams, safety, rope-handling, movement solutions, belaying points, lowering, repelling, rescuing, climbing
• Specialisation in alpine expeditions: orienteering and route selection, walking through steep rock falls, safety in the mountains, trips on uneven terrain, as well as trip practice and building experience, weather and weather-signs
• Didactics and methodology: glacier guiding and guiding theory, trip norms, procedures, organisation, working methods, leadership
• Nature in the high mountains and cultural aspects

- Waterways, specialisation II, skills and knowledge:

• The importance of having enough energy in store when going on trips in the wilderness, planning trips in accordance with one’s ability, choosing an area according to ability, safety, responsibility and consequence analysis
• Paddling trips in groups on rivers, preparing to go on a paddling trip, the guide’s responsibility
• Rescuing oneself and other members of the group; first aid on rivers
• Using a solo canoe: paddling in calm water and in rapids
• Specialisation with regard to inspection and choice of routes, with the aim of guiding groups on a canoe trip on lakes and waterways
• Nature, culture and local environment activities connected to streams, rivers and lakes
• Equipment, maintenance, and repairs
• Didactics and methodology, guiding theory, trip norms, procedures, organisation, working methods and leadership skills
• Culture and nature on waterways

Learning Methods

The course is taught during the autumn semester.

Teaching and learning methods include independent work by students, lectures, excursions (1 day), group work, independent trips by students and practical/problem-orientated guidance with regard to trips in the high mountains and in one optional physical environment. The trips with a guide include a 6-day trip in the mountains/glaciers, and a 7-day trip in the chosen physical environment. Students’ independent trips include a 5-day trip in the mountains/on the glaciers and 6 days in the chosen physical environment. Trips, independent trips and excursions are obligatory.

Assessment Methods

Portfolio assessment. Students will compile a portfolio for each period in the outdoors, which will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. In order to receive a diploma students must have participated actively in the obligatory trips, individual trips and excursions.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean