Mountain Skills.

I was the guest photographer capturing the experience of this course. We learned many new mountain skills including rope work, glacier travel, and building various snow anchors for rappelling. The highlight of my experience was learning how to rappel off a snow bollard- which acts as an anchor consisting of a 100% snow dug in a large tear drop shape in the snow. It was wild to rappel onto the Spearhead Glacier being held with nothing but compressed snow.

Many of the locations I capture my fine art prints from require multiple days of ski-touring, camping, and backpacking. I learn something new every time, and each trip provides more experience and opportunity to learn new skills for mountain travel.Another highlight of the course was learning how to make V-threads in ancient glacial ice to use as an anchor. As the guest photographer, I was very excited to learn some new skills while capturing some marketing images for the guiding company. When you purchase a print from the Mike Crane Gallery, know that you are purchasing a moment from a true human-powered adventure. Many elements have to come together to form these images: planning, research, weather, and lighting - all make a difference. Bring the inspiration of the mountains in your home or office with one of my limited-edition prints.