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BG, who's gonna be on the other end of your rope? Perhaps they have the skills to teach you what you need to know. If you are going on a 2-man team, that add layers of complexity if you are the only rope team in the area and have to be completely self reliant. Also how remote are you gonna be (i.e., will you also be dragging sleds/ski pulks)? That adds even more variables...

Howie is a great resource and instructor. And as mentioned often guide services are willing to custom cater a course for your needs.

As for ice climbing, I need to get out the tools again (haven't swung them since before back surgery). Never developed enough skills to lead, but if there are some splitbooters on the Eastside that are comfortable leading (or even just want to set up some top ropes), shoot a PM my way.

Cheers

Probably way more money and way dorkier mountaineering than you are looking into Brooks, but I signed up for this class next month:
http://alpineskills.com/shasta_gis.html

I'm also a mountaineering gaper so I figured what the hell, why not.

honestly i think the best way to go is with a couple of good buddies who know their stuff, lots of reading and lots of time practicing and traveling on small glaciers. understanding how glaciers work is very important too.

practice self rescue on tree limbs or garage doors etc...
you can set up a z pulley anywhere if you use youre imagination.

crevasse rescue can be super simple or super complicated depending on what the situation is. play around with ropes and all the stuff for a long time and understand the general applications. sometimes human ingenuity is the most important tool...

Yeah, I agree getting out with some buds who have knowledge and practice is the way to go. However, to start out I'd like at least one day with someone who's a professional with tons of knowledge, experience and can articulate things really well. There's a LOT to be said for a good instructor. I ran chainsaws for 9 years for the forest service, was a sawyer for a few years on hotshot crews and learned from a lot of different folks in the agency. My last year fighting fire I took a class to get my C faller credentials given by the legend D Douglas Dent, a crusty old logger and really good teacher. I learned more from him about falling trees in 3 days listening to him speak than I did in my previous 9 years of hands on training from everyone combined. He NEVER touched a chainsaw the entire 3 days in the field with us. That's the mark of a great teacher.

(I just contacted PGS about a private class...)

North Cascades Mtn Guides. Ski Mtneering Course. You can
practice in a barn climbing to the rafters before you get lowered into a real crevasse.

When I lived in WA these guys were my go to.

this guy get's the "chillest narrator on youtube" award but the production is really good. and it's free.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6gz6WaO1_0

Hey BG,me and Wilkez did some training this year with a guide,originally we wanted to do it all properly and actually hang inside a crevasse,we got in touch with www.summitmountainguides.com out of Nelson,BC and were going to meet them in Rogers Pass,but overall the price was way too much,plus we would be spending the first 6 hours of day 1 just getting to the Glacier from the highway.
We ended up finding a guide in Terrace and spending 2 10 hour days hanging off the side of a cliff,prussiking out and building anchors as a 2 man team,overall that stuff was invaluable even if i have pretty much forgotten it all by now lol thats the sort of thing you need to practice alot

Falling into a hole is one of my biggest fears while snowboarding.
Make sure you enough rope and it is thick enough, because ascenders can shred thin ropes.
If some ones falls into a big one, they will probably be unconscious, and need to pulled out solo from the top.
Also make sure the anchors are bomber.
That being said, crevass rescues are gnarly as everone is in a frenzy

ascenders...i already got too much weight in my bag! maybe a tibloc.
8 mm rope w/ 5mm accessory cord prusik wrapped 3 times

and watch this at the 9:20 mark

http://vimeo.com/11771053

+1 on the 5mm prusik and 8mm rope. I carry 30m and my partner also has 30m. Can double them together for rappels. Also carry a couple lightweight SMC rescue pulleys and a few dyneema slings....

Of course I also recognize that crevasses in Alaska and elsewhere outside the Cascades are a different game and would adjust gear accordingly if traveling there....

www.mountainskillsacademy.com

One of the best value guide operations out west in Canada.