Understand glacial terrain. Glaciers generally consist of both ice and rocky material. You will need to be proficient at scrambling over the rocky material as well as climbing the ice. This necessitates carrying gear, putting it on, and removing it at various stages.
- Understand different types of moraine (i.e., the messed up debris part of the glacier): lateral, medial, and terminal. The moraine can impact your experience quite dramatically. For example, if the moraine contains sand and silt as well as rocks, this can make the surface slippery, and when there has been ice melt and refreeze, there can be a lot of mud as well.
- Some countries rate the glaciers according to terrain and difficulty; consult tourist centers or guide books for more information.
