A spell of high pressure in December means it’s time to get high in the back country. Mark U. and I warmed up on the East side of McMillan and found virgin powder. Me donning Black Diamond Verdicts and Mark on his K2 Coombas, we floated down Northeast facing slopes towards Cement Creek. Day two…
December has been a great month for snow, especially in the Southern San Juans between Coal Bank and Red Mountain Passes. More great news for ski conditions in the high country. Check out this storm profile! A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MST WEDNESDAY. * PERIODS OF SNOW… HEAVY AT TIMES……
On Saturday the 19th and Monday the 21st, SWAG guide Gary Falk led one of our past Level 1 Avalanche Course particpants, and veteran of the ski the peaks program, on a couple of days of Backcountry Skiing in the San Juan high country. They experienced generally stable conditions on both days, culminating in a…
Last week we conducted our first SWAG Ski Guide Training for all of our Backcountry Ski Guides here in the San Juans. We will conduct an additional training in the month of March, prior to the start of our spring skiing season. Guide training and certification is something we take quite seriously at Southwest Adventure…
Last week Ari and I continued the ice climbing progression we began working on last season. At the end of last year, I had given him a number of training exercises to maintain good fitness for ice climbing season. Happily, the training seemed to work out very well as he was able to “hit the…
We are proud to announce our new partnership with Backcountry Access, makers of the finest selection of avalanche beacons and gear in North America. Backcountry Access is owned and run by dedicated backcountry skiers and snowboarders that live for fresh lines. Their passions are ski touring and innovation. They constantly strive to break new ground…
We all gathered at the office today to discuss training dates and refine skills prior to the start of another busy winter season of guiding in the San Juans. The snow has been falling at a steady rate all day, which bodes well for the snowpack up in the mountains. Our first AIARE Level 1…
Check out this text from the National Weather Service. Winter is in full swing, ice conditions are superb, and this storm should really help ski conditions, though with the early season snow sitting around doing nothing but faceting there are certain to be some touchy avalanche conditions during and directly after the storm. Stay tuned…