Climbed Vestal Peak via the Wham Ridge with Pat from El Paso, TX this week. We did the trip as a 2 day climb, riding the train to Elk Park and hiking into Vestal Basin on Day 1. An alpine start on Day 2 got us up and down the Wham Ridge and back to…
Ed from Omaha came out to Durango for a few days in Chicago Basin with training for Rainier in mind. Ed will start climbing Rainier on Saturday, and wanted to get a little more elevation under his belt than the 900′ that is Omaha. Colorado is perfect for gaining altitude experience. We slept at about…
After what seemed like some unusually wet weather in June, we have been having perfect blue skies. Making the temperature in Durango hot and the weather in the mountains great. So Thursday we headed out and climbed Snowdon Peak which was the first peak ever for the two texans! A proud summit for a first…
It was recently reported by NOAA that an El Nino weather pattern is forming in the Pacific Ocean, and is expected to strengthen and continue through the 2009 – 2010 winter season. As stated by NOAA, an El Nino weather pattern “typically brings beneficial winter precipitation to the arid Southwest”. The so-called “negative” impacts of…
After a quick flight 2/3 of the way across of the US, Dave from New York and I, hopped the Durango – Silverton Railroad with our heart set on Vestal’s North facing Wham Ridge. The train offered a great introduction of the views to come of the San Juan Mountains and a time to eat donuts and coffee.…
Last Friday, Aaron, Bill and I ran in for a 1 day ascent of Vestal Peak’s Wham Ridge. Without the aid of the train, this is accomplished by accessing the Colorado Trail on top of Molas Pass, and descending to the Animas River for about 3.5 miles and 2000 vertical feet. Then it’s 5.5 miles…
As the Animas starts to recede, our rock climbing adventures in Durango always pick up. It’s an absolutely great time of year to climb in Durango, and the mornings are perfect for a couple of hours at either X-Rock or East Animas, two of Durango’s best rock climbing crags. We specialize in working with participants…
Climbed Snowdon Peak via the West Buttress with Max today. No matter how many times I do this climb, I always enjoy the combination of aesthetics and relatively good rock quality (for the San Juans anyway). One of the best weather days of the summer so far with barely a hint of the typical afternoon…
Last week, Garry from Florida came to Durango on his vacation out west to climb his first peak. Garry had some multi-pitch climbing experience so the objective was the beautiful Wham Ridge on Vestal Peak. We took the Durango Narrow Gauge Train to Elk Park and then hiked up to Vestal Basin to camp. The…
The other trip I guided on Mt. Rainier, along with fellow SWAG guide Gary Falk, was a climb of the ultra classic Liberty Ridge. This is certainly one of the most sought after routes on the mountain, and is well deserving of it’s classic status. An approach from the White River Campground leads to lower…
I just completed a short stint of guiding on Mt. Rainier for Rainier Mountaineering Inc. (RMI). The first trip I led, along with fellow SWAG guide Gary Falk was a Kautz Glacier Expedtion Skills Seminar. In total, the seminar includes 6 days of instruction and climbing on the less popular, though classic, Kautz Route. The…
We recently hosted a Leave No Trace (LNT) Trainer’s Course here in Durango. Kate and Tracy, the LNT traveling trainers stopped by for the 2 day course to help make sure that Southwest Adventure Guides is current on the most recent information regarding leave no trace backcountry protocols. It was a great course and is…
Last week, Patrick from Texas came up for a few days of alpine training in the San Juans. A few days of rock climbing in the Durango area were followed by a couple of mountain days to help establish a solid foundation of alpine skills. He’ll be joining us later this summer for an ascent…
Loyal client Valari W. recently completed, and successfully, summited the Moose’s Tooth in the Ruth Gorge/Denali National Park, via the Ham ‘n Eggs Couloir. She was led by our guide Chad Peele and the group experienced great weather, but “sporty” conditions on the route. Some of the ice pitches did not lend themselves well to…
Out in the mountains for a few days with a crew from the Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM. A group of 7 soldiers from the 21st EOD came to the San Juans for some mountain training. We combined a few days of rock climbing with a couple of days in the mountains, acquiring basic rock…
Another day in the mountains on our Ski the Peaks program. Due to the weather, we were forced to make a change in our scheduled descent of the Battleship and instead toured up and skied down the Pumphouse, a sub peak of the Sultan. Great skiing and incredible spring powder on about 14 inches of…
Our Ski the Peaks programs in the San Juans are in full swing. Last weekend we completed a ski descent of the West Face Couloir of Red #3. Great conditions and an aesthetic line made for a great day of skiing on one of the area’s most sought after ski runs. This weekend we skied…
Spent another day in the backcountry with Ben from Oklahoma. We’ve successfully converted him from resort skiing and claims he’ll never go back after a few days of powder with us in the San Juans. Our tour near Minnesota Gulch started a little sloppy, but ended beautifully on a mixture of north facing powder shots…
Did some backcountry skiing today with Ben from Oklahoma. It was his first time bc skiing but he performed like a pro! We toured up and skied down the Pumphouse run, a popular and classic tour near the town of Silverton. The recent snow was the perfect powder refresh for this NNE facing run. Snow…
Great weekend in the San Juans. About 6 inches of snow on Saturday gave way to perfect weather on Sunday. Did an overnight on Engineer Mtn. with Ian from CA, and Nick from NYC. The conditions on the NE Ridge of Engineer are just about perfect right now. Generally stable snow and great cramponing led…