I recently had the opportunity to climb with three great guys – Kevin, Brant, and David – all of whom were long time friends prior to the trip, and had previously had some mountaineering experience on Mt. Rainier and Denali (Mt. McKinley). Their mountaineering experience led them to become curious about gaining more technical climbing…
I had the pleasure of spending four days here in Ouray with Steve and Brad who are both preparing to climb Mount Rainier’s ultra classic Liberty Ridge. The Ridge is no small under taking. 6,000′ of steep snow and ice including a few hundred feet of 70 degree alpine ice at 14,000′ with a five…
The avalanche hazard is fickle as ever in the San Juans. However, for those who know where to look, there is terrific alpine and tree skiing to be found. Yesterday, a few of the SJMG guides went for a tour in the Commodore Basin area near Red Mountain Pass between Silverton and Ouray, CO. We…
Seriously. I am not just trying to sell you a trip. I promise, I don’t teach avalanche courses for SJMG, but the folks who do will save your hide. Better yet, they will teach you to save your own life in your quest for untracked powder. In the San Juan snowpack this has been a…
October is a great time to climb in the Moab area. The weather is generally good and the temps are perfect. Unfortunately most of Colorado also knows this and heads for the desert every fall weekend. I met Sean at a coffee shop on Monday morning and we decided to hike up to Castleton and…
Scott and Mark came out to Ouray for and intro to winter mountaineering. A day of learning to ice climb in the Ouray Ice Park. A day to snowshoe into camp, and set up camp. A day to learn skills necessary for climbing and traveling in the winter backcountry. And finally a day to summit…
For many people the Ouray Ice Park and front country ice climbing is the extent of their ice climbing horizons. However, for the first time this year among the many terrific seminars offered at the Ouray Ice Festival, participants had the chance to hone their skills on backcountry ice in a seminar run by athlete and…
It is like the town is holding its breath tonight. We are anticipating tons of ice climbers from all over the country to come revel in their shared affection for vertical frozen water, a wicked forearm pump, and beers with friends! We are really excited here at SJMG for this year Ouray Ice Festival. Our…
Trico Peak’s East ridge and SE Face. Our team climbed this ridge from Red Mountain Pass then into Mineral Basin under the south face and ascended the South ridge to the summit. Jan 5th I had the honor of again working and guiding long time San Juan clients Lisa Lieb, Ilan Paltrow, and Mark Iuppenlatz. This…
Ice Climbing is for everyone! We are having a blast with kids of all ages at the Ouray Ice Park Kids Wall. San Juan Mountain Guides and the OIP is offering FREE Ice Climbing for kids, come out and learn to ice climb with expert instructors. Upcoming dates are Sunday, January 6 and Saturday,…
The Intro to Winter Mountaineering Course is a 4 day trip that strives to give you a solid overview of many of the different aspects of winter mountaineering. The first course of the season went out on Dec. 18-21. Day 1: On day one we focus on ice climbing. We cover ice climbing technique and…
Get it while it is hot, or cold as the case may be! Cold enough for Kennedy’s Gully to come in. This is one of the coolest pitches in the San Juans. 50m of ice at a dream angle so you can see the air beneath your heels but you aren’t quite hanging off your…
Every few years the weather provides us with enough cold and overcast days in a row for a few finicky San Juan classics to form. At a New Years party, Mark “Coach” Miller and I were discussing the weather and ice conditions when we both realized Gravity’s Rainbow might be perfect the next day. After…