Rappel Ice Routes with Confidence by IFMGA Guide Pat Ormond V-Threads are a great way to rappel ice routes without having to leave gear if good fixed anchors don’t exist. They are strong, quick, and easy. With minimal practice, you can get it right first try every time. [fancy_numbers variation=”deepblue”] I look for the best…
Senior SJMG Guide Mark Miller AMGA Certified Rock Guide Mark is one of the original SJMG guides working in Ouray. He has been teaching ice climbing longer than any other active guide in Ouray. Well known for his calm and no nonsense approach to ice instruction, Mark is one of our most requested guides. A…
Classic San Juan Backcountry Ice Recently one of our guys and guests climbed some cool stuff up in the Skylight/Camp Bird area just minutes outside of Ouray. Check it out! [vimeo url=”http://vimeo.com/82232322″ width=”600″ height=”400″ title=”0″]
Essential Technique for the Ouray Ice Park In the video below, SJMG Guide and AMGA Certified Rock & Alpine Guide Dawn Glanc covers the steps involved in quickly and easily transitioning from belay to a raise for a climber who needs assistance ascending. The techniques shown in the video are particularly useful in areas like the…
Belay with Confidence in the Ouray Ice Park With the Ouray Ice Park set to open this weekend (Saturday December 14th, 2013), we thought it would be a good time to cover some important considerations to take into account when establishing your belay stances and anchor systems while down in the canyon. In the video…
Techniques to Manage Lowers and Top Belays With ice climbing season already in full swing here in the San Juans, and the opening of the Ouray Ice Park just around the corner, we thought it would be a good time to cover a few essential techniques for managing lowers and top belays. As guides who…
A bunch of early season snow has inspired me to work on a project I have been wanting to do for years – an online primer course of avalanche awareness skills for skiers and climbers. I imagine this course will cover a wide variety of topics but I thought it made sense to start with…