Chris has been talking about how great his younger brother would be at climbing for months. This last weekend Chris flew out with his brother Eric for some ice climbing in Ouray. Both brothers did great! Eric was floating up steep ice like he had been doing it for years, and Chris was leading and…
Julie is planning to climb Nun and Kun in Kashmir this summer and came to Durango for a little training on Engineer Mountain. We hiked up to 11,500′ and made our camp for the next two nights. The next day we had a training day in which we went over, knots, self arresting, traveling in…
The ice in the backcountry of Southwest Colorado is Fat! Below are some photos from the last week. BK
Tim came out to Colorado and once again crushed it! We climbed Engineer Mountain car to car in about 7 hours. It was a pretty windy at the bottom of the ridge going up and on the way down but quite beautiful while higher on the ridge and summit. Tim I look forward to climbing…
Winter? What? Whatever! We’re going rock climbing! That’s right, Moab rock climbing can be enjoyed all year round. Chris came last weekend for some tower and rock fun in the beautiful red desert. After picking Chris up at the airport in Durango, we were off to the desert. A few hours later at the base…
In their October newletter, the AMGA highlights some of the issues (and what we as a climbing community can do about them), revolving around the attempt by the National Park Service to ban commercial guiding in The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. In addition to The Black, the NPS is also attempting to…
Just got off a trip with fellow Michiganders Jen and Charlie. They were on a two week trip to climb and check out locations in Ouray for their upcoming wedding. I got them for four days near the end of their trip. Day 1: Climbed Ancient Art, Lizard Rock and two routes at Wall Street.…
Tim has wanted to climb Pigeon and Turret since he first saw them years ago, but Pigeon and Turret are big peaks deep in the Weminuche. Just getting into Ruby Creek at the base of the peaks is a big day. The weather didn’t look great but looked like it would offer us a window…
Gary had been into Chicago Basin back in the 70’s, and had left with unfinished business. He had climbed Jupiter and Windom but bad weather denied them Eolus and Sunlight. Since the 70’s Gary has climbed peaks all over the North Cascades. When he decided to return to the Weminuche to finish the peaks in…
In celebration of fixing my computer, I am posting random pictures from this summers trips for your viewing pleasure. BG
New for the fall of 2011 is our 4 Day Desert Climbing Seminar. The seminar adds 2 days to our popular 2 Day Indian Creek Crack Climbing Course and expands on a number of topics including anchoring, protection placement, lead climbing, multi-pitch strategies, self rescue, and other valuable skills that will help you to progress…
The name of the trip claims a lot, but it’s truly nothing less then spectacular! Columbine Flowers We started off in Durango on the 150-year-old narrow gauge railroad. The train stops at Elk Park in the heart of the mountains where we began the 5-day hike. The first night was spent near “the beaver ponds”…
Day 1: We started out the trip climbing at X-Rock, where we learned Belaying, Rapelling, Climbing Technique, and Anchor Systems. In the afternoon we made a meal plan for the rest of the trip and went food shopping. Day 2: We got up early and drove North to Andrews Lake which was our launching point…
Father and son duo Tom and Morgan came out from North Carolina this mid July to test their knowledge against, and learn more in, Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. We began with rock climbing at one of our local Durango crags; X Rock. Here we covered anchors, belaying, knots, safe climbing skills and a handful of other…
Durango locals, Alice and her son Paul S. along with Sean E. linked up with myself and fellow guide Ryan to hike into Vestal Basin for some peak climbing and relaxation. Paul and I climbed Vestal Peak, 13,864, via its North Face dubbed ‘The Wham Ridge.” The route maxes out its difficulty at 5.4 and…
Becky and Dan came out from Missouri last week to join us for our ‘Best of The Weminuche’ backpacking trip. This trip takes on almost 30 miles of trail with 7200 feet of elevation gain and 7600 feet of elevation loss over 5 days. Overall the weather treated us very well with the rain usually…
Tim is a machine. The other day Tim and I hiked 13.5 miles and climbed North Twilight (13,075′). Car to car in 8 hours with 45 minutes spent on the summit never rushing. We made it back to the car as the rain was starting to fall. Below are a couple photos from the day.…
A few days after climbing in the Black Canyon Chris was headed back out to Colorado to check out some peaks in No Name Basin. No Name Basin is a less known Basin in the Wininuche Wilderness just North of Chicago Basin and South of Vestal Basin, offering some incredible peaks and views. It turned…
Chris flew out from Chicago a week ago to do some cimbing in the Black Canyon. We had our eyes on a route called the Tourist Route which is usually climbed in 10-14 pitches maxing out at 5.9. For the quality of climbing found on the Tourist Route It surprises me that it doesn’t get…
We’ve made some changes to the summer Kids Rock! Climbing Program. Parents can now choose to purchase single weeks and/or multi-week combinations to allow for varying schedules and family vacation plans. Check out the flyer and email or call with any questions – or to register your kiddos! ND