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…
Winter has officially begun in Durango and the San Juans with a few inches of snow in town this morning with A LOT more up in the high country. Have a look at this forecast from NOAA! With winter shaping up nicely, now is a great time to sign up for one of our AIARE…
Last week I spent 3 days in the Utah desert with Erik Weihenmeyer and fellow guide Ben Kiessel. Erik has joined us on a few trips over the years, including trips to Red Rocks and Peru. It’s always inspiring to climb with Erik. Not only because he is a blind climber, but also due to…
This video was put together by Martin Volken, one of the examiners for our Alpine Exam, and it highlights the process of becoming a Certified Alpine Guide. ND
I’m glad to report that I’ve successfully completed and passed the AMGA Alpine Guides Exam! It didn’t come easy, and a whole lot of time, money, effort, support and commitment was required to make it all happen, but it sure feels great to have done well and passed the exam. To read more about the…
Joe came out to Colorado for a mountain climbing vacation. He started out his trip in the San Juans and then is heading up to the Maroon Bells and Rocky Mountain National Park to round out his trip. The objective in the San Juans was the beautiful Arrow Peak. Joe was on a tight schedule…
From September 15 – 26 Nate will be taking his Alpine Exam with the American Mountain Guides Association. A separate Blog has been set up to chronicle the trials and tribulations of his endeavor. You can follow Nate’s Blog by clicking here. Subscribe to the blog by clicking on the link at the bottom of…
After getting rained out prior in the season, the Karch family returned for a trip into Ice Lakes Basin of the San Juan Mountains. We met under blue skies in Durango and drove to the trailhead at the end of S. Mineral creek road. The hike up entailed gaining 2,500 feet in 3.5 miles. Ted took many…
Nate and his mother Terry came out from Boston to see some western sights. After they visited the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde, we went backpacking in the Weminuche Wilderness. I have to say that is a grand-slam tour if I have ever heard of one. We took the train up from Durango to Elk…
This was an incredible journey! We spent eight days playing in the great outdoors in Southwest Colorado! This included climbing at a local crag, climbing one of our great 13ers in the area (Snowdon Peak), and then traveling into the backcountry of the great Weminuche Wilderness to visit Chicago Basin, the 14ers there, and end…
Just completed a busy week, the headline of which was a backcountry trip into Stormy Gulch for a climb of the E. Ridge of Storm King Peak, along with the E. Ridge of E. Trinity with Andrew K. and Marty L. The trip began with a road trip into Beartown via Silverton and Stony Pass. …
Jim and Jill from New Jersey climbed Snowdon today, which was their first mountain ever. Jill, who has done marathons all over the world and is currently training for one in New Jersey and Jim did a great job having never climbed before. They both were in great shape which allowed us to be on…
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…