Our trip to the Ruth Gorge was super fun; Ted, Chris, and I had a blast. The flight in is always a mind blowing experience since we fly eye level to the mountains and huge rock walls. The Ruth Gorge where we landed is an amazing place with awesome views of Mt. Barrill, Dickey, Bradley,…
Our team lead by Andrés Marin has safely returned to Talkeetna. They spent the past three days in the Ruth Gorge, attempting to climb Mt. Barrill and Mt. Dickey. Unconsolidated snow conditions made for difficult, less than favorable climbing. They still had good times in the mountains and learned a lot. We will post some…
Received word from Andrés this morning, all is well. The team had to bail on going to Ham and Eggs on the Mooses’s Tooth. Instead, today they are going to climb Mt. Barrille (7,650′), via the Japanese Couloir. Best of luck to the team. We will continue to post any updates.
Our first team of climbers arrived in Anchorage yesterday and geared up for an expedition to Ham and Eggs; a 3,000 foot ice route on the Moose’s Tooth in the Central Alaska Range (FA: 1975, T. Davies, J.Krakauer, N. Zinsser). Andrés Marin, senior guide for SJMG is leading this unique trip; he is teamed up…
Grand is definitely proper description of this mega ski traverse from Crested Butte to Aspen. This year was the 17th annual Elk Mountain Grand Traverse and I was super pumped to be a part of it. Check out the details of the ski traverse at the Grand Traverse Website: Elk Mountain Grand Traverse About seven…
Chris Parker- Online Editor for Rock & Ice, visits his old stomping grounds of Durango, Colorado. Although things have changed, somethings have stayed the same. Here is his story on the ever-growing rock climbing scene of our home and how it has developed in recent years. Always feel free to check out our…
Searching for reason in this life. Seeking adventure and challenge. Why do we fuel the fire of the unknown? With estimated risk and passion for exploration we go, and we find ourselves…ice climbing. This life is for living. When do we feel most alive? When we are on the edge, in the moment, breathing…
If you are anything like me: mid-20s, student loans, car insurance, rent- the whole 9 yards, then you’ve encountered the same monstrosity- the price for an adult season pass. You don’t get the “student discount” anymore and its not going to get any cheaper-unless you are skiing as a senior, which is novelty for anyone at that point. You’ve admire people who…
Digging a Test Pit We received over a foot of new snow over the range with some higher winds the last few days. Winds and new snow added to an already weak snowpack = High Avalanche Danger. New wind slabs were undoubtedly formed during the wind event and were subsequently buried . Now can be…
Successful Summit of Cotopaxi! I am happy to report that on Thursday night/Friday morning, 7 out of our 9 team members reached the summit of Cotopaxi. After a few days of acclimatization and training on Ruminahui and then the glacier on Cotopaxi, our group made the successful summit push in good style, reaching the summit…
Talked to Nate on the Sat Phone this morning. Crew is camping near the hut and working on glacier travel skills. The weather is reported to be excellent and the health of all the climbers is excellent. Heading for the summit soon!
First Acclimatization Peak Complete Earlier today our team successfully completed a climb of Pasochoa – an extinct Volcano on the outskirts of Quito with an altitude of approximately 13,700 feet. Pasochoa represents an excellent first trek for the trip, as it offers about a 4 – 5 hour round trip on relatively mellow terrain, yet…
Team Assembled in Quito [image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”left” alt=”Ecuador Volcanoes” title=”The Basillica” height=”240″ width=”320″]https://dev.mtnguide.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bascilica3.jpg[/image_frame] Our 9 day Cotopaxi Express Expedition has begun with great success! First, all of our climbers arrived on time to Quito with all of their gear and baggage for the trip. A minor miracle to be sure! Second, the group is all…
Best Practices for Placing an Ice Screw by Dale Remsberg – IFMGA Mountain Guide Placing an ice screw while on lead has changed a lot over the years. Gone are the days of hanging from your leash and wrestling in a 22 cm screw, getting completely pumped in the process. The ice tools are better,…
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…