For most outdoor women, it is considered the Cinderella Story when we finally find the technical apparel that offers functionality without sacrificing the women’s fit that’s been a long-time mystery for the Outdoor Industry. I can confidently say that Outdoor Research has finally nailed it with the Trailbreaker Pants for Women. I have been a…
Gear Review: OR Trailbreaker Pants I’ve put in a solid season in the updated Trailbreaker pants, and they’ve become my go to ski pants, whether touring or inbounds riding lifts. There are some good improvements over the original version, and as we get towards spring and transition to the ski mountaineering season in the San…
Stokin’ ain’t just for the fire and keeping your average stoke-level high ain’t easy. If it was easy to be stoked on everyday life as we get stoked for our outdoor pursuits and life passion, then the very existence of “stoke” would cease to exist and life would almost be…well boring. With that being said,…
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…
Essential Equipment for Ski Touring An often overlooked, but critical piece of backcountry safety equipment, is your repair kit. After blowing up a ski binding, try post-holing chest deep several miles back to your car in the dark and you will know what I mean. The following is a very basic repair kit that you…
Clothing Systems for all Conditions As always, the gear your choose can make the difference in all the ways you envision as you’re planning your next trip or adventure. Increased efficiency, a lighter pack, maximum versatility and not to be overlooked – impeccable mountain style. Our partners at Outdoor Research offer the best and most…
The Weminuche Ski Traverse Andrew Klotz – AMGA Certified Ski Guide On April 23rd of 2013 I set out with three friends to do a trip that we had all thought about for a long time – a ski traverse through the heart of the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains. In previous…
Ski Mountaineering Guide Tip Andrew Klotz – AMGA Ski Guide [image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”left” alt=”Ski Mountaineering” title=”Guide Tips” height=”320″ width=”300″]https://dev.mtnguide.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ski.blog_.jpg[/image_frame] Spring is here and the snow is stabilizing so it is time to hit the big lines that you’ve been waiting patiently for all winter. This is the first installment of a mulit-part series on getting…
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…
Happy Holidays from the crew at San Juan Mountain Guides. May your new year be full of hero-ice, blower-powder, and splitter hand cracks!
Over Presidents day weekend we had a great group of people attend an Avy 1 Course. Below are some photos from the last day of the course, taken around Molas Pass. BK
It’s been awhile since we last updated the Blog, but that’s only because we’ve been incredibly busy in the last few weeks with mountaineering courses, ice climbing trips, and avalanche courses! It’s been a great start to the season here in the San Juans, and despite a somewhat slow beginning in terms of snowfall for…
Looks like winter is here to stay in the San Juans! A powerful winter storm is set to impact the area starting this Saturday through the middle of next week. 2 + feet of snow is expected for the Southern and Northern San Juans, and the storm is tracking on SW flow. Hopefully this pattern…
Recently our head ski guide Andrew Klotz did some ski touring the in the San Juan high country to get a read on conditions and see how the skiing was shaping up for the season. He’s happy to report that the San Juans, particularly around the Silverton area and in the 550 corridor near Red…
It’s the last day of our final AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course here in Durango and the San Juan Mountains. It’s been a great course so far, with a very strong group of participants including many guides and pro patrolers. And it’s dumping snow again, with another 4 – 8 inches predicted in the high…
One of our last AIARE Level 1 Avalanche Courses of the season had 8 motivated students from as close as Durango and as far away as Los Alamos, NM. As is typical of our Level 1 Avalanche Course, we began with a full day of classroom activities and presentations, during which participants had the opportunity…
Last weekend’s Level 1 Avalanche course was a huge success. We had numerous folks from around the four corners come for three days of avalanche education. The weather was beautiful with some cold mornings and clear, blue sky days to make for a educational and enjoyable course. After the first day of learning in the…
Last week’s AIARE Level 1 Avalanche course was a huge success. Four motivated individuals came out mid-week to improve their avalanche knowledge and skills. There was a great mix of experience levels in the group including a professional skier, a competitive park rider, a recreational snowboarder, and a mountaineer. During the course, we had an…
December has been a great month for snow, especially in the Southern San Juans between Coal Bank and Red Mountain Passes. More great news for ski conditions in the high country. Check out this storm profile! A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MST WEDNESDAY. * PERIODS OF SNOW… HEAVY AT TIMES……