On Saturday the 19th and Monday the 21st, SWAG guide Gary Falk led one of our past Level 1 Avalanche Course particpants, and veteran of the ski the peaks program, on a couple of days of Backcountry Skiing in the San Juan high country. They experienced generally stable conditions on both days, culminating in a…
Last week we conducted our first SWAG Ski Guide Training for all of our Backcountry Ski Guides here in the San Juans. We will conduct an additional training in the month of March, prior to the start of our spring skiing season. Guide training and certification is something we take quite seriously at Southwest Adventure…
We are proud to announce our new partnership with Backcountry Access, makers of the finest selection of avalanche beacons and gear in North America. Backcountry Access is owned and run by dedicated backcountry skiers and snowboarders that live for fresh lines. Their passions are ski touring and innovation. They constantly strive to break new ground…
We all gathered at the office today to discuss training dates and refine skills prior to the start of another busy winter season of guiding in the San Juans. The snow has been falling at a steady rate all day, which bodes well for the snowpack up in the mountains. Our first AIARE Level 1…
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…
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…
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…
Another day in the mountains on our Ski the Peaks program. Due to the weather, we were forced to make a change in our scheduled descent of the Battleship and instead toured up and skied down the Pumphouse, a sub peak of the Sultan. Great skiing and incredible spring powder on about 14 inches of…
Our Ski the Peaks programs in the San Juans are in full swing. Last weekend we completed a ski descent of the West Face Couloir of Red #3. Great conditions and an aesthetic line made for a great day of skiing on one of the area’s most sought after ski runs. This weekend we skied…
Spent another day in the backcountry with Ben from Oklahoma. We’ve successfully converted him from resort skiing and claims he’ll never go back after a few days of powder with us in the San Juans. Our tour near Minnesota Gulch started a little sloppy, but ended beautifully on a mixture of north facing powder shots…
Did some backcountry skiing today with Ben from Oklahoma. It was his first time bc skiing but he performed like a pro! We toured up and skied down the Pumphouse run, a popular and classic tour near the town of Silverton. The recent snow was the perfect powder refresh for this NNE facing run. Snow…