For the next couple of weeks we will introduce to you some of the most legendary peaks of the Mighty San Juan Mountain Range. No two peaks are the same and each provides a unique experience that is catered by San Juan Mountain Guides to ensure you some of the best adventures of your 2015…
Andres grew up in Ibague, Colombia. His passion for guiding has allowed him to guide in all types of terrains, such as rock, alpine, skiing and high altitude. In 2011 he and his partner received the Mugs Stump Exploratory Grant to go and climb new peaks in the Southern part of Kyrgyzstan on the Kyrgy…
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…
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,…
Ryan Riggins is a Durango transplant, originally from Orinda, California. He came to Colorado chasing the “white surf” as he went from a the never-ending Cali summers to the never-ending winters of the San Juans. A Fort Lewis graduate in Marketing, Ryan has been guiding since his Sophomore year in College. Ryan received his…
San Juan Mountain Guide Bill Grasse captures the experience of summiting Mt. Sneffels with his client. Mt. Sneffels is located in the heart of the San Juan Mountains in the SouthWest of Colorado. It is a prestine 14,000+ peak and considered a classic in Colorado. If you are interested Mt. Sneffels or Mountaineering in the…
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…
Trailer Video Recently a few of us headed out into the Weminuche Wilderness for a climb of the inspiring Wham Ridge on Vestal Peak. Vestal Peak is one of our most popular offerings in the San Juan Mountains during the summer in part because it qualifies as one of the most difficult of Colorado’s Centennial…
Inspiration from Imagery Labor Day Weekend We’ve had a busy weekend here in the San Juans, with fantastic weather and plenty of summits throughout the range – not to mention a few laps on the Telluride Via Ferrata. Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend!! [image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”left” alt=”Summit of Vestal Peak” title=”Climbing in…
As I was riding the coal powered steam train up to Elk Park I was checking the weather and it didn’t look good. NOAA was predicting 70% chance of precipatation and a chance of snow. Luckily NOAA doesn’t always get it right! We ended up summiting Vestal Peak and Arrow Peak with great weather the…
David and I left the Los Pinos trail head with food for ten days, not 100% sure where we were going. We knew we wanted to try to climb Mt. Oso but besides that we were going to play it by ear. We ended seeing people on day 1,2,9 and 10; but on days 3-8…
David did a big traverse with us in the Weminuche a month ago and decided he needed some more. For round two we decided to go for 8 days, climb a peak and spend some time in the very remote Ten Mile basin. Day 1: David and I took the train to Elk park and…
Kevin, Larry and Jerry all came to do a backpacking trip dubbed the ‘Best of the Weminuche’. I have spent a lot of time in the Weminuche Wilderness over the years, and I would have a very hard time coming up with an alternate 5 day backpacking trip that has the combination of great trails,…
David has been hiking in the Weminuche for years. In fact this was his 9th trip to the area. Day 1: David and I got dropped off in Cunningham Gulch and hiked up to the Highland Mary Lakes and camped near Verde Lake. A group passed us with two lamas and a baby which is…
Andy and Scott recently joined me on an 8 day Alpine Leadership course. Day 1: We started out at X-rock where we rock climbed in addition to learning climbing technique, belaying, rappeling, basic anchors and traditional gear placement. Day 2: We climbed Snowdon via the West Buttress and descended the Northeast Ridge to the Northwest…
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”…
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…
Family and friends came together from all over the country to participate in one of SWAG’s winter mountaineering courses over the last weekend of January. We spent the first day at Cascade Canyon ice climbing, rappelling, and building ice anchors. Day 2 was spent hiking into our base camp on Engineer Mountain at 11,500 ft…
Earlier this summer we did an amazing 10 Day climbing trip in the Weminuche Wilderness. During the course of the trip we climbed Centennial 13’ers Vestal Peak via the Wham Ridge, Jagged Mountain via the North Face, Pigeon Peak via the Southwest Slopes, Turret Peak via the Western Slopes, and Jupiter Mountain via the West…