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…
Tim had climbed Mount Sneffels before via the standard route and was looking for a little more of a challenge. The SW ridge is an amazing route on an iconic Colorado 14er. Climbing up the SW Ridge and down the standard route gave us a great tour of the mountain. As always, it was great…
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…
Moving Fast in the Alpine by Nate Disser – AMGA Rock & Alpine Guide [image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”left” alt=”Alpine Rock Climbing” title=”Pack and all……” height=”263″ width=”320″]https://dev.mtnguide.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/big.pack_.blog_.jpg[/image_frame] Managing risk and objective hazard in alpine environments is clearly a top priority for all comers – guided or not. Surely this is always the case for all outdoor activities,…
SJMG Guide Interview Bill Grasse – AMGA Certified Rock Guide [image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”left” alt=”Bill Grasse” title=”SJMG Guide” height=”250″ width=”250″]https://dev.mtnguide.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/bill-grasse.jpeg[/image_frame] The Featured Guide section is a new element of our newsletter and SJMG Blog intended to provide you with an in-depth look at some of our world-class guides. This issue’s Featured Guide is Bill Grasse – an AMGA Certified Rock Guide and SJMG…
Took a great newlywed couple from Tennessee down Portland Creek Canyon today. Starts just south of Ouray and you finish right in town. Portland is a super beautiful canyon with two great rappels in the middle. Now’s the time! The canyon season is here!
Lisa, Dale and I headed out to Eureaka yesterday and climbed the uber classic Whorehouse Hoses. Lisa lead the first half of pitch one. (To be fair pitch one is a massive pitch at about 215′ long.) Dale led the second pitch and we finished on the left hand option third pitch. It was a…
Every year Denver University’s Alpine Club takes a trip down to southwest Colorado to ice climb in Ouray and ski in Telluride. This year the weather ended up working out great for them. The skiers got some fresh powder and the ice climbers got to climb super fat ice in warm temps. As always it…
Mike just came out for a few days of ice climbing in Ouray. We started out in the Ouray Ice Park and then headed out to the backcountry for the next two days. Our first backcountry route was Dexter Creek Slabs just north of Ouray. Right now we have a winning combination; Dexter is in…
Here at SJMG we pride ourselves on having a pretty liberal policy towards teaching our guests to lead climb. Many self taught climbers falsely believe that you hire a guide to put the rope up the routes you want to climb. While we are happy to oblige, we also pride ourselves on empowering our guests to safely…
I had the pleasure of spending four days here in Ouray with Steve and Brad who are both preparing to climb Mount Rainier’s ultra classic Liberty Ridge. The Ridge is no small under taking. 6,000′ of steep snow and ice including a few hundred feet of 70 degree alpine ice at 14,000′ with a five…
The avalanche hazard is fickle as ever in the San Juans. However, for those who know where to look, there is terrific alpine and tree skiing to be found. Yesterday, a few of the SJMG guides went for a tour in the Commodore Basin area near Red Mountain Pass between Silverton and Ouray, CO. We…
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…
October is a great time to climb in the Moab area. The weather is generally good and the temps are perfect. Unfortunately most of Colorado also knows this and heads for the desert every fall weekend. I met Sean at a coffee shop on Monday morning and we decided to hike up to Castleton and…
Scott and Mark came out to Ouray for and intro to winter mountaineering. A day of learning to ice climb in the Ouray Ice Park. A day to snowshoe into camp, and set up camp. A day to learn skills necessary for climbing and traveling in the winter backcountry. And finally a day to summit…
For many people the Ouray Ice Park and front country ice climbing is the extent of their ice climbing horizons. However, for the first time this year among the many terrific seminars offered at the Ouray Ice Festival, participants had the chance to hone their skills on backcountry ice in a seminar run by athlete and…
It is like the town is holding its breath tonight. We are anticipating tons of ice climbers from all over the country to come revel in their shared affection for vertical frozen water, a wicked forearm pump, and beers with friends! We are really excited here at SJMG for this year Ouray Ice Festival. Our…
Ice Climbing is for everyone! We are having a blast with kids of all ages at the Ouray Ice Park Kids Wall. San Juan Mountain Guides and the OIP is offering FREE Ice Climbing for kids, come out and learn to ice climb with expert instructors. Upcoming dates are Sunday, January 6 and Saturday,…
The Intro to Winter Mountaineering Course is a 4 day trip that strives to give you a solid overview of many of the different aspects of winter mountaineering. The first course of the season went out on Dec. 18-21. Day 1: On day one we focus on ice climbing. We cover ice climbing technique and…
Get it while it is hot, or cold as the case may be! Cold enough for Kennedy’s Gully to come in. This is one of the coolest pitches in the San Juans. 50m of ice at a dream angle so you can see the air beneath your heels but you aren’t quite hanging off your…