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…
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…
Techniques for Efficiency With backcountry ice climbing here in the San Juans and around Colorado already in full swing, we thought it would be a good time to highlight this video – Belays & Transitions for Multi-Pitch Ice – offering a few tips and tricks for increasing your speed and efficiency on multi-pitch ice routes.…
Yesterday Thad and I decided it was finally time to get out and start swinging the ice tools. We headed up Camp Bird Rd. outside of the ice climbing mecca of Ouray, Colorado and climbed the classic route ‘The Talisman’. It may be in fat condition right now but it still offers quite a pump! On…
Registration Now Open! The 2014 Ouray Ice Festival Clinics are now available for purchase. Click on this link to go to the Clinic Schedule and Shopping Cart. In association with the Ouray Ice Park, Inc., we’re proud to offer the most unique ice climbing clinic schedule in North America. This year is one of the…
An Early Season Climb of The Ribbon Wow! We are feeling grateful in the San Juans! Based on the wet September and the cycles of snow, cold night time temperatures, and sunny days in October, the ice flows are really shaping up beautifully. Hopefully, this pattern continues, and then solidifies into an epic winter with…
The Best Recipe for Early Season Ice Conditions Around the middle of October and as the temperatures in the high country start to drift towards the teen’s at night, we start thinking about how ice conditions are shaping up on all the area’s classic backcountry routes. The foundation for a good early season ice year…
100% Success on the Kautz Glacier [image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”right” alt=”View of the Tatoosh Range” title=”Mt Rainier” height=”263″ width=”320″]https://dev.mtnguide.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/rainier13.jpg[/image_frame] [image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”right” alt=”Cramponing up at the Nisqually” title=”Mt Rainier” height=”263″ width=”320″]https://dev.mtnguide.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/rainier12.jpg[/image_frame] Earlier this summer, July 28 – August 1 to be exact, myself (Nate Disser) and Dave Ahrens successfully led 4 climbers to the summit of…
4 Easy to Follow Tips by Dawn Glanc AMGA Certified Rock & Alpine Guide So many times when we go climbing, the sole focus is on the climber. However, the belayer is equally important to the team. A lead belayer should not take their job lightly. A casual approach can cause injuries – and possibly…
Success on the French Direct SJMG Guide Andres Marin [image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”right” alt=”Moraine Camp” title=”Alpamayo Expedition” height=”263″ width=”320″]https://dev.mtnguide.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/andres.alpamayo.4.jpg[/image_frame] Our expedition was just incredible. Every moment was just fantastic, in our journey to the top of Alpamayo: from our long bus ride from Lima to Huaraz, meeting great people in Huaraz, putting all our gear together…
Pachamanca Time! We wanted to let everyone know that the team is safely back at basecamp and enjoying some rest before the final push back to Huaraz. Soon, they will be enjoying a Pachamanca! More details to come with pictures once Andres and team reach Huaraz. Nice job everyone!!
Safely Back at High Camp Just got word that Alpamayo Team #2 summited yesterday and are safely back in high camp! We will post a full recap once we hear from Andres about the details of the climb. Great work everyone!
At Alpamayo Basecamp [image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”right” alt=”Team Members” title=”Alpamayo Expedition #2″ height=”263″ width=”320″]https://dev.mtnguide.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/alpamayo.team_.2.jpg[/image_frame] Our second Alpamayo Expedition of the season is underway and going very well. Everyone in the group arrived to Lima on time, with no delays and all their bags (whew!). After a night in Lima, the group boarded the Cruz del Sur…
Alpamayo Summit Success! [image_frame style=”framed_shadow” align=”right” alt=”High Camp on Alpamayo” title=”Alpamayo Expedition #1″ height=”263″ width=”320″]https://dev.mtnguide.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/elias.alpamayo.4.jpg[/image_frame] On Tuesday July 9th, we moved to high camp after a 3 day snow storm that had us tent bouded at Morraine Camp. Upon arrival to High Camp, we struggled to set camp up with the almost 1 m of…