San juan mountain guides ouray, co rock and ice climbing. Feb 09, 2016 whether youre looking for your next m10 or dont know a pick from an adze, theres something for every type of ice climber in the tiny old mining town of ouray tucked away in the heart of the rugged san juan mountains of southwestern colorado, it boasts some of the highest concentrations of ice and mixed climbing in the cou. The areas will be listed and maintained in descending order of north to south andor west to east. Fall on icesnow, climbing unroped, poor conditions, colorado. We found the crux pitch of the route to be in typical earlyseason condition, offering steep.
Ice climbing this historic mining town, 50 miles north of durango, is impossibly, wonderfully, dead in the winter. Our private and instructional colorado ice climbing programs are based out of downtown ouray, a charming alpine village nestled in some of the most rugged and towering peaks in the rockies. The climbing consists of short, steep ice steps separated by lower angled ice and snow sections. Rime ice plays an important part in ice climbing in cold, maritime climates like patagonia and scotland. Doctor of climbology is your shortcut to becoming cultured in climbing. Rock climbing areas of the million dollar highway the avon. Guided ice climbing in ouray, colorado with immediate proximity to town and hundreds of routes to learn and train on, there is no better place to learn or explore ice climbing than the ouray ice park and the san juan backcountry of the rocky mountains. Ouray better known for ice climbing has plenty of summer options for climbing great rock. Theyre known as the local experts, based in both durango and ouray.
Colorado rock climbing and mountaineering guidebooks. Theres a variety of guides in colorado, with all the gear and expertise you need for a fun, safe ascent. The denver climbing guide is a remarkable, firstofitskind guidebook that will inspire climbers to check out areas they may never have visited, while providing the most uptodate information on hundreds of new routes in the popular clear creek canyon and north table mountain climbing areas. Climbing descriptions also include history, local trivia, and trailhead gps coordinates. On october 16, a party of three started up the taylor glacier. Ice climbing in ouray, last small pitch of horsetail falls wi4 ii, sw colorado we went back to loch vale several times and climbed some other waterfalls in the park, like the very nice all mixed up wi4 with its very thin but easy first pitch but its heinous approach in deep snow covered bushes. Whether youre looking for your next m10 or dont know a pick from an adze, theres something for every type of ice climber in the tiny old mining town of ouray. In the making for nearly 30 years, rocky mountain national park. Books the top 10 books on alpinism andy cave was born into a mining family and is now a cuttingedge alpinist with several formidable first ascents to his credit. Colorado ice, 2nd edition, by jack roberts and brian litz polar star publishing, 2005 is a terrific resource for the area as well as the entire state. The best conditions for no rope climbing, besides low angle slopes, are soft snow that is easy to self arrest in or shorter, less demanding couloirs. This historic mining town, 50 miles north of durango, is impossibly, wonderfully, dead in the winter. National book network climbing colorados mountains.
I arrived in colorado in november with my bike and my ice tools, a couple weeks before jenny. The routes featured consistently form up each year and are primarily hardwater pathways. Offering climbs at all levels of difficulty, colorado ice is the ultimate ice climbing guidebook. Climbing guides and guide books for silverton ice climbing. Eureka is a popular ice climbing destination in the winter. Colorado ice climbers guide regional rock climbing series cameron m. There might be snow, ice, and loose rock that makes moving even just a mile per hour seem fast. Not for the fainthearted, ice climbing requires training and endurance, as well as specialized equipment including ice axes, frontpoint crampons and layers of. The colorado climbing company guided rock climbing, ice. Aac publications fall on icesnow, climbing unroped. Jack roberts colorado ice and colorado ice second edition vol. Shop for colorado climbing guidebooks at rei free u.
Colorados ice climbing capital, ouray boasts the worlds first official ice park, where frozen waterfalls offer up a. With immediate proximity to town and hundreds of routes to learn and train on, there is no better place to learn or explore ice climbing than the ouray ice park and the san juan backcountry of the rocky mountains. They also each boast a yearly ice climbing, with ourays being one of the most known of its kind in the nation, attracting climbers from around the world. Colorado ice climbers guide regional rock climbing series burns, cameron m. Top quality, great selection and expert advice you can trust. The ouray ice park is a human made ice climbing venue operated in a spectacular natural gorge within walking distance of the city of ouray, colorado. An imperfect, unscientific guide to 55 mustread, mustsee, musthear climbing stories from masters of the art. The gold rush high country cragging in western colorado for climbing magazine in 2006. The bible of ice climbing techniques, ice climbing by yvonne chouinard and other books by greg lowe and craig luebben all seem more or less in agreement with the names of the techniques that are here misnamed. This is the only statewide ice climbing guidebook for colorado. From middecember through midmarch ouray is full of climbing activity and good cheer, with have an ice day greeting you from almost every open merchant and lodgers window.
Rmis guides enjoy teaching people how to climb, not just how to follow a guide all day. Mixed climbing is ascending ice and rock, using techniques from both disciplines and inventing a few new ones. Colorado ice climbing ice climbing parks, guides and. Founded in 1986, san juan mountain guides provides adventures in ice climbing, rock climbing, backcountry skiing, alpine climbing and wilderness backpacking. Rather the listing involves first hand accounts only of waterfall ice routes in colorado. With an elevation of more than 9,000 feet above sea level, silverton colorado is one of the most celebrated destinations in the u. Dec 15, 2012 trying to find ice without much success. Ice climbing parks in colorado both ouray and lake city provide exciting ice climbing venues.
One the train stops running, the tourists stop coming and the avalanches start running on red mountain pass, silverton turns into a terrific place to visit. Colorados ice climbing capital, ouray boasts the worlds first official ice park, where frozen waterfalls offer up a new challenge to even the most experienced mountain climbers. If youre fit and gutsy, sign up for instruction and try the climb too. A unique combination of color photography and indepth, handdrawn route topos provide a unique blend of. The only way to know how youll do climbing in these conditions is to try it on the easiest possible scale and then go from there. Green takes on the ambitious task of cataloguing the major climbing areas in the state of colorado. Individual colorado routes can can be found listed to the left. Ice axes are shorter, usually curved tools that are used in technical, vertical ice climbing.
Ouray ice climbing with international mountain guides. Feb, 2018 doctor of climbology is your shortcut to becoming cultured in climbing. It was in the early 1990s and he actually came to our bookshop, then in kittredge colorado. To get there from boulder take the i25 to colorado springs, take the exit for canon city its easy to. Fast despatch as standard, next day delivery available. Private climbs in the ouray and silverton backcountry. If youre new to climbing literature, start with these 33 definitive tales of adventure. Rock climbing colorado regional rock climbing series. Ouray, located in the san juan range of southwestern colorado, is one of the few locations in the. Colorado ice climbers guide regional rock climbing series. Surrounded on three sides by,000 foot snowcapped peaks, ourays ice park is located in the uncompagre gorge. Surrounded by many and even some 14 thousand foot peaks, alpine snows melt down faces and runs off into the countless galleys and draws providing. We offer climbing tours and climbing classes with amga certified guides who will make sure you climb safe. The san juan mountains of southwest colorado are home to some of the most inspiring and classic ice routes in the us.
Brad ice climbing on mixed feelings, loch vale, rocky mountain national park right. In fact, ice climbing has become increasingly popular with traditional climbers and allaround adventurers alike. This seldom seen winter activity has a dedicated following. Year round guided trips are offered in southwest colorado. There are about 40 established routes right within the silverton area between a. A comprehensive guide to scrambles, rock routes, and icemixed climbs on the high peaks provides an allinclusive compendium of the authors intimate knowledge of the park. Top ten climbing instruction books northeast alpine start. The colorado climbing company is a guide service and climbing school offering guided rock, ice, and mountain climbing in addition to guided climbing classes in locations throughout colorado such as garden of the gods and the flatirons. Jon krakauer goodreads author shelved 75 times as mountainclimbing. On this oneday course, youll learn techniques to move smoothly and confidently on rock with boots, ice tools, and crampons. On my first we i hooked up with brad, a local, and he took me ice climbing at loch vale, in. A climbing guide to colorados fourteeners by walter r.
Well, almost since the bike got lost on the flight. The ice park is an engineering marvel, utilizing a gravityfed plumbing system that routes more than 150,000 gallons of water a night to farm and maintain the famous blue ice. Ouray ice climbing guidebook for iphone, ipad and android devices by jason nelson. Verglas, or black ice, is a thin layer of water ice that coats rock after rain or during a meltfreeze cycle.
Ice is copius in the san juan mountains but ouray features something extraspecial the ouray ice park. The ouray ice park is located in a spectacular natural gorge just outside the town of ouray, colorado, and is home to more than 200 spectacular ice and mixed climbs. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. The photo above is the first time i, michael chessler, met sir edmund hillary.
The san juan range of southwestern colorado contains some of the best ice climbing terrain in north america, from long allday ice climbs deep in the mountains to the ouray ice park with hundreds of climbs for beginner and expert climbers alike. The san juan range of southwestern colorado contains some of the best ice climbing terrain in north america, from long allday ice climbs deep in the mountains to the ouray ice park with hundreds of climbs for beginner and expert climbers alike rmis guides enjoy teaching people how to climb, not just how to follow a guide all day. What are the 10 best books on mountaineering and exploration. Skip jack press falcon guides backbeat mcbooks press pineapple press union park press muddy boots globe pequot twodot prometheus stackpole books applause lyons.
The club plans events and outings for climbers and mountaineers in colorado. Tucked away in the heart of the rugged san juan mountains of southwestern colorado, it boasts some of the highest concentrations of ice and mixed climbing in the country. The colorado mountain club has a mountaineering center that has a library, holds conferences and educational events, and sets up a climbing wall. When youre climbing a colorado mountain, expect some of the hardest terrain youll ever encounter. Whether youre planning on rocky mountain national park classics, a weekend in vail, or a trip to. The campground and climbing areas are super group friendly. A comprehensive guide to scrambles, rock routes, and ice mixed climbs on the high peaks provides an allinclusive compendium of the authors intimate knowledge of the park. The books focus is on ouray, telluride, silverton, west fork of the. San juan mountain guides 725 main street ouray, co 81427 toll free.
Professional guiding and instruction for over 9 years. Whether you are new to the sport and seeking instruction or a seasoned alpinist, wed love to help you experience the beautiful ice surrounding telluride and ouray. Andy caves top 10 books on alpinism top 10s guardian. The ouray ice park is home to more than 100 named ice and mixed climbs, most within a 15minute walk of the park entrance.
Great book for identifying and climbing ice routes in colorado. The taylor glacier is a 4060 degree 1,500foot permanent snowfield in rocky mountain national park. While this guide book is an excellent introduction to the routes extant in colorado, it suffers from its ambition. Popular mountain climbing books showing 150 of 315 into thin air. The guide book to all ice climbs is colorado ice by jack roberts, volume 1.
Some of the information is a little dated, but in general where the ice is doesnt change. Skip jack press falcon guides backbeat mcbooks press pineapple press union park. Piolet manche is the position where both hands are on the head and the spike is. Colorado ice climbers guide regional rock climbing. Ice climbs in telluride and ouray colorado mountain trip. Mondaythursday 9am6pm, friday 9am8pm saturday 8am8pm, sunday 8am7pm. This guide includes detailed hike and climb descriptions, miles and maps, and color photos with ascent and descent routes for the most popular peaks in the state. Trey on an ice overhang, loch vale, rocky mountain national park. Colorado, rocky mountain national park, taylor glacier. It comprehensively covers all aspects of mountaineering, from the basics of outdoor travel and safety, to more advanced techniques of rock, snow, and ice climbing. The ouray ice park is just south of ouray off of camp bird road.
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