February was a busy month in the San Juans, with numerous ice courses/trips, avalanche courses, and backcountry skiing days. Among those trips, was a 2 day Intermediate Ice Course that we conducted in both the Ouray Ice Park and the popular Skylight area.  Four great friends came for 2 days of ice training amidst some fabulous weather and fat ice conditions.

Scottish gullies area.

Day 1 technique demonstration.

Shaking out

On the upper pitch of Slip Slidin' Away

On the upper pitch of Slippery When Wet

In the narrow on Slippery When Wet

Last week, Ari and Alex joined us for a 3 day blast of ice climbing in Silverton and Ouray.  On the first day of our trip, we decided on a climb of Whorehous Ice Hose.  The conditions on Whorehouse are superb this year, and the 3 of us had a great day on the climb.  The lower pitch is probably in WI 3+ condition on the left, and WI 5- on the right.  The upper pitch is a solid WI 4 on the right and WI 4+ on the left.

At the belay on top of the first pitch of Whorehouse.

The second day of our trip took us to the Ouray Ice Park, where we worked on perfecting steep ice technique and did a little mixed climbing as well.  We followed that with an asent of Horsetail Falls, which is in fantastic shape given all the cold temps and lack of snow recently.  Alex opted to go skiing on Red Mountain Pass on this day, with our guide Josh Coffin, while Ari and I climbed Horsetail.

Above the crux on Horsetail.

Perfect technique!

Ice conditions are great in the the San Juans right now, though it looks like with snow in the forecast we’ll be steering clear of areas like Eureka Canyon with avalanche danger sure to rise.  Stay tuned!

Horsetail Falls, WI4

Last week long time client Valari W. joined us for 3 days of ice climbing in the San Juans.  We spent 2 days in Silverton’s Eureka Canyon climbing a few of the classics, most notably Whorehouse Ice Hose and Stairway to Heaven.

Descending the upper bowl after climbing the 3rd pitch of Whorehouse.

Both climbs are in super shape, with many choices in terms of which line you’d like to climb.  We climbed the left side of Whorehouse with was in WI 3+ condition, with just about perfect ice conditions on the pitch.  The right side looked like tricky WI 4+/5-, with some potential hollow spots near the steep section at the top.  Stairway is in FAT condition, and good threads were in place for an easy descent of the route via a few rappells.  There have been many parties on the route recently and if conditions stay the same the route is going to be picked out before you know it.  The middle pitch is still quite steep and feels like WI 4.

Cool view on the 2nd pitch of Whorehouse.

All in all it was a great couple of days with good climbing the entire time.  Ice conditions are fantastic right now, though still a little thin in Cascade Canyon.  Hopefullly the continued cold temps will firm things up nicely for the bulk of the season.  Stay safe out there!

ND

First pitch of Whorehouse Ice Hose.

Topping out the 1st pitch.

Last week Ari and I continued the ice climbing progression we began working on last season.  At the end of last year, I had given him a number of training exercises to maintain good fitness for ice climbing season.  Happily, the training seemed to work out very well as he was able to “hit the ice swinging” on the first day of our trip together.

We began the trip at our local crag in Durango, Cascade Canyon.  Conditions are not quite ideal yet in Cascade, but the continued cold temperatures should shape things up in the weeks to come.  We followed by heading over to Ouray to climb and check out conditions in the Ouray Ice Park.  I’m happy to report that conditions are great in the Ice Park at this stage of the season.  It looks like it’s going to be a good season for ice in the park and I can’t remember the last time it’s opened this early.

For our final day we headed to Eureka Canyon for a climb of Stairway to Heaven.  It looked as though there had not been anyone on the climb in the recent past, given the trail breaking required to get to the trailhead and the fresh ice on the route.  Seems like most parties played things conservatively after the storms we received in the previous weeks.  The route is in great condition with fun climbing on every pitch, and a few steep spots to keep the climb engaging.  We opted for the walk off, but would have rather rapped the route, though v-threads are necessary at this point as fixed anchors are buried.

Looks like other routes like 2nd Gully, Highway 666, Whorehouse, and Hoser’s Highway are all in good condition, but I can’t say the same for Goldrush and Fat City.  Hopefully the ice conditions on those climbs will improve as the season draws on, as they are 2 of my favorite climbs in the canyon.

Climb safe.

ND

View of Stairway to Heaven from the trail.

Topping out the crux pitch.

Top of the Climb. Trail/road can be seen about 1000 ft. below.

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 Avalanche Course begins on December 18th, and there is sure to be some very relevant snowpack characteristics to view given the current state of things in the mountains. More snow is on the way and it looks as though we’ll receive around 3 feet of snow in the high country from this storm.  Hopefully this pattern holds for the rest of the winter.  If so, the Backcountry Skiing is going to be incredible this season.  Bring it on El Nino!

Several of our guides have been out in the backcountry on many of the areas classic ice climbs, including the Direct North Face of peak 12,579 in S. Mineral Creek and HIghway 666 in Silverton’s Eureka Canyon.  Ice conditions are shaping up nicely and the season is in “full swing” in the San Juans.  It’s a great time to think about signing up for one of our  Ice Climbing Courses or Winter Mountaineering Courses to augment your mountaineering skill set. Stay safe out there and think cold smoke!

ND

Descending the upper slopes of the Pumphouse outside of Silverton, CO.

Climbed Stairway to Heaven in Eureka with 2 clients today.  Nice job Ari and Alex!!  Forgot the camera, so no pictures.  It looked like it was going to dump snow all day, but only a few flurries actually fell.  It was very windy with gusts in the 40 – 50 mph range.  The climb is in great condition.  Sticky, though a bit picked out in the path of least resistance.  You can still make it WI 4 by climbing out of “the path”.  Depending upon how weather and temperatures trend during the next couple of weeks it could still be in good condition 2 weeks from now or not.  Certainly showing signs of pronounced melting on most of the climb from the recent warm temps.

Other climbs in the area like Goldrush appear to be out of condition, or at least like you’d have to climb most of the 1st pitch on rock.  Whorehouse and Highway 66 are still looking good.

Transitional snowpack right now.  If it snows at all tonight or tomorrow I’d expect a lot of storm snow avalanche activity, in large part due to poor bonding with the snow surface.  Keep a good eye on storm totals and wind speeds and direction if you’re planning to head to Eureka this weekend.

ND

Climbed Whorehouse Hose with a client on Saturday.  First pitch is in excellent condition, though a bit brittle due to the warm day temps and cold cold night temps.  Middle pitch is a snow gully, and the last 2 pitches are both in excellent shape, though the right side has typical thin “glassy” sections.  Warm temps are predicted going forward; best to start early on this one to avoid rock fall in the afternoon.

ND

whorehouse 1

whorehouse 3

whorehouse 4