Nate left off with the team about to carry up to camp 2.
May 28-Instead of making two carries to camp 2 as we did to camp 1 we did a single carry to give us another summit day. We ended up building camp 2 at 13,800′ which is a little lower then the plateau to stay out of the wind.
May 29-Rest day. Beautiful weather.
May 30-On our first summit attempt we got turned around at 16,200′ by wind and low visibility. Sadly the weather was pretty good everywhere other then the top of the mountain.
May 31- Planned day for second attempt at the summit but the weather didn’t play out as we needed it to so we sat in camp and rested up for a window.
June 1-Second summit attempt. Weather was great out of camp but we were again turned around with zero visibility and had to rely on compasses and GPS at times to return to camp safely.
After our second attempt we descended back to base camp arriving around 7pm
June 2-The team was flown out by the famous Paul Claus.
All in all it was a great trip with a really fun group of guys in an amazing range.
We are about to launch our first Peru trip of the year, with a climb of Alpamayo’s French Direct. Joining us this year will be Erik Weihenmeyer, who is a veteran of Artesonraju from a few years ago, and Eric Alexander. Their guide will be Rodrigo Callupe, who has guided for Southwest Adventure Guides for the past 8 years. We will post updates when we receive them and as the group works their way up towards the mountain.
The French Direct has been the route of choice on Alpamayo for the past few years, given that the Ferrari Route has been closed due to objective hazard in the form of a large overhanging cornice on the summit ridge.
This year we have joined forces again with International Mountain Guides (IMG) to offer the Mt. Bona Expedition in the Wrangell St. Elias National Park. The guide for the trip are Mark Allen and Ben Kiessel, both of whom work for SWAG and IMG.
Basecamp construction on Mt. Bona
After flying into the Klutlan Glacier and establishing basecamp on May 24th, the team has been enjoying some great weather and is currently dug in at Camp 1, snacking on some quesadillas in preparation for their carry to Camp 2 later in the evening. Camp 2 on Mt. Bona lies at the plateau between the summit of both Mt. Bona and it’s sister peak Mt. Churchill.
Camp 1 on Mt. Bona
We will keep you posted regarding the progress of the team, but things are looking great right now!
Chris is signed up for an expedition to climb Denali in July this summer with Mountain Trip. So he brought his family of seasoned mountaineers along with him to take a Denali Prep. Course. Chris, Dorris, Matthew and Isabelle, plus Bill and myself headed out from the Southwest office on Friday morning. The hike in was under stellar weather, and went by smoothly considering we were pulling a sled through some thick trees. We built a pretty plush camp with walls for wind block and a kitchen with benches, tables and shelves.
Before we left Durango to head into the mountains the weather report was not looking so good. It called for 70% chance of snow for three of the four days. So we were pleasantly surprised to wake up to a cloudless sky the first morning. We got up and went over Avalanche Awareness, did some beacon searches, talked about search techniques, and digging techniques. We split into two teams and had a timed beacon search competition with a Snickers bar as the prize. Matthew and Isabelle won with a time of 4 min. 45 seconds! After some food we went over snow anchors and built and tested them. Then it was on to Crevasse Rescue, and some team arresting. It was a lot of information to retain but everyone did great!
The next morning we again woke to clear skies decided to try for the summit of Snowdon. It had snowed a little the night before so we decided to climb the West Buttress instead of the Naked Lady Couloir. The West Buttress is a little more technical but more conservative in respect to avalanches. Everyone did great under some challenging conditions(Matthew lost the sole of his shoe and the Buttress was covered with a few inches of snow making finding holds difficult).
On the final day we went over some fixed rope travel and packed up camp to hike out.
I was really impressed with how well everyone did during the 4 days we were out. It is easy to get ornery when stressed physically and mentally, but everyone was pleasant throughout the course.
Southwest Colorado’s combined cold spring and overall great snowpack during the 09/2010 winter have created long-lasting winter conditions in the high country. John flew in from Malaysia for a couple peak climbs during the end of April. On the 25th, Nate took him up Engineer and John admitted to being wide-eyed most of the day with constant winds and temps he has never experienced. The 26th allowed for a half rest day, half hike into camp at 11,500 feet on the western flank of Snowdon Peak. The trail was packed snow all the way from HW 550 to camp. Luckily the weather was much warmer, 40 degrees, than the previous day and the wind had died down. We arrived at camp around 3 PM and after a cat nap, we went over some basic avalanche pit analysis and tips and tricks on how to stay warm in the winter.. The low that night was 20 degrees and the warm water bottles kept John toasty all night.
The West buttress of Snowdon proved to be still holding a decent amount of snow and ice which made the climb mixed and exciting. We summited under warm blue skied at 10 AM and ate and rested on top for a leisurly 45 minutes. Once at the top of the NW coulouir we took to our bottoms and glissaded down 600 feet in a matter of minutes. Afterward, John told me he doesn’t get to do much sledding in Malayisa and he really enjoyed it.
Once back in camp we packed up our tent and sleeping bags and began hiking out. Looking forward to a warmer and softer night’s sleep, John set a quick pace for the car and we made it out in an hour and 15 minutes. From here we toured Silverton, CO so John could photograph the booming metropolis and then returned to Southwest Adventure Guides basecamp back in Durango, CO.
Snow in May, 20 degree nights with 40 degree days, 13,000 ft summits, 200 ft/ min glissading descents; sign up today for your story of a life time!. Excellent work John and way to keep a smile alive!
Leaving the trailhead and solid footing behind.
A frozen Andrew's Lake, the Naked Lady Couloir and the West Buttress on Snowdon Peak
John very much excited about the blue bird day and lack of wind
We had a great Denali Prep. Course last week with two really fun participants, Sergey and Edie. The course took place at the foot of Snowdon which is just off of Molas Pass.
Day 1: Everyone met at the office and did a gear check then headed up to the mountains. We packed the sled and took turns pulling it up to our camp. It’s hard work but Sergey and Edie both did great. We dug out a bomb proof but comfortable camp, and called it a day. It’s amazing how good burritos with fresh red peppers and avocados can taste in the mountains!
Day 2: We learned about crevasse rescue techniques, climbing knots, Avalanche Awareness including (beacon use, search techniques, digging pits and travel techniques in avalanche terrain.) Its a lot of information to absorb but all important.
Day 3: We attempted to climb Snowdon but decided to turn around on the ridge and on the way back down we went over snow anchors. Later in the day we put a rope in a tree to practice jugging a line to get out of a crevasse.
Day 4: Started out the day with some glacier rope travel and team arresting. Then we found a small cliff jugged some more fixed lines. Back to camp for lunch and to pack up.
We had great weather for the trip which meant some cold nights and mornings. Despite the cold we had a great time and learned a lot.
Last weekend’s Level 1 Avalanche course was a huge success. We had numerous folks from around the four corners come for three days of avalanche education. The weather was beautiful with some cold mornings and clear, blue sky days to make for a educational and enjoyable course.
After the first day of learning in the classroom, we headed out for the next two days of practice in the field. It was great to see people become proficient with their companion rescue skills, intrigued by the layers in the snow pack, and enjoy great touring to highlight the knowledge that we had learned throughout the course. We had some great snow to ski/ride as the icing on the cake. We had planned out some good tours along with alternate plans that resulted in excellent learning by all. Joined the last day by three individuals refreshing their avalanche skills, everyone had a great time and walked away with a greater understanding of making better decisions in the backcountry.
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.
This video was put together by Martin Volken, one of the examiners for our Alpine Exam, and it highlights the process of becoming a Certified Alpine Guide.
Joe came out to Colorado for a mountain climbing vacation.He started out his trip in the San Juans and then is heading up to the Maroon Bells and Rocky Mountain National Park to round out his trip.The objective in the San Juans was the beautiful Arrow Peak.Joe was on a tight schedule so we planned a two-day trip.We took the Narrow Gauge Railroad to Elk Park and hiked up to Vestal Basin.Although we hiked to just over 11,000’ the first day and Joe lives at only a few hundred he did great.Likely thanks to his rigorous exercise routine back home in Virginia. The next morning we summited Arrow Peak at 8:30am with a great show of endurance on Joe’s part.Joe commented on the route that it was the most sustained climbing he had ever done on a mountain.8:30am is early to summit but we wanted to get up and down so that we could catch the train leaving Elk Park that afternoon.We caught the train by 15 minutes and relaxed all the way back to Durango.It was great to listen to Joe’s stories of his past Colorado ascents and I hope to see him out there.
Operating under special use permit in the Rio Grande - San Juan National Forest and the Grand Mesa - Uncompahgre National Forest - Wrangell St. Elias National Park - Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park - Indian Creek BLM. Southwest Adventure Guides LLC provides services and employment opportunities regardless of an individual's ethnic or cultural heritage, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or physical handicap.
