The Ouray Ice Park Primer

Map from p.18, Ice Fest Feature Article, Vol.14, No.1, Thursday, January 7,2010: WATCHNEWSPAPERS.COM
THE WATCH: Serving Telluride, Mountain Village, Ridgeway, Ouray, Montrose, Norwood and the Western San Juans.

The town of Ouray caters to ice climbers during their slow winter season in a number of attractive ways. The Ouray Ice Park is free, but they sell a $40 membership that I encourage everyone to purchase no matter when during the ice season you will visit. Right off the bat we got a 20% discount at participating hotels which paid for itself. Participating merchants offer 10% discounts of food and merchandise across town!

I flew RT from Washington, DC., the nation's bulls eye to Montrose for $278. We didn't need a car while in Ouray. Food was a pricey affair but the usually very satisfying.

Ice Climbing is what this park is all about and Ouray Mountain Sports has everything you could possibly want for climbing. The also rent gear and bend over backwards to outfit your day.


Ouray Ice Park: Support the park with the park membership of $40.

Accomodations:


There are a number of options in the town of Ouray. We made reservations at the Comfort Inn which is a block off Main street and conveniently located to restaurants and to the climbing. I would walk main street out of town south (Million dollar highway) to the bridge, a pleasant and gradual morning walk that took me 20-23 minutes (YMMV). Most people, I guess, approach by way of 3rd avenue, and skirt box canyon road UP to the bridge (I come home this way since it is a faster down-hill walk).

The comfort Inn affords the ice climber a full breakfast, an accommodating staff and a caring host and hostess, Betty and Ted , who make you feel like you are visiting them instead of the town of Ouray. Goes without saying, the staff is Ice climber friendly because they are ice climbers themselves.

Betty and Ted will make your ice climbing visit very special! Betty's cookies, which live on a bottomless plate at the front desk, come fresh from an oven daily waiting for you as your stumble in from a hard day of swinging picks!

Guests of this Ouray hotel are invited to enjoy many amenities and features, including:

• Free enhanced continental breakfast with homemade Belgian waffles
• Free wireless high-speed Internet access
• Free local calls
• Year-round outdoor hot tub and sundeck
• Pet-friendly hotel (nightly fee)
• Free Shuttle to and from Montrose airport when available.

After playing on the ice or in the snow, imagine sitting in the hotel's outdoor hot tub and soaking while the snow falls around and the mountains tower above. The hotel also offers jeep rentals, half-price entrance into the Ouray Hot Springs Pool and Park and a 20 percent discount for Ouray Ice Park members.

FYI for the next time -- a vacation rental in downtown Ouray: http://www.alpenglow-properties.com/apo.html

Walkable to eats and drinks (IMHO, the restaurants in town are a bit spendy so bring your own groceries and take advantage of the condo's kitchen). Condos sleep up to 8 or 10 (I forget). I'd get a group together and pro-rate the fees, which makes for a very reasonable weekend.

Peter Hsi

With all the food options available to the visiting ice climber, after while you may grow weary of the restaurant atmosphere, wait and prices. The backstreet deli fills this niche for the frugal and the hungry.Open for breakfast and lunch, the back street deli offers a reasonable and delicious alternative to the limited breakfast options. Bagels and awesome coffee will satisfy the picky pallet's alpine start. On Tuesdays, when many of the restaurants are closed, Rob offers an exciting alternative with a refreshing dinner special for $14. which includes3 courses. The Backstreet will being moving a few blocks to the north and will continue to serve the climbers of Ouray.

If chocolate is your weakness, Mouses's chocolate shop offers a wide selection from a local chocolatiers craft. They specialize in chocolate ice climbing sculptures that impress the eyes and quench your chocolate cravings. A wide variety of chocolate sweets make great gifts and make a wonderful after dinner treat.



AIRLINES:

Continental Airlines has such a NON-Southwest Airlines feel to them. From the stiff armed distance their website feel has to it or the impossibility of speaking to a live person on the phone, and the mechanical demeanor of their flight attendants this airline scores a D minus in my travel raiting. If I could I'd fly South West. The only good thing was the reserved seating on this airline.