It is fine time to be thinking about what rolls around in January every year besides, New Years, and the Ouray Ice Festival-the yearly migration to Ouray to climb ice!This year, as every year , the plan is to come to the Ouray Ice Park AFTER the Ice Climbing Festival (ZOO scene 1st weekend in Jan) and AFTER Martin Luther King's weekend (2nd (3 day) weekend) when we seem to have the ICE PARK and the town to call our own! Last year we had around 15 people come and go that weren't necessarily available for this group shot.
The ice park has sponsors that give great discounts on lodging, food and swag!!
This year we have figured out a way to enjoy Chef Rob's cooking at the Backstreet Bistro on Tuesdays by arriving Tuesday January 22nd and leaving Wednesday January 30th. Yes we are planning this around Rob's Tuesday special thanks NAZ's tip one year....
I priced the flight the other day October 6th-ish and they were $510 rt from DCA to MJT. A number of Establishments will pick you up from the aeropuerto if you stay with them. Better to call ahead and shmooze with your hosts before hand.
I usually and have always stayed at the Comfort Inn for the hospitality of Betty and Ted, but I really stay there because Betty bakes us cookies everyday and they are still hot by the time we shlep home when the park closes at 4-4:30... the park doesn't really close, but they turn on the shower heads at the top of the climbs to replenish the ice for the next day!!! (WHAT??!!!!) that's right!
You don't need a car, but some times I think it would be rather Vince of me to drive the half mile up the road with pastry and coffee and park in the park superintendent's parking space for the day-every day!!!
There are other climbs up camp bird road some have only heard of but easily accessible by autocar. There is also Dexter slabs which could be a nice place to hoof it to climb....see the epic description of this climb somewhere on this site...
Bring your gear, rent the gear, hiring a guide, be the guide! It's all there! The guide service rental place will also give you a break on the rental, look for our club stick pinned to a letter of thanks I wrote them a few years back while in the shop!!!
I will have the spread sheet going to organize this gig soon....I can't wait....it is a totally causal trip...I swear it is like climbing at Carderock because many of us are right there and it is fun! We see the same people year after year and we meet at this time to play, climb and rain chunks of deadly ice on one another!
So there ya have it. Lodging, airfare, vittles.....
