Annual Ouray (Yuray) Ice Park Trip 2014

Hello Ouraynates!!!

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 afterwards-that's what!

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  give great discounts on lodging, food and swag so be sure to buy your Ice Park Membership and support the park and the town. Remember, Climbing in the park is free-support the park to keep it that way. MEMBERSHIP

This year we have figured out a way to enjoy Chef Rob's cooking at the Backstreet Bistro on Tuesdays by arriving Tuesday January 21nd and leaving Wednesday January 30th 2014. Yes we are planning this around Rob's Tuesday special thanks NAZ's foodie tip one year....

I priced the flight the other day Aug '13 and they were $530 ($510-2013 prices) rt from DCA to MJT. UPDATE: 10.28.2013: I just bought my ticket for $330 on American Airlines which is a $200 savings from a few months ago.   A number of lodging establishments will pick you up from the aeropuerto if you stay with them. Better to call ahead and shmooze with your hosts before hand to make arangements.

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 4:30 and the water nozzles come on over every climbing route... 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! So if you want that frozen water fall ice experience ya better have your goretex on and get ready for a glazing.

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!!! The ice park is a leisurely 15min or less stroll from most hotel rooms. 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 early in this blog a few years back...

Bring your gear, rent the gear, hiring a guide, be the guide! It's all there! The San Juan Mountain guide service will also give you a break on the gear rental if you book a clinic, look for our club sticker pinned to a letter of thanks I wrote them a few years back while in the shop!!! With that said, newbies can take a one day intro class where they provide all the gear & guidance so you can properly bash some ice with us the next day. Whatever your pleasure, you'll make Ouray a yearly destination for ice.

Epilogue: A farewell until 2014 !!

We all got up on the 30th, our last day in Ouray and joined Ross Downer, Mark Elton, John Smith for an awesome breakfast at the Back Street Bistro. We took our time because in an hour and a half we were leaving for the airport. We took a little ride up to Ted and Betty's place that over looks Dexter Slabs. What a dump! Just kidding-a virtual paradise in paradise. Which brings me back to our first trip in 2010 when we climbed Dexter slabs with Oster, Lee Jenkins, Naz, John and myself. We followed a published guide and went up the wrong gully, a snowy hateful slog and then traversed un-protected across a steep frozen scree field that dropped off precipitously off a fatal embankment at least a hundred feet. Re-visit this account @ 2010 Alpine-shwalpine  Having come out to Ted & Betty's spread, I was able to deconstruct the near disaster that we experienced and scoped out a smaller ice flow seen to the right in the last image; it may or may not be a good beginner's lead.

We danced up the road and passed the huge rock that is the landmark for the Dexter slab gully, we missed it and took the more obvious gully to hell.	Dexter Slabs
	There is a small ice flow right center that may or not be worth the trouble as a beginner's lead.

United Airlines Hassled us about their ski boot policy, which the published literature reads that ski boots are exempt items that can be checked for free-it was a real PITA haggling with the genius ticket counter until John taught them how to read! Also, the seats that I thoughtfully selected in December were not the seats I was assigned for the return legs. John and I both selected seats independently and we both did not get the seats we picked and this made for a miserable return trip that was twice delayed because of lousy weather back home. But we made it back safely.

Another chapter has been written in this winter chapter of ice climbing here in Ouray, Colorado for the heroes of ice that made the jump out west; those that didn't will never know until you just come  on out.  With only minor injuries and a little blood, we all walk away with great memories and intact digits from our stay in this great town. Every year is different. The same people who come at this time from all over the country don't change year after year. Ouray is more than a destination, it is a yearly reunion of friends, not necessarily club members, that return for a chance to climb together. Here is a great chance to get all sappy assed but the truth isn't far from this. I can't tell you how much climbing you can get in, no matter how many days you can come or even how warm it is predicted to be-it is a seasons worth of quality ice climbing. We climbed in MINIMAL winter regalia this year and climbed our asses off and that is a lot of ass. LOL. The conditions here change all the time, the ice, I can honestly say has never failed our trip now in its fourth season. Ouray for ice climbing has everything an ice climber could want: a good ice park that is well run, a great hospitable town, it's inhabitants and visitors whose open arms is more endearing year after year, back country climbing/skiing, alpine skiing and everything that makes the west the west, ( I mean the best). Hopefully our friends will return. Jason, Justin, Erik, Hillary, Candy, Nate, Peter, Mark, Betty, Ted, Ross, Kooko, Orlando, Send-it-Sondra, Danika, Bill, Steve, Meredeth, MAZAMAs, Anne, Joe, John, Vincent, Andy and those of youtz who came in spirit-you know who you are.

I will leave you with an image until next time we can all meet and climb ice together here in Ouray 2014!!!!

Climbing Angles

Vincent Penoso

Photo by JWSMITH ??

Day 8 and a wake up

The group is dwindling as folks head back to the real world from the winter paradise that is Ouray. Today there were only four of us left in the morning.  Well, actually, there were only three functioning climbers, Vince being hors de combat after re-discovering the fact that gravity applies to ski slopes as well as ice flows.  Oh, did I mention that it snowed? Holy moly, Batman! We got another eight inches to a foot in town overnight, on top of what had fallen Monday. The temperature, which had been in the balmy 30s and even 40s all trip so far, dropped to a more seasonable 10f where it stayed all day 'till settling in at 6f. 

Ted whipping the walking areas into shape after the big one!	Last day of climbing in a winter wonderland.
Vincent on Flaminco days prior	Vincent on Dunce: a propos
What we really came to Ouray for: the Back Street Bistro

Mark, and Ryan got a lazy start and headed out at about 0930, ending up in the Schoolroom where we set up a rope that allowed us to climb Teacher's Pet and Report Card, both stiffish WI3s. We had each run a lap when what to our wondering eyes should appear but a miniature sleigh and Ross Downer, who had got stuck in Montrose yesterday due to the snowstorm.  We pretty much exhausted the possibilities of the lines we'd roped when the guide next to us, Danika Gilbert, offered us her rope on Recess (WI4) so we all had a run at that. We then dropped a rope over Rooster's Roost.  All in all, a really good day. John achieved his goal for the trip of climbing over a kilometer of ice! Yes, he's totally spent. 

We capped the day off with dinner at the Back Street Bistro. Oh, my.  Vince and John fly home tomorrow (DC weather permitting) so we leave Ross Downer, Mark "the beast" Elton and Ryan Shauers here to carry the PATC banner in the Ice Park.

 - John Smith

Day 7: Rest Day HAHAHAHAHAHA

After climbing in t-shirts for 6 days in the park and the approach of Winter Storm Lora-Nora whatever- we decided to head over the mountains to the  mining town of Telluride. The morning began with the normal rituals and the glance to the thermometer which was pegged at 30 degrees this morning. I wasn't too expectant of anything short of wet snow fall and cookie-dough snow conditions with these temps. The clouds hung very low in Ouray this morning.  (pic 1).

The hour long drive was punctuated by the groovy tunes on satellite radio and the deceiving road conditions along the way. As we got to Telluride there was a light snow beginning and the temp was still around freezing. We parked in the convenient underground parking and took the gondola to the village to get our rentals-I should have gotten some powder boards in hindsight.

As soon as we boarded the gondola for the mountain something magical was falling from the skies that wouldn't stop until the next day. John was new to deep powder, and after the first run I was giddy. The temps began to drop gradually and at some point it was headed to perfect ski conditions mid 20s but it was still goin down and so was the snow. It seemed like it was snowing 2-3 inches and hour. The wind was having it's moments and we got up pretty high on see forever......but it was blizzardly up there and nothing was really opened.

We skied all day in deep deep powder. I released for the first time in a couple years and lost my ski for 20 mins with half the ski patrol looking for it, but in the end I found her where I thought it would be -uphill instead of down where they insisted it was......alls well-thanks for the help!

Telluride will chew you up and spit you out on the blacks and double blacks make no mistake.....I caught an edge and stretched my MCL in an awkward fall just before I released later and lost my  ski. I took our last day off ice climbing to nurse my geezer frame but geezer #1 climbed all day on day 8. more later.

Snow clouds descend on Ouray
Drive to Telluride
Bridal Veil Falls WI 5-6
	Another flow not far from BVF.
Freezing ass cold on the Polar Queen Express Chair to near blizzard conditions on top. Ya couldn't see forever but would hate to go off Piste by mistake in this terrain.	On See forever run along the ridge. The sign reads to the effect that it is well groomed way the hell up here. Doubtful-it's all double Black Diamonds over this rope.
The homes up here are reals dumps.	How could anyone live here
Beat to shit Geezers.

Day 6 in the Park

I had better take this picture while there were still people here. We had been so busy climbing that we never thought of doing this while everyone was here. Mark Elton, Ryan Shauers, Vincent Penoso, Hillary, John Smith, Erik Ennis.

Before this day begins, we got to bed with memories of great climbing the day before-IN THE RAIN. I couldn't be to amped at the prospect of climbing in the rain again as the forecast warned.

Eri Ennis

Blah-Blah-Blah went to bed slept we all got up, had an awesome breakfast at the Backstreet Bistro-loved it; marched to the park...blah-blah-blah and headed over to Grad School Area to climb. There was a few minutes where snow flakes floated on the air and we grumbled about the impending rain than never came. Over cast skies changed to patches of blue bird skies that we are so accustomed to when we come to Ouray. Ryan, Hillary, Eric, John, Mark & myself set up Research WI3, Masters degree WI3 & Organic Chemistry WI4. The area has routes that are 45m and we have to set anchors and belay from the top of the climbs. The routes that are more upstream do not go all the way to the bottom but the climbs we set up were true to their published ratings but for the last 75feet or so go WI4. This is a great place to climb but my favorite  sections are around the Masters degree that has the best sustained WI3 then over edge at the bottom for the last 100feet I'd say were WI4. The steeper sections are easier to climb than the low angled shit . The day just got prettier and prettier and I hope I can pay justice to this day of climbing with a few images. We all ran laps on the lines we had set up behind the backdrop of the San Juan Mountains. The temperature was 39. The climbs were drippy at the very bottom of the climbs and the ice was percolating but the sticks were good.

	Hillary

Bottom of Grad school
	At the river bed but now yo have to climb out 45meters

	Mark Elton
	Climb Out

The day wound down when the sun dropped behind the mountain backdrop. Mark wanted to set some crazy mixed line down in the school room when we heard the terrifying crashing roar which was the release of a giant piece of ice on the penstock....

High Winds aloft	33 steps to the School Room
Anne came down after work.Must be nice to be able to walk 15 mins. and o climbing. I'd be smiling too!!!!	Mark Elton sending this Mixed piece. I 'd never think to climb behind us there in the School Room.
Mark at the anchors	Mark being lowered-uh, but he forgot his tools at the anchor.
Oooopps, where are my tools?

John and I ran once last  lap on Master's degree and packed it up because I want to do some shopping since we were headed to Telluride in the morning to ski this on coming winter storm.

On the way out, I get a pleasant surprise by seeing Anne who just got off to round her day with some climbing but we were headed out. Mark Elton is sending this mixed route which has a nice draw.  He sets the anchor and then is lowered but john notices that Mark has left his tools at the anchor....Eric , we learn later retrieves his tools.