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.
Day before the trip. Most folks are all set, some are getting it together but everything seems to fall in to place once we reach escape velocity. The cheapest RT airfare this year came from American airlines. You still have to pay for your own luggage: $25 1st $35 2nd bag each way. You also can't pay for luggage on line. To me it is almost worth paying the luggage fees over carefully packing weighing your gear only to have it dismantled when the TSA tear through your shit and try to repack without tear your goretex or properly repacking. All my hardware went into an Army duffle and I am bringing ski boots, helmet again. She weighs 48.6 pounds. I am using the REI digital baggage scales .
ReplyDeleteClothes and the remainder of my gear went into my stripped down climbing pack as carryon .
Once we get to Ouray the first thing ice climbers must do is BUY AN ICE PARK MEMBERSHIP to support the park and keep our climbing free. Your $40 membership gets you 20% discount on Lodging and 10% discounts on food and selected gear at the shops...
A Wake up and an air flight and the 2014 Ice season begins.