Day 1: Sunday in the Ice Park

On the other side of the world....

The ice here in Ouray is FABULOUS!.

Here are some images from another site!

Today, the tempt to was 38, no wind. we climbed at south park all day ...no fleece, just a shell and minimal gloves. the ice was hard but not brittle. Really weird climbing and it wasn't single digits or teens with wind chill and an ugly ass approach!!! I have never climbed here in the ice park but we paid $278 RT from DCA and with our ice park discount the hotel(s) are insanely affordable. WHY CLIMB ANYWHERE else. We climbed all day. the walk , if we walked to the nearest climb is .4 miles. It is some thing we aren't used back east and more and more towns are wising up to the big $$$$$ draw from ice climbers and setting up their own ice parks in their towns!!! Vincent Penoso


JOhn Oster


Lee Jenkins

Misc. Ouray CLIMBING Videos and Images

John Smith, upstream end of the catwalk above the school house area. At the beginning of the catwalk is where you will find the %#%# ladder down to the rope that leads to the bottom. Going down this %$%$# ladder with crampons and a loaded pack with climbing gear is effin scary. Going up this thing, at the end of a long day running laps, in crampons and a loaded pack with climbing gear is effin scary. Notice the sign they have at the top......

Climb down the death ladder or walk to the end and walk down using a knotted rope the whole way down.
Unknown climber climbing alone at the start of the catwalk next to the ladder. He is climbing on an USHBA ascender.



Steven McCay

Osterizer

Studley

UNknown climber


View of graduate School from end of the school room catwalk. Notice how steep it is at the bottom. That is about 45meters.







John Smith at the lounge. The western most beginning of the Southpark area in Ouray!

Same area with Sir John Oster takin a lap. John is climbing on mis-matched ice tools and BD sabertooth crampons. Awesome.

Anchors Away

John Smith's photo on a girth hitched anchor.

we saw a lot of stupid shit for anchors while there. Nice Screamer placement.


typical anchor set up in a lot of areas throughout the park.

These are my tethers that I had made; they anchor me to my tools?

Telluride Ice Climbing

Telluride is the home of expensive skiing and high end restaurants, but it can be enjoyed more cost efficiently. Just on the other side of the mountains to the west from Ouray via Ridgeway, CO, Telluride offers new world delight s to seasoned wintersports.

Accommodation

We stayed at the Victorian Inn. I think the Inn is the cheapest accommodation in Telluride at around $109.00 per night for a room including a light breakfast. If you opt for the Inn I would recommend making a reservation over the phone and asking for a 2^nd or 3^rd floor room. They have ‘basement’ rooms which get walled in by the snow in winter, which apparently can be a bit grim for winter stays.

Another advantage of staying at the Inn, and probably other places in Telluride, is that they can organise lift tickets with a 30% discount (approximately). They need two days to process the tickets, so if you book a room over the phone, ask about the tickets if you are going to ski too.

The climbing

My wife doesn’t climb, so to get a climb in we needed gear, an instructor and a place. To achieve these requirements I contacted the San Juan Outdoor School (SJOS). I spoke with Josh Butson, the owner and lead guide of SJOS to organise a half day of ice climbing. I focused on a half day because this was the first ice climbing adventure for my wife and if it all went wrong, it was only a four hour trip.

Due to Josh’s style and skill, the trip was brilliant. Josh picked us up at 1pm and drove us to Ames Falls, about 30 minutes away from Telluride. We hiked into Lower Ames Falls (WI3), a very short and easy approach. The ice was in excellent condition and we shared the Falls with one other party.

The guide book covering the area is San Juan Ice Climbs: A Guide to Select Ice Climbs in the San Juans by Damon Johnston.

The coffee

The best coffee I found in town was the Steaming Bean. It opens at 7am and the coffee is superb.

The gear

In Telluride, being a ski town, there are loads of stores for outdoor clothing. The only place I came across technical gear was the Jagged Edge.

The logistics

We decided to get to Telluride via Montrose. We chose Montrose because flying Conclusion to Telluride was far more expensive, i.e., return flights DC – Montrose were around $500.00 cf. DC – Telluride return around $1200.00. The Telluride express will pick you up from Montrose and drop you at your accommodation in Telluride for about $48.00 plus tax and gratuity (so about $100.00 return).

Telluride is a lot of fun and offers everything from ice climbing, back country skiing, resort skiing and more. I think cheaper options for accommodation are available out of town, but you would need a car. I would be happy to answer any questions or queries if anyone has any.

Callum Weeks