Day 4 in the Scottish Gullies

We got an earlier start this morning in anticipation of a an early weekend crowd that never really materialized. Setting up at the Scottish gullies was the typical snap. The designated anchores are marked at the yellow wands and there you find bolted anchors in the rock.....THANK YOU OURAY ICE PARK. We set up some some nice routes and climbed all day. I climbed next to Jim Domini and his partner who loves golf and i shot a video of them climbing....they were featured in Rock and Ice having just climbving the &^%&^%&^$%^&$ up camp bird road.

Jim Pasterchek	reason for living	Greg Christopolus
BFF	John, Jim, Hellion, Scott	A group of us for 2014
		John Smith
	Crewage	Ouray from box canyon
Vincent	Vincent	Joe
Scott Hartsock	John

Day 3 in The Grad School

After a hearty breakfast at the backstreet Bistro we arrive at grad school. At 45 meters, This area has some of the longest routes in the park. We have an opportunity to use the refined and standardized technique of belaying from the top in guide mode and lowering with an act or similar device with an auto block demonstrated by the San Juan Mountain guide- Dawn Glanc. The crew arrives and we set up 4 lines down the into the gorge. The ice on the harder routes down stream were excellent with solid WI4 from the bottom for 10-15 meters. Lee, Scott, Todd, Joe, John, Jim and myself.

Newbie awrd could go to Ellen who kisked holy ass on this trip.	Scott , a beast on the ice in his own right!	Lions on the Beach
Crew on a beautiful Ouray day	Ellen's smile can be seen in Denver as she is lowered on the crag's hardest line. not bad for a newbie!	John
Add caption		Playing with marbles!~
		Newbie of the year!

Day 2 in the School Room

Day 2 in paradise was like every other day except this year we rented a car and were at the park with even less effort if that were possible. Greg Christopolus joined us this day 12 years since he last swung an ice tool; Greg is our 70 year old new addition to our crew who kick ass. Be began the day at school room and were hard pressed to beat the Korean contingent who arrive for an ice climbing course. You never met a friendlier or a more enthusiastic crowd at the park! So much fun. One thing that was different this year was the city of Ouray purchased the ice park from the USFS but still run by the Ice park personel. The city's liability insurance does;t cover manmade structures per se so the scary stair are closed off and only used for emergencies. The downside to this is we must use the heinous down climb up stream. Most people do just fine but I would have to hook something and take the plunge with all your gear down this gully. I clipped the ropes on the way down for shits and giggles....One image shows the big log jam on the down climb. The weather was beautiful. about 30ish or warmer, ice was dry and the sky was blue. What else do you want?

Greg Christopolus and Lee Jenkins	Traffic jam on the down climb in School Room	Add caption
Crew from Denver: Todd, Joe, Scott and Annette	Beasty mixed climber	Jim Pasterchek
Vincent	John Smith	Joe, lee, Scott
	no snot sicles	from the catwalk looking down in to the School room
Joe and Annette

Day 1 just off the couch in South Park

We arrived in Montrose January 21 and it was like any other year traveling to Ouray to climb ice, I slept all but 20 minutes of each 2.5 hour leg from Washington, DC. The plane was wheels down at at 1235pm and we grabbed our Chevy Equinox all wheel drive and were on our way. It was weird not seeing Betty or Ted Wolfe pick us up from the airport as they have done for many years becasue we stay at their hotel in Ouray-The Comfort Inn. We made the cutomary stop at safeway in Montrose and stocked up on a few groceries and drove to Ouray, stopping off in Ridgeway to take in the sights before we checked in to the hotel. The evening was spent sorting gear and reassembling backpacks. 630am comes early when coming from the east coast and I was up a little before that. A combination of altitude, time change, dryness and strange surroundings make for a fitful sleep the next 48 hours. We meet in the breakfast room and touch base with everyon who has made it there the first day. We decided to hump it down to South Park and set up some very easy lines for our freinds new to climbing ice.We had a great day "just off the couch" and we climbed in South Park with Lee Jenkins, Ellen, John Smith, Annette, Joe, Todd, James Pasterchk & Scott Hartsock.

John and Ellen at south park	John, Annette and Scott	Scott on the South PakPillar
Lee Jenkins	Lee Jenkins is the new American Alpine Club chairman for the western Colorado district. Congrats Lee	John, Ellen and Lee Jenkins

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 ??