Archive for January, 2010

22
Jan
10

Two Spots Left on My Feb 5-7 Ouray Ice Climbers’ Course with IMG!!!

Thinking about coming out to Ouray? Get out here!

I’ve still got two more spots left on my 3-Day Ice Climbers’ Course Feb 5-7th! I’ll be instructing the course for International Mountain Guides out of Seattle, one of the world’s most successful expedition and alpine guide services, and it’s a bargain at $600 for three full days of climbing and instruction in the Ouray Ice Park and surrounding areas. In our three days we’ll work on everything from belay skills to the basics of crampon and ice tool techniques as well as advanced ice skills, lead climbing, protection systems and all the climbing you can handle. For a more detailed itinerary check out IMG’s website here, and for questions and booking information shoot me an email at chris@timberlinemtguides.com!

There’s no better time than now. Carpe diem!

22
Jan
10

Skylight, Telluride & Ouray Ice? All In, All Good.

With a good solid week out climbing with guests from as near as Indiana and as far as India, I can say everything around here is in pretty good shape. Check out a a few pics from the week! Here Dan fires the crux on the Camp Bird classic Slippery When Wet (WI4). With a few hundred climbs in the ice park and Cascade falls sitting above town you really don’t have to leave Ouray to find some ice to climb, but if you do, there’s some pretty good stuff out there.

Upper Ames Falls (WI4) in Ames, outside of Telluride was gushing in the middle but super fun on either side as Naime contemplates the send. That day we also climbed Lower and Middle Ames Falls and they were in great shape too, with the first two being a great warm-up at WI2 and 3 and the upper falls at WI4.

And of course there’s Ames Ice Hose if you’re ready.

This week though we stayed in Ouray and the first San Juan storm in weeks added some ambiance as we rapped Slippery When Wet.

We pretty much climbed all of the classics up on the Camp Bird road, including Chockstone Chimney (WI4-, Choppo’s Chimney (WI4), Senator Gulch (WI4), The Skylight (WI5) and a couple more.

Conditions in the Ouray Ice Park have also been great. Here Will fires a steep pillar in the Five fingers area.

Back out at the Skylight area, Dan cruises up the first step on the second pitch of Slip Slidin’ Away, another classic Camp Bird WI4, and below Mayur raps Choppo’s, also WI4.

Horsetail Falls is also in great WI3+/4- conditions, and Bear Creek Falls is getting climbed all the way to the top too! Cascade looks like it might make a comeback and so does Gravity’s Rainbow, and I’ve heard Bridalveil is still in nice and steep.

I’ll try to get some more pics up soon, but there’s a lot of climbing to be done, and with all this new snow we’ll have to get out skiing! So much to do.

09
Jan
10

Ames Ice Hose Top-out

Will tops out the Telluride classic Ames Ice Hose [II WI5] in great shape!

more about "Ames Ice Hose Top-out", posted with vodpod

07
Jan
10

Ames Ice Hose = Pure Pleasure


The mega-classic Ames Ice Hose [II WI5] is in and eating screws the whole way. More photos and video up soon!

04
Jan
10

Vail Ice & Mixed Conditions are Looking Good

12/31/09 – The ice and mixed lines in East Vail are in and turns out: they’re still awesome. The Fang isn’t quite in, but here a local hardman sends on the second pitch of the classic Will Gadd testpiece Amphibian [M9/10?].

Just watching the boys on that one was pretty awesome. Here’s Stanley working out the first roof on that second pitch. Oh the steepness!

Moving on to a quick conditions report: Rigid Designator is in, and is hacked out enough to be pretty easy climbing despite actually being rather steep in places. The bottom is funky but easy, and above the protection is finicky and probably the crux of the route. As you can see in a few pictures, The Fang [WI5] is still quite a way from touching down but looks like it might happen. Octopussy [M8] is a short pillar and doesn’t look reachable. Everything in the Belfry is in. Spiral Staircase is WI3. Secret Probation, Frigid Inseminator and all the other usual suspects are in and climbing very reasonably. Pumphouse looks good. Looking across to Booth Creek, the ice looks big and pretty. Even the Secret Circle area looks pretty good, assuming I’m clear on where that is. Further towards Denver the ice in Officer’s Gulch is looking fat too.

My buddy Eric and I stuck to more moderate terrain with the Designator [WI4+], Cupcake Corner[M5 WI4], Esmeralda [M7 WI4] (which felt harder than the last time I did it), Frigid Inseminator [M5 WI5] and Secret Probation [M7 WI4+], all of which were in great shape, although the Inseminator and the Designator had some tricky pro.

The one really curious thing about the outing was the signage on the approach, though! Apparently they must have had some access issues with the Nordic Center because as you hiked out along the ski trails the signs got progressively more serious to the point where it seemed a little ridiculous. I don’t know what happened to prompt it, but some Nordic skiers must have been fired up about boot prints across the ski track because they’re serious! Check it out.

Serious business. Stay on the snowshoe trail or else.




Christopher Wright

My name is Chris Wright and I'm a mountain guide. My short story is that I was born in the UK, grew up in Pennsylvania and live and work year-round as a mountain guide and avalanche educator in Oregon, Alaska, Colorado and points elsewhere. I'm a member of the American Mountain Guides Association, and am a Certified Rock Guide as well as an Alpine Guide Aspirant. I guide mostly technical alpine and rock climbing, with the occasional expedition and ski trip thrown in there. I'm AIARE Level III Certified and instruct AIARE Level I avalanche courses as well.

In the spring I work in Alaska with the Alaska Mountaineering School, in the summer and fall I live in Bend and work for Timberline Mountain Guides, and in the winter you can most likely find me on Orizaba or in Ouray.

At almost all times you can find me with a pack, a rack and a rope pretty close by.

You can check out photos from all of my trips at the Zenfolio link below, and shoot me an email at chris@timberlinemtguides.com if you're interested in putting together a trip to climb in the Oregon Cascades, Washington's North Cascades, Ouray and Silverton ice climbing, or Mexico and Ecuador's volcanos.

I am a Certified Rock Guide with the American Mountain Guides Association. This means that I've achieved the highest possible certification available in the field of rock guiding. Let's go climbing.