Ouray Ice Park 2019

Ouray 2022: Panfest Jaunary 25

2022-03-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

The interest in Ouray this year was over the top given the fact we have been cooped up for a couple pandemic years. The pandemic had left its mark in Ouray Colorado as we made our collective ways to the southwestern mining town for our annual ice climbing trip. Everyone in town has had covid, but our group were veterans in the covid wars and took the precautions second nature to us…

So it seemed at first warmer than most years with the ice not quite Ouray Fat. The first day in the park brought us to School Room and the Park staff handiwork really shone in the work they have done since spring and the disastrous rock slide that tool out the catwalk and penstock.

(pic of the last day)

Ouray Day 7: Scottish Gullies 1/31

2022-03-13T17:33:00.003-07:00

Ouray Day 6: 1/30

2022-03-13T17:32:00.003-07:00

Ski Purgatory

Day 5 Sunday 1/29

2022-03-13T17:29:00.003-07:00

The weekend

Day 4: Saturday: Telluride 1/28

2022-03-13T17:29:00.001-07:00

Telluride was expensive.

Day 3 : New Funteir 1/27

2022-03-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

The crew set up on the lower, longer climbs in the New Funtier. Most of the crew came down some fixed lines but we came down to checkout the classic downclimb which is part of the via ferrata. ALmost better to do tis without crampons until you get down.

Ouray Day-1 January 26

2022-03-13T17:22:00.003-07:00

The crew made their way down to the School room.

Day 2 Ouray: South Park

2019-02-11T03:34:00.001-08:00

This image was taken the night we arrived. We searched and could not spot the club sticker right away; I placed the sticker when the brewery opened whenever that was.

We get up at 0630 and Emily & Bill, our new hosts, provide us with hot breakfasts to see us through a days climbing in the park.

We use to leave our rooms at 0730 and work ourselves into a lather in the 15 min walk up to the park and by the time we reached the bridge, we'd be ready to climb....Now a days, the bus (our rental car) would leave at 0745 sharp to be there at the shack to gear up.

By the 2nd day we should have had a routine down where you plop down, put on your harness, crampons, take off layers, put on your helmet and rush to the anchor of your choice. I would haul ass so I could claim whatever route I selected at breakfast. As the weekend rolled around, there would be more and more people and being efficient when you geared up saved you a walk to south park.

I talked about maybe arriving on a Monday, instead of a Tuesday in 2019. This would give us 3 days in the park to climb, with Friday being the rest day to ski somewhere when the ice park becomes a frozen zoo with weekend climbers.

VIDEO

Day One 2018: School Room

2018-01-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

Once we got situated in our new ownership digs at the comfort Inn and arrived on time the day before, we got to the nearly deserted ice park vacated after the biggest Ouray Ice Festival ever a few days earlier. I decided to take the group photo as soon as I thought about it. Every year we take a picture and half the folks flake out or something. 2 of the climbers pictured, Alina and Mack, summited Mount Everest last year on separate expeditions, but they saw each other at base camp. This was Mack's 3rd attempt. The 2nd attempt ended in tragedy when 5 members of his team perished during the earthquake that struck in 2015.

With the experience of 8 consecutive seasons at the same time of year, we wasted no time in claiming ice routes in the nearby School Room.

These routes are oh so simple to set up as the park provided bolts and chains to facilitate a safe and convenient anchor setup.

There have been improvements at the School room and most of you who dread the down climb into this area will appreciate the following images.

Ice Park Engineering

DAY Four: New Funtier

2016-02-02T11:50:00.002-08:00

Day Five guarantees a splendid day for all as we wake up and lumber into the park later than I ever had and dod not expect to find anything open to climb on when alas, the line next to Captain Godammit was open. I re-met Elias, a San Juan Mountain guide from Espana who was teaching a class. I slung some trees and tossed my rope. Later I discovered that the new anchors for New Funtier and South Park were located at the yellow fiber glass sticks which consisted of 3 bolted anchors embedded in a base of 2000 pounds of concrete.

We had 3 lines set up. I down climbed the heinous roped walk down.....boy howdy did that suck a stack of day old pancakes.

We climbed and climbed and climbed and finally climbed out and I belayed Sir Pasterchek from the top.

Ice Climbing at the New Funtier

Day 3: Shit House Wall

2016-01-22T00:23:00.000-08:00

We got an early start on this day anticipating some paralyzing soreness from a full day of skiing at Telluride and walked to the nearest climbing area from the hotel- The shithouse wall. This area is most WI5 with only a few WI4 that we had set up with long static lines to trees and then do a heinous down climb to the bottom.

Day 2: Unexpected REST Day

2016-01-21T19:42:00.000-08:00

In Previous years, after 3-4 days of swinging ice tools, we resign to taking a break from climbing ice and go skiing. In the last 30 minutes of climbing the day before we saw a front roll through and snow start to fall. Lee offered to drive to Telluride so we rolled out the next morning at 7am.

Skiing at Telluride is best when there is at least 18" of fresh pow-pow that has been my experience in years gone by, so we settled for 8". Skiing at Telluride is not cheap. The lift ticket was $115 and the ski rental was $64.

Hmmmm Did I also rent boots that I didn't need? Oh well. So our rest day involved skiing in the country's premiere ski area with vistas worth more than money could buy.

photo by Lee Jenkins

Day One : Just off the Couch in Ouray 2016

2016-01-20T20:55:00.000-08:00

The 2015-2016 Ouray season finally started and the ice was farmed 3-4 weeks late due the warm temperatures but just in time for the 2016 Ouray Ice Festival and Competition. Then of course there was the burst penstock during the festival which an over the top incident that was of concern and sht down park of the park. The Ouray Ice Park is under a new managment style that affects everything from the work force farming the ice to the purchasing of ice park memberships through the Ouray Ice Park Website which now affects the validation process for the 20% lodging discounts from participating local merchants.

This is the School room

The burst penstocks further exascerbates affects the warm weather by the water diverted by the electric company upstream which has a volume of water flowing through the ice park at unprecedented levels which affects where you can belay from. Many of the climbs in South Park have to be belayed from the top.

Fast forward to January 20th first day off the couch. The same song is playing in Ouray, blue bird skies , hero ice and an insane 33 degrees of weather that terribly spoils eastern climbers.

We climbed in the School Room on the first day and met some friendly Aussies who gave us pointers on how to speak Aussie....JACINTA & BRAIDEN, Lee Jenkins, Greg Cristopolus,Cort Zabel, James PAsterchek, Stevie Macay, Marty Comiskey & John Penrose.

Day One: off the couch.

2015-01-22T18:58:00.000-08:00

For some of us, this first day in the park would be the first swings of the year. Since it was pretty cold we hike to the far end of the park and had our way with the climbs at South Park with hopes of playing in the sun this day. It was kinda cold with the wind coming up the gorge. You couldnt ask for better conditions really. Good ice and good friends!! Bluebird skies!!

Piotr

Doug

Lee and James

Marty

Scott

Greg and Vincent

Wait for it

Lee

Travel day january 21

2015-01-21T17:45:00.000-08:00

After about the 2 or 3rd year, the trip become rather routine . wait for the best flight and buy a ticket. [only to pay way extra for 2nd and 3rd piece of luggage] pack, arrive in Montrose, climb the next morning. This is like the 5th or 6th year and we have ( I have) never been delayed or bumped coming here.

Fast forward 2015. The forecast for January 21 was a snow event by mid morning in Alexandria. By the time I left DCA, my Chicago connection was delayed which pushed back my arrival into MTJ. This snow event delayed flights across our area of travel. I contacted my travel mates with modern technology and everyone was delayed to different degrees of delyaness.....After all that, we roll in at 4pm and Greg at 7pm. Everyone in Good spirits: Lee jenkins, Marty Comisky, Doug Halonen, Scott Hatrsock, James Pasterchek, Greg Christopulus, Stephen MaCay, Piotr , Peter Smith from AK, Karl Slinginger, Ian, and me. Going down to a crip 4 above.

Ouray 2015

2014-09-28T20:35:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year of climbing Ice.

I know it's only September 2014 but I have already priced tickets from DCA to MJT is $465. I heard you may get a better deal actually calling the airlines.

I am planning on arriving at the same time, just after MLK weekend, on Wednesday and staying for at least a week.

This is a club trip that's not really a club trip because there aint no deposits, no schedules, no puissant race for the best bunk ( well unless you rent a house or something I suppose), no requirement for membershit, and especially, no stinkin badges.

Comes as you are, climb your ass off, make new friends.

The are new climber clinics provided by San Juan Guides that you'd take for a day or 2 gear provided for the clinic, then you can simply join the group and climb in the park. Newbies come every year, who are now ice mongers. You can arrange gear rental with the shops or guide service for the remainder of your stay....You can find all this info somewhere on this website; you don't need a car. Many hotels will pick you up and drop you off at the airport in Montrose if you stay with them...the ice park is a leisurely 10 minute walk and so on.

SO, WEDNESDAY January 21th-2015 is when the fun can begin YMMV.

We someties forget to get everyone together for a group picture until people have left and at the last possible minute.

Day 5: Back to the Shool Room

2014-02-09T08:16:00.000-08:00

John wanted to lead something so we returned to School Room on this day. Ryan Jones joined us this morning who hooked up with us through Mark Eldon who joined our last year. Ryan is a guide in Washington and we were fortunate to climb with him and pick his brain for tips and tricks. Another wonderful session in the park. Chicks with Picks had a few clinics going on and the empty rope police began hounding us as they should for hogging climbing lines that no one was climbing.

Day 4 in the Scottish Gullies

2014-01-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

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

Joe

Scott Hartsock

John

Day 3 in The Grad School

2014-01-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

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

2014-01-22T10:08:00.000-08:00

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

2014-01-22T09:02:00.000-08:00

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

2013-09-05T05:11:00.000-07:00

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 !!

2013-01-31T10:33:00.001-08:00

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

2013-01-31T10:15:00.001-08:00

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

2013-01-30T09:10:00.001-08:00

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.