Ouray Colorado

Yankee Boy Basin Wildflowers are blooming like crazy..... and to think that next weekend is thought to be the peak... The reds, blues, yellows, pinks, white dots in the field are spectacular and my photography skills just don't do it any justice... Anyway, here goes...




One remaining FJ climbs through more fields of green grasses and beautiful flowers...

Lovely times with family strolling in nature. What a time to connect!

A nice hike to Wrights Lake yielded this afternoon shot:









Many columbine were out, but, there are soooo many more to come in the next couple of weeks.

There are still many streams and small waterfalls coming out of the snow melt on high...

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Greetings from Grindelwald! I'm firing this post out from the Mountain Hostel in Grindelwald, Suisse. In a few minutes I'll jump on the train to Zurich and be headed back to the States. My future daughter has been waiting patiently for me to return, so I better get to it! Despite some rough weather and difficult conditions the last couple weeks, Dr. Forg and I managed to have a great 12 day trip in three of the main alpine centers in Europe.

We started off in Chamonix to 2 solid days of driving rain that left Mont Blanc covered in loads of fresh snow. With a n avalance catching parties the day before and more rain coming we opted to bail to Zermatt early. One more rainy day spent in the Gorner Gorge, and day 4 dawned clear. We did a couple routes on the Riffelhorn. The photo above is of the doc on the summit.
We then climbed Pollux the next day in fine weather. After that came the ultra-classic Half-Traverse of the Breithorn. Photo 2 shows Pat hydrating before heading to the third summit of the traverse. We went up to the Matterhorn the next day for some recon, and soon found too much fresh snow still covering most of the route.
So instead, the next day we bussed over to the Saas Valley and climbed the beautiful 15 pitch Panorama Route (5b or 5.8) on the SE face of the Jagihorn. Excellent climbing and a beautiful day. As we waited at the bus stop, I got a call informing me that the Mittellegi Hut on the Eiger would not be opening for our reservation to climb on the 22nd.

We still went to Grindelwald, and instead went to the Monch Hut and climbed the pleasant SE Ridge to the summit. A hearty lunch, and we were ready to try the Jungfrau the next day. But once again the mountains had different ideas. We awoke to a stiff wind, biting snow, and bad visibility. Above you can see the weather still enveloping the Eiger in the afternoon. We went back doen the Jungfraubahn to Grindelwald and enjoyed a nice hike below the Schwarzhorn instead. This beautiful landscape is ust below the towering North Face of Wetterhorn and inhabitated by many lazy and friendly alpine cows.More to come from Colorado! Cheers, Clint

I had a great week in Zermatt with Paul from New York. We started with a shake-down day on the Riffelhorn just to see where he was at. I hadn't climbed with Paul before, and was pleasantly surprised with both his skill level and good humor. We took a quick run up the Skyline route and down the normal route to practice some short-roping techniques and he did very well. The photo below is on our first summit of the day, very picturesque with the main event in the background.After the Skyline, we headed around to the South Face and climbed the nine (short) pitches of the Thermoteregg Couloir Route (French 4c). It was a beautiful day and the climbing was super-fun. Paul cruised all the pitches in approach shoes, and we had the popular climbing area all to ourselves. You can see him below climbing the classic dihedral first done in the 1940's!
Day's 2 and 3 were some fine rain in the valley, with high winds up high. After waiting, unsuccessfully, for the Kleine Matterhorn tram to open for an attempt on Pollux we opted to take in the Gorner Gorge Adventure instead. The next day the lift was open, but the weather was only good enough for tea in the buffet at 3800 meters with the rest of the local guides. Day 4 dawned clear, and we went up to climb the classic Half-Traverse of the Breithorn. We tagged along behind local guide Sam Anthamatten, who was kind enough to chop beautiful steps up the hard snow approach. Paul loved the climb, and he was looking in fine shape to give the Matterhorn a go. The photo below is leading up the top of the third rock step.
On July 9th we went up to the Hornlihutte, scoped the first hour of the route, and had a delicious pork chop and mashed potato dinner. The local guides were not yet guiding the route due to the recent snows covering much of the route. This definitely ramps up the difficulty of climbing the Matterhorn, and there were a number of recreational parties still trickling in at 1am as we slumbered in our bunks!

We awoke at 3:30am to still skies and warm temperatures. After a couple cups of coffee we were first out the door, followed closely by a couple friendly brits we had shared the dinner table with the night before. Conditions made it a little slower than usual, but we made it to the top in good form, the first team for the day. The first photo shows me leading up the Lower Moseley Slab with the Solvay hut at the top.
This photo is from the summit of the Matterhorn, where Paul proudly displays his local gym's t-shirt. It was absolutely perfect on top!
We made good time back down through softening snow, and had 5 minutes to spare on the last lift back to Zermatt!
Cheers! Clint

I was in Yankee Boy for a day of snow school with David today. Condidtions are still great for spring alpine snow and mixed climbing in the San Juan's. The SW ridge of Sneffel's has great snow leading to the ridge. The north facing routes on Gilpin still look to be amazing. Teakettle is hanging in there as well. This is certainly proving to be a most amazing spring alpine season.

Visited the Black Canyon on Sat. Part of our group climbed Maiden Voyage & the other part did Leisure Climb. What a spectacular place to climb!

Other outings this past week included a trip up the Light Line just south of Ouray. This 1200 foot alpine rock route provides such an impressive view of the valley from Ironton all the way to Ouray.

Happy Trails,
Kevin

I just wrapped up a fun 4 days with Mark from McCook, Nebraska. He's got one of those great attitudes that just makes it fun to be with. Even if things don't go quite as planned! After missing his first flight to Geneva, Mark made it to Switzerland, but his bags didn't. After collecting them and making his way to Zermatt we took in the unique Gorner Gorge Adventure. This is a super fun course of ladders, zip-lines, and tarzan swings through the scenic Gorner river gorge. It would be perfect for the Ouray Ice Park in summer. OCRA are you listening!
The next day we took the trams up to Kleine Matterhorn, traversed the Breithorn Plateau and climbed the classic Southwest Ridge of Pollux. This is a great mixed ridge route and excellent training for the Matterhorn. As you crest the main rock difficulties you are greeted by one of the many Madonnas guarding over the Alps.The next day was our scheduled day to head to the Hornlihutte in prep for the Matterhorn. The forecast wasn't stellar, but we kept our fingers crossed and hoped it wouldn't be too bad. Unfortunately it was. Just as we stepped in the hut, the skies opened and dumped a few inches of hail and snow on the Matterhorn. Knowing that the next day's conditions would not be too good for attempting the 'horn we opted to cut our losses and head back to Zermatt.

On our last day we climbed the Breithorn, and got some good photos for Mark's local newspaper travel section.
Before heading back down the trams to Zermatt, we stepped into the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, where a frozen Buddha statue greeted us!

With a bit of daylight left we decided to have one more adventure on the Klettersteig Schweifine above Zermatt. This is a true via ferratta course with plenty of exposure and lots of fun!Berg Heil! CC

Climbed the North Face Couloir again today with a gentleman from California. Bill and I have done a lot of routes together and it was great to get to show him one of the lesser known San Juan gems.We walked up the Wright's Lake trail until below Gilpin, from there it is a quick climb up good snow and ice. Depending on which exit you choose, it can be as steep as 70 degrees with bits of water ice and mixed climbing. Last week we did the right gully finish, today we did the far left. Both were fun, left was more mixed. The center looks to have the largest cornice still hanging over it.
It should be good for another week or so, but go early. It catches the first sun of the range, and the descent was already sloppy at 0900. Overall it seems quiet in the Sneffels Range this year.Have Fun! CC

Dallas Peak Climb Sunday June 22, 2008Kevin and I took four guys over to climb the South Face Couloir on Dallas Peak on Sunday.
This seldom climbed couloir offers a direct line straight up to the summit block. It involved a 2.5 hour hike, a couple thousand feet of snow, ice, and rock up to M3, and the steep final summit block. All the lads did well, and were psyched on having completed one of the more technical alpine routes of their careers.

I also guided the North Face Couloir on Gilpin, and it too is in good condition. The south facing couloirs should have another week of good snow and ice, and the north facing aspects 3 weeks or so.

Cheers, CC

Today, the Bicycle Tour of Colorado descended on the town of Ouray. What a great group of people and what a fun filled event. Here are a couple of pictures of the outdoor campers at the Fellin Park in lovely Ouray Colorado. A quick tour of town found many folks walking around but choosing for an early dinner and lots of ice cream!

Many merchants hope that they come back again, including myself!

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

I climbed the beautiful South Couloir on Teakettle today with some guys from the Front Range. It was in great condition and we made good time. We followed the direct line up through all the narrow sections to the small summit block. It is mainly nice neve with a bit of hard ice in spots right now.

I've also been up Dallas Peak and Gilpin Peak by their steep couloir routes, and they are equally fantastic right now. Get it while you can.

Cheers, CC

With much excitement and anticipation, The Fries Family and Main Street Theater has brought back the famed San Juan Odyssey. Last Night was opening night to a great crowd. The Odyssey will be shown nightly at 7:30 pm at Main Street Restuarant.

A crew of Ouray County folks went up into Yankee Boy Basin on Saturday in search of good spring corn season. We left Ouray around 0600, and drove to the end of the plowed Camp Bird Road (361). A short skin up the road and we were under Teakettle. There is a ton of snow left up there and a bunch of good size chunder piles as well, making for tricky conditions in spots. We decided to go up Kismet East as it has a number of good options depending on how the daily corn conditions form up.

From the top, the San Juans were beautifully laid out in morning light, and we could see a good set of tracks leading to the summit of Sneffels. The southern couloirs on Kismet were still pretty firm, with alternating bed surface and debris skiing. We opted to descend the way we came. The east ridge was just loosening up, and there were great patches of corn on the steeper slopes. We all mached down the shady hardpack to the truck and called it good.

Spring Skiing in the San Juans is always a bit of a scavenger hunt. Finding a beautiful line with the right snow conditions makes the endeavor almost as much fun as the reward. When it is timed right, the steepest lines in the range fall away as if they were merely the lower Plunge at T-ride. The skiing should be good into June. So get up early and enjoy what many locals agree is the best skiing of the year.

FYI, there is a good track for Sneffels climbers, but snowshoes are definitely advised for the afternoon wallow back.

Caio, CC

I just got back from 2 weeks of guiding in the Alaska Range. We were based out of the Root Canal Glacier, under the South Face of The Mooses Tooth. The first week was very busy with many climbers coming up to the Root Canal. Unfortunately there were also enough pulses of moisture to keep us from climbing to the summit.

The second week was much better, and I headed back in with long-time client Bob O. We arrived late in the evening of the 5th. We set a quick camp and went to bed. We left camp at 0430, quickly reaching the base and the first 5.6 rock step. Nine hours later we we at the col between the Central and Main Summits. After a quick break we climbed the remaining ice steps and snow ridges up to the Main Summit. A bit of down-climbing and 19 rappels later we were back on the glacier. 14 hours camp-to-camp.
We took a couple days of rest, walked up the Incisor, and got fired up to try Shaken not Stirred. Shaken is a more ambitious effort, and the couple parties who had done it before us all commented on its more sustained and technical nature. We again left at 0430, making the short walk down glacier to the base. It opened with a sweet pitch of 5.7 leading into 3 more pitches of fantastic thin mixed climbing. We cruised up a bunch of steep snow leading to the Narrows. 500-600 feet of tight chimneys, chockstones, and slots with thin ice formed the crux of the route. We negotiated a couple WI6/M5 cruxes and were soon looking at Englishman's Col above. We gained a good anchor above the col and started the rappels. 16 raps later we were headed back to camp.

Shaken was an incredible experience, one of my favorite alpine routes I have done anywhere. It was in thin and more difficult condition than usual this year, but I think this ended up making it more fun!

I'm back in the San Juans now, it snowed again, the skiing should be great until the middle of June I think!

Go here to check out Bob's in depth report on Shutterfly. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QbsmjJq4bPbA&emid=sharview&linkid=link5

Cheers, CC

The Backstreet Bagel did it again! What a fun evening event. It was promoted as the "African Percussion Band" and it was fun.

The members of the band were from Zimbabwe and the place was rockin'. The evening had a nice crowd, a fun group of performers, and some local flair.

At one point, everyone was standing and dancing with these guys singing and playing their drums. When they took a break, local kids and adults jumped in for some fun. Enjoy the photos.

Karen@ BCL

Last week Chad Peele and I made the likely first descent of a steep, narrow couloir in the Corbett Creek Cirque. At the headwaters of the Corbett Creek drainage, this rugged cirque is bounded by steep and complex terrain on east side of Corbett Peak. In the photo above, we skied the obvious couloir coming off a small rock peak on the left end of the ridge. While only four miles from Ouray, the approach covers 5000' vertical feet and requires navigation of some steep and convoluted terrain. Despite the effort, it was easily worth the incredible 2000' chute we skied. With knee deep, dry powder and excellent stability, the 40+ degree upper chute was in decidedly perfect condition. Making jump turns through the skinny couloir, with deep powder underfoot and bordered by rock towers and minarets on all sides, was a stunning skiing experience.

On Saturday, March 29th, Clint Cook of San Juan Mountain Guides graciously took four ladies ice climbing for the first time. We may have been on the kids hill, but, we are excited for more! See, Ice Climbing, it's not just for twenty five year old men anymore...

This great blurb showcases the following spirited and lovely gals (if I do say so myself):

Here is a clip of some interesting things happening in Ouray at the Ourayale House. Hutch, the proprietor, opened up in January 2008 and his place is gaining in popularity.

He makes a great beer and it is quite entertaining. He is opened nightly at 6pm but if you knock at his door and he is around, he typically just lets you in anytime...




Karen@ Box Canyon Lodge

One of Ouray's newest establishments is the Ourayale House, which serves a great beer. This installment brings you a nice brewery tour by the master brewer, Hutch.




The Ourayale House is located on 7th Avenue in Ouray Colorado and opened in January 2008.

Enjoy: Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

The park is in great spring conditions. There is plenty of soft stuff in the sun to climb, or look for the more northerly aspects where there is lots of colder plastic ice still around.

I haven't been up to the skylight in a while, but I would guess that it and choppo's have melted out at the tops. Maybe the Ribbon will come in?

Wear Sunscreen!

Climbed the Stairway today. Primo conditions all the way. Easy approach, perfect sticky blue ice, and a fine glissade down. Its finally in as it should be. The avalanche path below is quite impressive. It banks up the other side of the canyon with numerous large trees broken off.

Just a small glimpse into the late night crowd in Ouray.




From the girl on the scene: Karen

Checking out the town, here is Lora Slaw... at the Chalet. It is quiet here, but, that is because of all the hooting and hollering out and about.




Karen @Box Canyon

Later in the evening, we stumbled in and found some fun at Backstreet Bagel on Main Street! The band that was playing is the Hillbilly Hotel and the drummer is Ducket's own Kevin!

Enjoy...




Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Here is a great little video of fun & excitement at Elks Lodge #492 in Ouray as they celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Beautiful day in the San Juans. Ice and ski conditions continue to be excellent.

The Skylight climbs are all super fat. The top-outs on Skylight and Choppo's are very hollow, be careful as temps warm up. The bottom third of Killer Pillar has fallen away, but the remainder is excellent climbing and the corner below is fun drytooling, it will soon come down in one dramatic crash so watch your belay and get it while you can. There are a number of thin short mixed lines that are rarely formed up along the road as well. Maybe this next winter blast will allow for some ascents.

Some guys went and checked out Bridalveil today, and sent me the following shots. Looked like it hadn't been done in a spell and they found fresh sticky ice with big hollow mushrooms on top. They climbed the right side, there were 3 significant roofs that had to be negotiated. Full Bridalveil Style, never very hard but definitely engaging. Cheers!

The skiing on Red Mountain Pass continues to be incredible. We did a short tour up Carbon and down the popular Oh Boy Couloir. Fresh tracks and soft snow, very nice. We are all looking forward to the excellent spring ski season to come, although the ice climbing is still great.

Get out and enjoy! Clint

In Ouray, the Hot Springs Pool is a welcome relief after a long snow. The pool is open year round and is a great place to get some much needed exercise. There are lap lanes (ranging in temperatures from 65 - 76 Fahrenheit in the winter -- Today it was a balmy 68.).

A second pool contains water that is about 96 degrees and many people come Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings for a little water aerobic workout and finish up with a little social hour

Yesterday we received about 12 inches of snow so today with the BlueBird Skies, it was stunningly beautiful.

I hope you enjoy the show!





Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Hello Skiers,

Nancy Wolkin, the proprietor of Denim of Antiquity invited me into her store today so that I could get a feel for her shop.

She sells one of a kind denim jackets. She purchases denim jackets of all kinds and then uses antique fabrics to dress them up and they are really cool.

Her shop is at 450 Main Street in Ouray Colorado. Take the tour. It is really very interesting.




Karen @ http://www.boxcanyonouray.com

Rocky Mountain Treasures and Gifts is located in Ouray Colorado. They sell unique gifts and novelties in their store on Main Street. The shop is owned by Bruce & Tamara Gulde.

Take a tour of their store and tell us what you think.




Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Despite a few days of warm weather the Ice Park was in great shape today.  A few inches of fresh snow and blue skies today made for an idyllic day.  Even better is how quiet it is during the week these days - no competition for routes and whole sections to yourself.  Ahhhh...   Not to mention the easy sticks...

I was at the Skylight yesterday with Dee, Angie, & Jimmy. Conditions were great! The Skylight proper is very wet but all others in the area are perfect. Killer piller continues to grow top to bottom. The top is forming this huge mushroom & subsequently a formidable roof.

The mid-week climbing in the park has been quite slow. Those who are making it out are finding amazing ice from end to end. Rob and Mike are doing a great job rebuilding and growing what is currently there. If you see these guys around town, buy them a sando or beer!

Happy Trails,
Kevin

Hey all.

Had a great day of guding in the Ice Park yesterday and the conditions are looking really good for this time of the year.

The schoolroom area in particular is looking great and has healed up very well from the Prez weekend onslaught of folks.

Have at it as this is as good as it gets and the crowds are minimal during the week.

Cheers,

Bill

Today I drove by Gravities Rainbow on my way to Silverton. Gravities was looking especially beat out with obvious delams and rotten sections with horizontal cracks running thru the lower section. I think you might be able to squeak an ascent in but it is definitely user beware at this point in the season.

In Eureka, things are looking good but the snow has been a major inconvenience. I guided whorehouse hoses which is phat and especially nice now that there is a solid trail going to the base. The lower and upper pitches are great with good sticks and solid ice. There is obvious avalanche debris between the first and second pitch so be aware and make sure to check the avy report for any future ascents in this valley.

Stairway to heaven (which we were hoping to do) does not have a trail kicked in and looks as if you could ski it. If anybody wishes to kick in a trail and clear snow from the route with a large broom, please be my guest!

Thanks Again to Alain, Calixte, and Jay! They made the most of the ice this season, and got some great photos too! Here is their final installment for the 08 season.

want to say THANKS for the snowshoes last week.
This is what we were up too.... Bear Creek, did solar circus, WI5+ conditions, VERY wet, and extreme daggers over us! a MASSIVE peace broke after we were back to safety! very lucky, it would of killed us.
Long approach, 3 1/2 hours, bit good times.
We tough it was a FA until we rapped down and saw a V thread top of last pitch on climbers right. Must of been an ascent earlier in the season.
we had been looking at it for a while and was formed earlier, broke off and formed again recently.
This was our last mission with Jay before leaving the Ice world. Have to say, Ouray was awesome!!!

anyways, here are a few pics for your blog....
We finally left the cold and made it back to Moab, now in Austin Texas after a long 3 day marathon behind the wheels...
feels good to be in T - shirt now!

The climbs at the Skylight area continue to grow. All are in great shape. A couple parties have been up to the Talisman, although I don't know if anyone has climbed it yet. Here are some views of the addict himself on Killer Pillar in the morning sunshine.

Also climbed Gravity's a few days ago. It was very punky but climbable. It is even warmer now though. Might be done for the time being.

Slipped over to Ophir area today for a little ice climbing, and snuck in a bit of skiing too.  We were hoping to climb up in Crack Canyon, but found the east facing climbs in poor shape with all the warm weather.  Looked as if they were great until a day or so ago...  Skied up in the canyon to see if anything was in on the west facing wall, but found only snow.  So we settled with a fun mixed/thin ice line on the lower Ophir Wall.  It warmed up and nearly fell apart as we climbed, but was quite enjoyable.  

While out and about, we had a look at Ames Ice hose - it looks fantastic.  Thick on the upper pitch, and a wee thin at the start.  Ames Falls looked good as well, although a tad wet...

The bonus of the day was GREAT CORN SKIING over the talus slopes below Crack Canyon and the Ophir wall.  Who would have thought we'd have good corn snow already??  With tonight's storm it will be a bit longer before we get to enjoy that again though.  When we left, the storm system was moving in fast with strong winds out of the SW.  

Skied this morning on the newly re-opened pass.  There is quite a bit of windslab, but great skiing on N & NW aspects below treeline.  Lots of signs of natural avalanches during the past storm and from the sounds of the control work being done this morning, some large triggered slides occured.  Didn't get a chance to see them, but certainly heard them - yipes!  Significant amounts of wind transport has happened over the past few days and felt the most cohesive slabs I've felt all winter in wind affected areas.  Sking is good, but I'd advise a great deal of caution for the next few days.

On the way down, we had a great view of Gravity's Rainbow and the other climbs in the area. Conditions looked fantastic!

The snow and warmer weather has healed and filled things back in.  It appears that at least one person climbed Kennedy's this morning, but no tracks up to the other climbs yet.  All look very good, despite some strong sun this morning.  

Weehawken Creative Arts has been sponsoring various dance classes for the youth in Ouray County. Natasha teaches numerous classes such as tap, jazz, ballet, and hip-hop. There are 75 kids enrolled in these classes that take place at the Wright Opera House just about every day.

In the spring, there will be a Peter Pan production and Natasha told me that all the kids will be able to be in the production.

Here are a few images from the classes from Debbie Clapsadyl. Her daughter, Hunter, is enrolled.







Karen
Box Canyon Lodge

Today, Kimerra and Jessi were skating at Rotary Park. These two gals live in Ridgway but came up for the afternoon for some fun outdoors. The ice is in the best shape that it has been in for years. The surface is well plowed and the ice is very smooth. Will Clapsadl is the official "Ice Man" at Rotary Park and we are so grateful that he is taking such care. Thanks Will!






Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

It is Saturday Morning at the Ouray Ice Festival. On the lower bridge, you can see there are numerous vendors and climbers from around the world. People can demo all the latest in equipment.


Here is a gal, climbing on the Kids Wall, just learning how to do it.


Spectators watch as the competition heats up


New at the Ice Park this year is the Kids climbing wall. It is easily accessible from the road, has a great pitch, beautiful ice and you can come and test drive the sport before you commit to loving it.


See all the people on the kids wall. In fact, it isn't just for kids anymore! Adults of all ages are learning to climb.

This lady is descending into the gorge before she starts up.


We have competitors from around the world that come to Ouray to compete.
More spectators watching the early morning competition

Jodi from La Papillion Bakery cooks up some warm food for the spectators and participants. He makes a fantastic gumbo.


Just another perfect blue sky day in Ouray. We received about 4 inches of snow last night and it left the landscape with a brilliant white sheen. The red building is our beautiful county courthouse.


Getting ready for the gorge.


Vendor tents along the road in the ice park.


Participants watch from viewing stands funded by gifts from Asolo, one of the main sponsors of the event.



Climbing clinics abound during the festival. There are over 80 different clinics sponsored by the various vendors. There is also a bunch of gear that can be demoed for free.

The Ouray Elks Lodge made breakfast this morning for those that wanted to eat pancakes, sausage, bacon and biscuits and gravy. This is Phil Martinez. He is one of the Trustees and loves to cook. He also works at the Ruby Trust Mine.

Manette Steele is the District Deputy for the Western Slope. She also loves to cook and loves early morning gigs.
The Ouray French Team was also part of the fun. They are raising money for a trip to Paris this coming March and worked to serve the ice fest participants a hearty breakfast.


This is Tom Tyler performing cleanup. He was there early but refused pictures until the coffee had been built up in his system. He is not a morning person :-)


All in all, another great day in Ouray!

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Tonight the Ouray Volunteer Fire Department hosted a dinner with the Ice Park at the Ouray Community Center. Vendors set up tables and booths and folks browsed all the new equipment. There was a silent auction that went off without a hitch. Here are some pictures of the evenings events.

Here are Patrick Rondinelli and his son Brian. Patrick volunteers on the Ouray Fire Department and is our distinguished City Administrator.


Here is Mel Rajokowski. She works for the Ice Park and is in charge of all the merchandising. She is hanging onto her little baby Connor who is just about 8 months old now.

Here is Hans from Denmark. He is here at the festival enjoying all the clinics. This is his fourth or fifth trip to Ouray.


Peter is trying out a sleeping bag that was donated to the silent auction. He is trying to decide if he wants to bid on it.


This is Ken Garard, Sandy and Mike Macleod. They put together the silent auction and without all their hard work, it would be hard to pull it off. You can see they are enjoying a cool one before the bidding begins.


Here is Erin Eddy. He is the Executive Director of the Ouray Ice Park. When he is not helping with the Ice Park, he is a real estate agent too.


Here is Carol Garard with Jason Stadler. Jason works for Asolo, one of the main sponsors of the entire event.



Kevin Koprick of San Juan Mountain Guides and Ouray Entertainment talks with a Vasque Representative

Tomorrow, the big competition begins at the Lower Bridge. It starts at 9:00am. I hope to get up there early and grab some great pictures.

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Rob Megna and Eryn Bond who own the Backstreet Bagel on Main Street are out and about checking out the fun!


All of this is in preparation for the Ouray Ice Festival. Tents are being set up today for the vendors and activities really get going tomorrow.




Spectators on the expanded viewing stands with funds provided by Asolo.


Climbing in the snow!


Early pictures from the Ouray Ice Festival!



Rich is out on the Green Barron trying to keep up with the mounds of snow that keep coming. Talk about a winter wonderland. The forecast today is for up to 15 inches of the white stuff. It is getting harder and harder to find places around Ouray for all this snow. There are places just off of Main Street where snow hills exist that are 15 feet high.

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Kathleen, Sandra , Dianne (Pictured) and Karen go skiing! Fabulous Day

Sandra and Dianne taking a short rest!


Laughing as we head up!


Today, Sandra Boles, Kathleen Norris Cook, and Diane Correl went cross country skiing in the Amphitheater. We had a dandy time with Yankee Boy and Nala Dog. We made fresh tracks as we started out at 8:00am.

I took my little camera along for the fun of it, but, it was a bit intimidating taking pictures with Kathleen along. She is, of course, a fantastic photographer and I have such limited capabilities. But, I did capture a few fun shots.

The temperature was a crisp 12 degrees but the sky was a brilliant blue even though we were in the shade most of the time. The snow was about 8 inches deep but it was light champagne powder. Watch my little video of our trip.

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Ouray now has a shuttle service between Ouray and the Montrose Airport. Why