Winter is coming... get your avalanche education!

Great reminder from our friends at BCA why it's critical to take an avalanche course or take a refresher this winter. Our AIARE courses, CMS Avy Awareness and Refresher courses are scheduled. It's not to early to get signed up.
Check out our fill listing at: LINK
This fall get your backcountry ski, boarding and climbing partners together. Plan a course to take together and practice, practice, practice your companion rescue.
Enjoy the video... scary!!!

NEW CMS Winter Hoodies

The new CMS winter hoodies are in! They come in Black and Brown and we have Large and XL in stock.

The sizing runs small so it's you're normally medium go with a Large and if you're a large go with a XL.

Price: $38 (including tax)
Shipping: just let us know and we'll get one in the mail right away

Give the CMS sales office a call today!
800.836.4008

2010/2011 CMS Course Dates Now Available

We recently added all of the upcoming course dates for the 2010/2011 season.

Click here for the mountaineering courses page.
Click here for the ice climbing courses page.
Click here for the ski mountaineering courses page
Click here for the avalanche education courses page

New this season: Denali Prep Course.  This is the perfect course for individuals that want to be better prepared for a peak like Denali.  Click here for more information on this great course.

As always we are offering custom guiding.  With custom guiding we can guide any day of the week and cover what skills you are looking for.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or if you'd like to register for a course.  Hopefully we'll speak with you soon.

Take care,

Colorado Mountain School Staff
800-836-4008 x3

Longs Peak: Keyhole Ridge traverse 5.6

This northwest ridge traverse is a must do classic in Rocky Mountain National Park. This route offers magnificent exposure in an alpine setting.  Most of the climbing is clean and fun to travel through.

David Ladd and I had a blast climbing on this classic on Saturday September 5th, 2010. We started at the Longs Peak trailhead at 02:40. We wanted a latter start to thread the needle on the high winds forecasted to periodically decline during the late AM/ early afternoon.  When arriving at the Keyhole we hung out, took in the stunning views and ate a good sized breakfast to fuel us for the adventure that waited ahead.

We started heading up the ramp gaining the technical rock climbing. Very pleasant rock climbing to gain the ridge traverse.

David and I then stepped over to the west to side step towards the crux of the traverse. Carefully pulling and tapping on the blocky holds.

David feeling free on this fun slab pitch looking over the traditional keyhole route on the west side of the ridge.

Below David shows great style climbing through the 5.6 crux in his mountain boots gaining the top of the pitched out climbing.

After all of the spectacular climbing we popped out on this beautiful 2nd class ridge to the summit of Long’s Peak. Once on top David and I celebrated an amazing September day on the summit of one of Colorado's best 14eers.

After a bit of lunch on top, we got ready to descend the North Face rappels back to Chasm View.

After our descent we coiled our ropes and started down the Boulderfield trail back to the Long’s Peak parking area. Another amazing day in Rocky Mountain National Park. Thanks David for the great adventures in the high peaks of Colorado.

Joey Thompson
jthompson@totalclimbing.com
www.totalclimbing.com
800.836.4008

RMNP Conditions Report - September 3rd, 2010

Climbing above Forest Canyon, RMNP

One final paragraph of advice: Do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am, a reluctant enthusiast ... a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotised by desk calculators. I promise you this; you will outlive the bastards. -- Edward Abbey

Notchtop eating a full moon over the Ptarmigan area

This is a great time of year to follow Abbey's advice, to get outdoors and enjoy the remaining wilderness we have here in CO. The season is already beginning to change as of about 2 weeks ago, with the first hints of the alpine tundra changing color. Whitlow grass and Twisted-arm Draba as well as moss campion are all fading into the Fall hues. From most of the high peaks in the area, if you look carefully Fall is already putting on quite the show. Elsewhere, the aspen are beginning to show the first hints of yellow. The days are shorter and the temps are crisper and we will probably get snow at the highest elevations within in the next couple of weeks.

It's been over a month since I last updated our conditions report but that's mostly because conditions haven't changed much since then. I've also been very busy as this summer has kept all of us guides at the School very productive. The Park is beginning to change, however, so I feel it's probably time for a quick update.

The Ptarmigan Fingers viewed from Notchtop's summit

Snow is receding to expose its icy foundations all around the Park. If you're desperate for snow-climbing or putting on crampons, the Ptargmigan Fingers area still holds some options for you. The snow is very hard (or ice) and your greatest concern aside from the usual would be falling rock. I once witnessed a horrendous fall down Lambslide this time of year, though I'm still unsure if it was falling rock or loose rock that was to blame (aside from being in an area of high-risk during a warm part of the day). There are snow patches here and there but the majority of the snow/ice you'll find is on the various named "glaciers" along the eastern side of the Continental Divide. Aside from these areas, most snow in the Park is easily avoidable.

Climbing on the Petit above Sky Pond

Despite the cooler temps and shorter days, this is still a great time of year to be enjoying the alpine rock. I've been on Meeker, Longs, Notchtop, and the Petit, to name a few, with great weather. The two biggest concerns have been the temps (cold for bare hands in the mornings) and winds. For some reason it's been a bit windier than usual for this time of year so be open to walking off your objective if high winds would compromise a safe rappel descent. As we ease into the Fall, the chance of afternoon t-storms will lessen (usually) and long stretches of high pressure tend to dominate the forecast. Oh, and another good thing about climbing in the Park this time of year: no lines. We had the entire Cathedral Spires to ourselves yesterday on the Petit!

I will be out of town for a few weeks after this weekend so I won't be updating this report until I get home in late September. I will be in and out of internet connectivity throughout those weeks but feel free to e-mail me (acouncell@totalclimbing.com) or the office (info@totalclimbing.com) with questions. As always, thanks for reading and stay safe out there!

Andrew Councell is a CMS Guide and year-round Estes Park resident.