Top Rope Anchor Clinic With Senoir Guide Eric Whewell

Mountain Climbing Safety

CMS guide Russell Hunter recently spent the day climbing with Outside Television.  Here's and excerpt where they spend a few minutes discussing mountain climbing safety.  Enjoy!

Weekly Monday Gear Review: Black Diamond Primrose SA Harness

The Black Diamond Primrose SA Harness is a great women’s-specific harness for all climbing uses: sport, trad, multi-pitch, gym, snow and ice!  This is the second Primrose harness that I have owned.  Recently, I have been wearing it regularly for alpine climbing in Rocky Mountain National Park.  The speed offered by the pre-threaded adjustable waist is a great feature when I need to adjust layers.  All I need to do to put on an extra layer is loosen the harness slightly, tuck my jacket in and tighten my harness - all of which can be done with one hand.  BD’s “trakFIT” leg loop system is also quick to adjust and provides a wide range of fit.  I can adjust it accordingly if I am wearing thin summer pants or layers of thick winter gear.

This harness is comfortable!  It features a "women's-specific bullhorn-shaped OpenAir waistbelt". It's Dual Core Construction™ features two bands of webbing that distribute pressure while providing breathe-ability.  To give an idea how comfortable this harness is, I used it as my go-to while climbing in the hot temperatures of Red Rocks, Nevada while participating in an AMGA Rock Guide Course this past October.  Comfort is the reason that I continue to choose the Primrose harness.  Another selling point for me is that you do not need to spend much to own a quality harness like the Primrose SA - it is very reasonably priced.  I highly recommend this harness to any level of climbers.  Thank you Black Diamond for developing a comfortable and affordable harness specifically for female climbers!

For more information on this and other great products by Black Diamond, please click here.

Norie Kizaki
Colorado Mountain School Guide

AMGA Rock Instructor

nkizaki@totalclimbing.com

800-836-4008

Check out a short clip of Norie teaching snow anchors just this past weekend in Rocky Mountain National Park in her Primrose SA Harness.

Monty Python - The North Face of Uxbridge Road

Weekly Monday Gear Review: Sterling Evolution Duetto 8.4mm x 40m Alpine Touring Rope

Spring has arrived in the Rockies!  This is a fantastic time to get into the high country to enjoy the stable weather and stable snow conditions on those steep slopes that have been tempting you all season long.  In the realm of ski mountaineering, you will often find routes where a rope is not only recommended, it is required.  But unlike alpine or rock climbs, a shorter, thinner, lighter rope will very often suffice.  Whether your route involves glacier travel, climbing short sections of mixed terrain, or a rappel, the Sterling Evolution Duetto is the perfect rope for your ski mountaineering adventures.  Its 8.4 mm diameter weighs in at 45 g/m, it is available in a variety of lengths from 30 to 80 m, and it comes standard with Sterling’s DryCore^TM dry finish.  This continues to be my go-to rope for all ski mountaineering objectives:  from the Swiss Alps, to the Selkirks of Canada, to Mount Rainier, and Rocky Mountain National Park.

See you in the backcountry.

Matt Lipscomb

Colorado Mountain School Guide
AIARE Level 1 Instructor
mlipscomb@totalclimbing.com
800-836-4008

AMGA Ski Guide Course with Norie Kizaki

CMS Guide Norie Kizaki recently took the AMGA Ski Guide Course with help from funding through a scholarship that she received  from Backcountry Access.  Luckily for us, the camera was rolling.  The course was great and Norie crushed it!  Thank you BCA, you're the best!!!

Spring Skiing in RMNP... I love it!

I skied Dragon Tail Couloir (DTC) this morning along with one of my coworkers, Andrew Councell, and my husband who wanted to get some skiing in before going to work. For a change, we decided to drop in from the top. Thanks to the previous storm, we were able to skin all the way up on Flattop Mountain. I love it when we don't need to carry our skis!

We rappelled down one rope length from the top where the rock is exposed, and started skiing. At the top, we had soft snow to kick around on top of bullet hard snow underneath but amazingly it was not icy at all. As we skied down, the snow became softer and softer. It was very fun skiing. DTC is a beautiful line for both climbing and skiing, and the spring is the best time to do so.

The view from the top was amazing.  It was great to get out with my coworker and lovely husband.  We all had a blast.  Although the day made my husband late for work... It was worth it.  Just don't tell his boss.

I'd love to get out again this season.  If you have any interest, please contact me or the office.  Hopefully we can set something up and get some turns in together.

-Norie Kizaki
Colorado Mountain School Guide
nkizaki@totalclimbing.com
800-836-4008 x3

Weekly Monday Gear Review: Marmot Minimalist Jacket

Here is a telling statistic regarding the Marmot Minimalist Jacket: I wore the Marmot Minimalist every day this past winter.  Yes, that is correct - every single day while ski guiding in Hokkaido, Japan this past January and February. Historically, Hokkaido averages 24 days of snow every January – and 2012 was well above that average. 

When it is dumping snow day-in and day-out, staying dry is the key to staying warm and on this factor the Marmot Minimalist Jacket delivered in spades.  Even when I was not working, I wore the Minimalist Jacket anyway because its bright and vibrant red prompted compliments and inquiries from Japanese folks while out and about around town.

The Minimalist Jacket features GORE-TEX® Paclite® that guarantees to keep you dry, and PitZips™ -underarm zippers for ventilation.  As the Paclite® word suggests, it is very light (15 oz) and it compresses down to almost nothing.  On the rare sunny day when I did not need a shell, the Minimalist resided unobtrusively on-the-ready in my pack without adding extra weight.

Upon returning to Colorado for an American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Ski Guide Course, the Minimalist further demonstrated its versatility.  With mostly sunny days and a light breeze, the Minimalist was still my go-to piece for both uphill and downhill guiding – and I notice my fellow AMGA guides wearing this jacket as well.  The Minimalist’s pit zips allow for fine-tuning your ventilation during uphill skinning, while also protecting you from gusty winds.  Lastly, the Minimalist’s beautiful color options also deserve a nod.  Cheery colors like red, yellow and purple are great for visibility and spotting your buddies while backcountry skiing – and they stand out great during your epic powder photo, too!  Now that spring has seemingly turned to summer already, my Minimalist Jacket will still travel with me in the backcountry to fend with our (hopeful) Colorado afternoon showers.

Thank you Marmot for a beautiful and functional jacket that brings together the best technical features and performance – while still looking hip!!!

Norie Kizaki
Colorado Mountain School Guide

AMGA Rock Instructor

nkizaki@totalclimbing.com

800-836-4008

Apine, Rock & Ski Trip Report

Recently I had the pleasure to climb and ski with Jake Lauer form Durango.  Jake is an aspirant in the mountain guiding realm working hard to achieve AMGA Rock Certification - and he is well on his way.

Day #1:  AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Exam preparation.  We worked on transitions mostly, covering topics like anchor building for top rope set ups, counter ascending, counter balance rappelling, raising/hauling systems, and lowering.

Day #2:  Ski touring and traveling with a focus on tour planning and snow pack assessment.  Jake and I roamed through the mountains while targeting a few classic ski descents in RMNP, while taking time to dig pits and gather information on current conditions and potential hazards.

Day #3:  Eldorado Canyon this time of year is amazing.  So we went climbing on the Red Garden wall to  work on efficient multi pitch transitions and complex descents.

Day #4 & 5: Overnight preparation for our summit attempt on Longs Peak - “Colorado’s 14er”.  Jake and I packed our backpacks and left for Battle Mountain Camp to get a head start in the morning and to acclimatize for a night.  We had our sights set for the North Face route and at this time of year the route is in mixed condition.

This was Jakes first time summit of Longs Peak via the North Face route.   Congratulations Jake, very nice work!  It's been a pleasure sharing the mountains with you!

Joseph Thompson

Colorado Mountain School
Senior Guide

AIARE Level 1 Instructor
AMGA Rock Guide
AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Program Provider
800-836-4008
climberjoeyt@gmail.com