Skiing Dragon Tail Couloir

Spring skiing is still crankin' in Rocky Mountain National Park! CMS Guides Matt Lipscomb, Joey Thompson and Mike Alkaitis spent this morning on a training outing up and down Dragon Tail Couloir.

Rocky Mountain National Park Conditions

We've had a lot of guides out in the field recently - on rock, ice and snow.  The following is a compilation of conditions reports from the past few days.



THE DIAMOND, LONGS PEAK

THE NORTH FACE, LONGS PEAK

THE NORTH FACE, LONGS PEAK

 LONGS PEAK SUMMIT

Alpine:  The Longs Peak area is very low in snow for this time of year, though the North Face of Longs is in "excellent alpine climbing conditions, half boot pen, step kicking on firm snow with very little avy hazard".  All the eye blots on the route are currently exposed, and the traverse to the summit is "in".  Martha is reportedly "out", while Dreamwiever is "lean".  The Loft has an ice pitch of 150 ft at the top.  Flying Dutchman is "thin" at the bottom, but in "good shape" in the middle and near the top.  The Notch appears to be in prime shape.  Lambs slide is fat, and the snow is variable from "soft and slushy to quite firm" - could be a great ski right now.

LAMBS SLIDE

UPPER KIENER'S

THE NOTCH

Ice:  Jewel Lake is still holding plenty of climbable ice, but it's getting sun-baked on the right side and some has fallen down already.  The approach was manageable in and out (even in isothermal afternoon mash) without slowshoes as long as you stayed on the trail.

MARTHA

Ski:  Awesome skiing in the Chaos Drainage above the Lake as well as the Redding Chutes.  The summer trail to Lake Haiyaha has a section of slippery skinning conditions in the trees with the potential for serious consequences below.  At and below tree line is reported "a facet crust combos near the upper snow pack on a variety of aspects mainly N-E-S, as well as a dust layer now buried since last week.  The mid pack is really hard, sitting on rounding basil facets.  Snow pack tests revealed lower resistant planer shears and propagation not likely in the upper section, however I am not trusting the basil facets that are now less than a meter down in some places above tree line in steep terrain."  Despite the unseasonbly warm weather, no wet-slide related activity has been reported.

DREAM WEAVER & THE LOFT

Rock:  The temperatures have been great for rock climbing recently, and if things continue, we may end up with an extra long alpine season this year.  Loose rock has been reported at areas all over the front range - it's just that time of year.  Be extra cautious with where you step, where you pull, and where you run your rope.

Stay safe out there, and as always, feel free to call us with any questions.

THE DIAMOND

Revo Bearing Sunglasses

Hey there,

It's Colorado Mountain School Senior Guide Joey Thompson here to talk to you about my favorite sunglasses - Revo Bearings.   Revo's High Contrast Polarization blocks glare while maintaining clear optics while I am working in the high alpine environment.  The Bearing's Motion-Fit frames are designed with a wide field of vision and provide a great fit when rock, alpine climbing and ski mountaineering with our guests at the Colorado Mountain School.  I chose the Bronze Bearings because of their clean and clear vision and color. I wear them every day for their comfort and glare blocking properties
whether on rock, ice or snow.  Thanks Revo, see you in the mountains!

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

Dragon Tail Couloir

Colorado Mountain School Guide Rainbow Weinstock heads to Rocky Mountain National Park to climb a local classic, Dragon Tail Couloir, with Outside Television.  Mountaineering season is here, let's go climbing!

Black Diamond Guide Glove

Growing up I spent a lot of time working in the yard with my father.  He taught me the importance of hard work, physical activity and being outside.  He also showed me the importance of a good set of work gloves.
Nowadays I make my livelihood as a guide, which means I need a good work glove for the harsh winter conditions I encounter six months out of the year.  There is no better glove than the Black Diamond Guide Glove for the intense work I do.

The Guide Glove is durable, a key element of a work glove.  With its all-leather design and reinforced palm it lasts many seasons before I need a new pair.  It is also very versatile, a key component for a simple person who likes one “do everything” piece of gear.  I use it skiing, ice climbing, digging in the snow and even on rock.  It is super warm yet supple enough to have the necessary dexterity for placing gear.   I can even write in my guide notebook without taking my gloves off, a huge plus when it is cold and windy!

My favorite feature is the removable inner liner which is essential for easy drying.  I guide on Denali each spring and being able to easily dry my gloves each night is so important.  I just remove the inner liners and sleep with them on my belly.  In the morning I put my hands into dry and warm gloves.  For anyone spending multiple nights out in the mountains this is a critical need and the guide glove is the best.

With so much time spent outdoors in cold environments I need to have warm hands.  The Black Diamond Guide Glove is the best I have found to do the job.  I have never had any cold injuries and I believe this is because I have found the warmest and most durable glove out there. 

Who would have known all those weekends working in the yard would have prepared me for the work I do now.  Thanks Dad and thank you Black Diamond!

Russell Hunter
Colorado Mountain School Guide
2829 Mapleton Ave.
Boulder, CO 80301
rhunter@totalclimbing.com

Weekly Gear Review: BD Speed 40 Pack

As I have said in gear reviews past: I am old and set in my ways. I like my old stand-by gear. I know it well, it works. Gear companies, however, don’t understand my dependency on unchanging gear. No - gear companies love to take this old guide who is set in his ways and take me out of my comfort zone…they love to tweak the gear I know and love.

Such was my plight when Black Diamond asked me to review a new technical pack: the Speed 40. I took it out of the package, saw features on it that were not like my old pack and I resolved not to like it. I would like to say after 2 months of using it as my only guiding pack that my resolve has lasted…but it hasn’t. The BD Speed 40 is quickly becoming my new, old stand-by guiding pack!

I will admit that there was one feature on the Speed 40 that I liked right off the bat – the removable hip belt.  It’s a super functional hip belt, mind you, with a gear loop and Ice Clipper attachment on both sides. However, people might call me a bit weird for many reasons, but at the top of the list would be the fact that I do not use my hip belt like the vast majority of folks. Having the option to remove it is a change this old guide got used to quickly!

With the exception of the hip belt, most of the other features on the Speed 40 were an acquired taste for me. For example, I was put off by the new suspension system when I first put the pack on. It felt like the pack was slipping around on my back because the shoulder straps are connected through the hip belt on a cable that equalizes the weight on your shoulders regardless of your body position. I will have to say however, that I have grown blissfully accustomed to the security the Speed 40 offers me when I’m making those off-balanced climbing moves…the moves my old pack used to threaten to pitch me off of when the pack would shift unexpectedly.

Another thing: this pack has a pad built into the bottom of it. Who does that? I mean, what a waste of space and weight, right?...wrong again, old guide! Before I started using the Speed 40, I had to replace anything remotely breakable in my first aid kit (which lives in the very bottom of my pack) at an alarming rate. In the past two months I haven’t had to clean my first aid kit even once – no broken vials, exploded ointments, or crushed aspirin bottles. Who knew that a little pad could accomplish so much!

And what about those ice axe attachments? Why stress out an old guide by changing my beloved ice axe loops or sleeve and buckle systems? Maybe because it works?! BD’s new system is fast and light weight. The single cord for each axe attachment is also great because it has no buckles associated with it. You know the buckles I’m talking about –the ones that are forever getting clogged with snow…the ones that are infuriatingly difficult to open or close when you have gloves on.

And then there is the closure at the top of the body of the pack. The Speed 40 has a dry bag-like closure that rolls down and then clips together with a buckle. What self-respecting old guide needs to deal with that? Why not just stick with the tried and true draw cord closure system. I mean, I’m a climbing guide not a raft guide after all! Such was my thinking before all my days out this winter in spindrift and wind-driven snow. Those days used to bring me home to discover in the pack emptying process that snow had gotten into every nook and cranny in my pack…even my first aid kit at the bottom of my pack! Not anymore - BD’s new closure system leaves me with a spin ‘driftless’ pack at day’s end. Who’d of thought?!

I could go on, but I’ll let this review rest. Like I said earlier, my original goal was to send the BD Speed 40 back to its maker with its tail between its legs…evidently; I failed miserably in my task. It looks like the Speed 40 is the pack I’ll be comparing BD’s next new pack to. I’ve said it before and I’m forced to say it again: I guess you can teach an old guide new tricks!

Bob Chase

Colorado Mountain School Guide

800-836-4008 x3

Jonathan Siegrist FAs His Hardest Line to Date!

Le Reve - Jonathan Siegrist from MAXIM DYNAMIC ROPES on Vimeo.