This past Wednesday marked the start of Fat Tire Bike Week, a Crested Butte tradition, and also saw the arrival of the Bicycle Tour of Colorado as well for 1-day, resulting in a massive start to the summer season here in CB with 2,000+ bikers, bike companies, and festival goers all in tow.

With the summer kick-off we’ve been busy guiding once again, with multiple trips going out daily….guiding rockclimbing, hiking, mountain biking and mountaineering trips this week.

Friday also marked the start of our NEW  ‘Peak Of The Week’ series, in which we offer a weekly guided climb of a  different and local peak every week for 6 weeks at the ridiculously low rate of $45/person.

This week, CBMG Guide Dan Escalante led our inaugural ‘Peak of the Week’ trip by successfully getting Judy & Andrew Holder to the summit of local Mount Baldy (12,610′) under tropical monsoon like rain conditions….way to go Dan.

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We just wrapped up our 5-day Alpine Climbing Skills Clinic with Dean Kurth & Patrick Torosian, with two spectacular, big mountain days. Wednesday we tackled some technical snow climbs on Ruby Mountain (12,644′) & Mt. Owen (13,058′) and then yesterday had a capstone experience on the super aesthetic and technical “S Couloir” on Purple Peak (12,810′), to send them on their way feeling strong and more confident in their skills set and ability to tackle some more challenging and technical terrain on their own.

Wednesday, Dean & Patrick got their first taste of being ‘on their own’ by taking turns leading a steep snow climb up the South Face of Ruby Mountain. Here they put their new skills to use for the first time by taking turns on the sharp-end of the rope, placing snow protection, building snow anchors, and linking together multiple pitches of snow climbing. Then it was up the fairly mellow mixed rock and snow ridge to the 12,644′ summit of Ruby Mtn.

From there we descended of the North side and on up the slightly more challenging mixed snow and rock ridge to 13,058′ Mount Owen. An easier climb then the mornings’ route up Ruby, Patrick led us most of the way up the ridge route, across the steep and exposed snow fields at the false summit, and on the summit of a 13er ! On the way down in  the heat of the afternoon  sun we enjoyed some nice long (but wet) glissades down the bowl between the 2 peaks and the a short walk back to the car.

After a intense pace of 4-days of alpine climbing we decided to call a rest day before embarking on Purple Peak (12,810′) and a climb of it’s hidden and technical “S” Couloir Route as a capstone experience for these guys.

So….Friday morning we met at 6am and left early again for the fairly quick and direct walk on the morning’s frozen snow above treeline to the Scarp’s Ridge saddle over 12,000′ where we then descended down and around the North Face of Purple Peak to the bottom of the “S”. This route is one of the best snow climbs and steep spring ski descents in the entire Elk Mountain Range outside of Crested Butte, and us guides jump at the chance to get on it with anyone looking for a great mountaineering experience. This trip, however, was extra special, as Dean & Patrick were their primarily to put their skills together and do it mostly on their own, with me ‘ghost guiding’ just to prevent any catastrophic mistakes.

With that being said, they showed great progress in their skills from the previous climbs on Ruby & Owen, and swapped leads of steep snow climbing up the ever steepening and twisting route of the “S” Couloir. After 3 long pitches in which they demonstrated running belays, simul-climbing tactics, and belaying off snow anchors we reached the ridge fairly quickly just a  few hundred feet shy of the summit, where I took over the lead on the trickier and incredibly exposed mixed, snow, ice and rock ridge that leads to the summit.

The summit of Purple Peak (12,810′) our 5th of the trip, was no doubt the most rewarding of the week, as not only was it the hardest technically to climb, but it involved all 3 of us working together as a team more then just a standard guided ascent and thus it felt more rewarding for all of us….I know it certainly did for me watching these guys put to use all I they had learned over the course of the week.

Overall, it was a great week of alpine climbing skills, and Dean & Patrick walked away with a great improvement and development on their skill set, and are ready to tackle more challenging terrain on their own……keep practicing those knots boys…..

Thanks for a great week and looking forward to more climbing with you both in the future…

Your Guide — Jayson Simons-Jones

Well I don’t think work can get much better….The past 3 days I have had the privilege of taking some guest up some of the finest routes in the valley. On Wednesday morning I met long time CBMG client Karen Fontenot for a day of multipitch rock climbing in Taylor canyon. We had an excellent day climbing classic routes in the sunshine with no one else around only the roar of the nearby Taylor River. On Thursday I met Jeff bright and early at the guide shack for an Intro to trad climbing seminar. Jeff has been climbing for many years inside and has recently moved to Portland, OR and wanted to begin climbing more outside, and work on some good basic and intermediate skills.  We had a stellar day working on gear placements, anchors and of course climbing! We had a stellar day and were able to get in 9 pitches of quality Taylor Canyon Rock climbing in. Friday morning brought Karen back for an ascent of my favorite routes we do here at CBMG, Guides Ridge on Mt. Crested Butte. We made extremely quick time with a total of only 3 hrs lift to lift. We both admired the views and the breathtaking scenery and could not believe how green CB is! (I guess we like the rain after all?) With amazing trips like this who could ask for more? This weekend all CBMG guides will be involved in guide training, and on Monday I leave with CBMG owner and lead guide Jayson Simons-Jones for a guided ascent of Little Bear. Stay tuned for more blogs and adventures from CBMG. Thanks again Karen and Jeff I hope to see you guys again real soon. Summer in definitely in full effect!

See you out there.

Guide – Kyle Mattingly

Today just wrapped up Day 3 of a 5-day intensive alpine mountaineering skills clinic w/ Dean Kurth & Patrick Torosian from Cincinnati, OH.

These  2 motivated gentleman have enlisted the expertise and instruction of Crested Butte Mountain Guides in our incredible backyard of the Elk Mountains, for a 5-day clinic and skills progression covering many of the basic alpine climbing and mountaineering skills of which to have a solid foundation to build from while tackling some of the world’s great mountains.

Dean comes to this clinic with years of lead rock-climbing experience on the infamously scary sandstone towers of the Garden of the Gods, but is fairly new to the world of alpine climbing and it’s associated snow, ice, and mixed rock and snow terrain.

Patrick has a background of successful summits of many big South American volcanoes, including Cotopaxi (19,347′) in Ecuador, yet is new to the world of rock climbing and placing traditional gear, building anchors, and the like.

So…..Crested Butte, what a perfect place for these two friends to get together and build upon what they each know, while also gaining some new skills, so as to forge a climbing partnership in the future.

Day 1: Taylor Canyon rock-climbing day. A great first day focusing on a basic introduction to placing rock protection, building rock anchors, different belay configurations, rappelling tactics and improving and practicing climbing skills.

Day 2: Mt. Crested Butte’s Guide’s Ridge. A super fun day in an incredible alpine setting getting to put together the basic rock climbing skills form Day 1 on an incredibly beautiful and exposed climb in the alpine realm, complete with a June mini-snow and hail storm for added dramatic effect.

Day 3: Mount Baldy’s Emerald Lake Couloir….an aesthetic, long (~2,000′), steep and challenging snow climb right from beautiful Emerald Lake at Schofield Pass to the summit of Mount Baldy in the heart of the Paradise Divide region of the Elk Mountains. A great venue w/ practically zero approach, of which to practice and implement crampon and ice axe use, rope work on steep  alpine snow climbs, snow anchors and running belays, and self-arrest skills.

So far we have had 3 long but fun and engaging days of alpine climbing skills, with great weather, incredible mountain environments and thoughtful and critical discussions and practices on the various skills workshops we have been covering.

Looking forward to bringing it all together over the next 2 days…..

-Your Guide…..

Jayson Simons-Jones