Our buddy Tom Schaeffer fractured his pelvis in a roofing mishap and had some time on his hands, so we recruited him to design and construct us a bench to replace one of our old ones out front.  The result?  Best Bench Ever.  Using old climbing ropes and some outdated gear, Tom created one of the most comfortable benches in town.  Ian said he may be able to break his previous ‘Bench Time’ record (over 8 hours on the bagel shop bench back in ’97) on this luxurious rope seat that cradles your butt like the hands in an Allstate ad.  The Alpineer girls love it, and it’s already gotten quite a bit of use.  Note the cup holders making for easy drinking while ‘benching’ (an official ‘leisure sport’ of Crested Butte.)
The weave for the seat was researched heavily and took a couple of tries to get it right.
I’m sure some additional research went into the construction of the cup holders that somehow perfectly fit a can of beer. . . hmmmm.

Join us this Saturday at Alison’s house in town for the biggest ski gear sale of the season, with all the local pros, rippers, and guides selling all their used, slightly used, or still new ski gear.

—CBMG Staff

It’s the season for pushing your limits in the Black Canyon. It’s a lesser known National Park that offers over 140 challenging climbs on the vertical walls above the Gunnison River. While mid-summer tends to be too hot to climb there, the fall offers a more pleasant climbing atmosphere. You sweat anyway climbing these routes (out of effort and adrenaline); no need to add scorching heat to the mix! Michael Hale joined us for a couple days of climbing, starting with a ‘warm-up’ trip up Guide’s Ridge:

Then after a day of rest (rafting in Western Colorado!), Michael met Jayson again, this time in Crawford for a trip to the Black Canyon. One of the most challenging places on the Western Slope to climb, the Black Canyon can really push your limits as a climber. While not a place to explore on your own without a heavy background in climbing, with a trained guide you can explore this amazing venue from a vantage that not many people have experienced.