This Summer I was asked by sometime/longtime local Crested Butte resident and itinerant world adventurer and mountaineer, Roy Smith, to join him for a corporate teambuilding program he was instructing this Fall. Knowing Roy’s quiet but impressive climbing and professional development history (1st ascent of Alpamayo w/ Chris Bonnington; 1st descent of OmoRiver in Africa; founder of Outward Bound in the US; founder of Prescott College’s Outdoor Program) I was honored that he would request my assistance, and we set to work at once determining a suitable environment for his corporate teambuilding curriculum delivery, and appropriate climbing challenge for the participants.

Based on the usual cold and fickle weather that can plague Crested Butte and the Colorado high country in mid-October, we began to look at the American Southwest Desert. The Superstition Mountains of Arizona, outside of Phoenix, were an idea I had come up with after having spent some extended time there years ago with Outward Bound Semester Courses. This range is incredibly rugged desert mountainous terrain, with minimal water and difficult travel. It also has a fairly accessible but difficult crown jewel of the range in the Weaver’s Needle; a volcanic plug reminiscent of Devil’s Tower with mandatory 5th class climbing to reach it’s remote wilderness summit. We both agreed it seemed like a perfect challenge and experience for where this program should take place.

After a quick personal climbing trip to Red Rocks, NV, I arrived in Phoenix a day prior to the program’s start where I also met Robert Miller, the third member of our instructor team. Bob, an old climbing friend of Roy’s from Prescott days, brought extensive experience in the Superstition’s and the AZ desert, and offered great couter-point to all the adventure stories these two guys have had over there 50+ combined years of globe trotting climbing and paddling adventures.

A brief reconnaissance hike over our itinerary in 90F degree heat, revealed that there was no water along our route, or anywhere to be found for that matter in the range. This meant we would have to slightly tweak our itinerary or carry lots of water. Despite the unappealing thought of carrying water for 4 days in the hot desert, we opted for the latter which allowed us to complete a much more elegant and natural route despite our heavy packs.

Mid-day on Oct 15th we met our group of 6 Canadian business owners at the airport and drove directly to the trailhead, immersing them in near 100F degree heat straight from their home of Calgary. We immediately went through gear at the trailhead, eliminating anything extraneous (and I mean anything) to make room for the 3 gallons (24 lbs.) of water each person would have to carry. That evening we camped in a beautiful wash and slept out under incredible desert stars opting to leave tents behind to save weight.

The group was a business support/forum group of 6 large business owners form the Calgary area, all in different non-competing industries, that get together once a month to share strategies, discuss problems, and in general try and share information and tactics to help one another out to stay successful. Once a year they go on a retreat together, hence our meeting in the hot and dry AZ desert. I was really impressed withthis concept of shared strategizing and was eager to learn from these folks as well as see how large and successful business owners would deal with and incorporate the challenges that we had in store for them.

Days 1 & 2 would consist of early dawn starts, hiking a loop around the Weaver’s Needle and discussing everything from business strategy and management lessons, to the usual get to know you conversation, to tasteless jokes, and listening to stories from Roy & Bob. Mid-day was too hot to hike in the 100F degree sun, so we would find some small but suitable shade and siesta or discuss more business strategy, before moving on under the setting sun to camp. Day 3 was an ascent of the Weaver’s Needle. A 750′ 5.5 climbing route that challenged everyone with it’s difficulty, exposure, length of day, and brutal desert heat. However, after a 10 hour day everyone had stood on it’s remote summit and made it safely back down to the waning light and welcomed shade of camp, slightly sun burned, very dehydrated, and overall excited at the large team accomplishment we had achieved.

The heat of the climbing had all but drained most of the last of our water resources, so it was an early thirsty night, and Day 4 we awoke before dawn to cover the final 4 miles back to the trailhead under pre-dawn skies with empty packs and empty water bottles. And then, just as soonas it had begun it was over, as 12 noon that day found us all dirty and smelly at the airport heading back to our respective homes….the Canadians to Calgary, me back to Las Vegas, and Roy & Bob off to Prescott, AZ.

Overall, a really cool and different experience then the everyday guiding of Crested Butte Mountain Guides, and a great way to soak up some desert sun and warmth before heading into a long and cold Crested Butte winter. It was great to meet and get to know everyone, and a big ‘thank you’ to Roy and Bob for letting me work alongside you both….it was a real honor. Looking forward to next time.

—Jayson Simons-Jones (CBMG Owner / Lead Guide)

Well, it’s been a fast and furious summer around these parts. We started off with a cold and rainy June (we had June in January and January in June this year), and in a blink our leaves are already falling off the trees and you have to wear gloves in the morning when you’re biking to work. We’ve had a great season here at Crested Butte Mountain Guides, expanding and trying to grow the business while dealing with some tough economic times.

It’s been a record year for the Guide’s Ridge! It seems like every week we had a trip up to the top of Mt Crested Butte. From young teens to experienced climbers, this route has become a favorite and a ‘must-do’ in Crested Butte.

Also, we had not one, but two guides get their car windows smashed by bears while parked at trailheads. Johnny came back from a 5 day backpack trip to find his passenger side window in pieces and his head rest a little chewed up,  but the beers were safe! Jayson got back from Aspen to find his cab window gone with some muddy pawprints (I guess the bear couldn’t fit through that small window). Our office manager had a bear camped out in a tree across the street from her house for two days! CBMG did some benchtime brainstorming and came up with the possibility of doing ‘Bear Tours’ in the wee hours of the morning in Crested Butte in a open back jeep, Ian (the Aussie) narrating about bear behavior and feeding habits with a bear claw necklace hanging on his chest (ala ‘crocodile dundee’) and maybe a paintball gun . . . but that idea never really got off the ground (or off the bench, I should say. . .)

Peak of the Week did well in it’s inaugural year. Six weeks of peaks in the area including Baldy, Treasury, Augusta, Teocalli, Gothic, and Red Lady; look for this program again next year with more of the local mountains.  Philip Pixley from Canada joined us for a peak, as well as a trip up Guide’s Ridge and almost made it a triple header with a mountain bike ride!  He was incredibly impressed with Crested Butte’s plethora of trails and is already planning for next summer.

With our summer arriving late this year, lots of clients got some snow mountaineering practice.  From the S couliour to the back side of Treasury, guides were exploring snow routes throughout the valley.  Harry and Iris Lyall had a full week of climbing and mountaineering with Johnny MacKinnon and left with a new appreciation for the Crested Butte area as well as increasing their own outdoor skills.  In fact, we had quite a few clients this year that were looking to expand their own on-snow techniques and we were able to cater directly to the specific needs and skills of those people and help build their experience as well as confidence.

One pleasant summer day, Jayson broke his thumb on an approach to a climb, went and got it set, and then managed to meet back up with Johnny and the clients in the afternoon.  Ian has come back strong from hip surgery in the spring venturing often with Tom Scoville, on of our longtime clients.  Hard to slow these guides down–they are pretty tough. . .

One of these things is not like the other. . . Actually what I like about this photo is Ian and the dummy having an eerily similar expression.  The dummy spent a few months on the Guide Shack bench with some people taking pictures with him, small children wondering if he was real, but most people being generally a little freaked out by him.  Our tongue in cheek promotion of sunscreen, he was inherited from CB Search and Rescue team and was found one morning in a compromising position on one of the benches in front of the Guide Shack (the shack is behind a popular CB bar. . .a lonely patron on their way home wanted a little company?). He was hence forth placed in the loft in the office, legs jutting out (still freaking people out).

And we ended our season with the ‘When’s it Going to Snow Promo?’ with the blessed happening on September 20th.  Now we are all waiting for it to snow in earnest, but we’ll be perfectly happy with a warm dry fall into November (at least I will be happy).  Thanks to everyone who joined us for an adventure this season! We appreciate your continued support of our home grown operation and we look forward to more trips, adventures, excursions. . .whatever you may have in mind, in both Crested Butte and places beyond.