Guide Steve Bank’s account of the 2010 Haute Route European Ski Tour: April 10-18. 

Another successful Haute Route ski mountaineering week from Chamonix to Zermatt with two Aussies, father and daughter, and two good buddies from Vermont. The week provided the best weather in a long time. The route has a 50% success rate, mostly due to weather, but this week had no excuses.

Day 1:  We warmed up on the classic Valle Blanche with sunshine and great spring conditions. The next day we headed off of the Grands Montets tram and down the Glacier du Rognons to the Argentier hut. We were greeted in the morning by 10” of fresh and blue skies. This would set the scene for the week.

Day 3-4: We would have usually headed over the Col du Chardonet, but I got word that the back side had melted out quite a bit and the usual jam up of skiers at the top of the pass was getting out of hand. I decided to swing off the beaten path and to the Col du Passon instead. This led us into a more secluded area with just a short climb up a couloir to put us up on the massive Glacier du Tour. Crossing this huge plateau in the warm sunshine, we were treated to an air show by local stunt pilots buzzing the granite spires and doing touch-and-go landings on the glacier. Another climb over the Col du Tour and we traverse the Trient Glacier into Switzerland and on to the Trient hut, one of the nicest on the traverse.

That evening it clouded up and began to snow. This could be an issue as the Trient hut is not situated in an area conducive to skiing in a whiteout or with elevated avalanche danger. Luckily we awoke in the morning to another 8” of fresh snow and bluebird conditions. Unfortunately, Ian blew out a binding descending down to Champex, forcing some creative one ski action through the new snow. A quick taxi shuttle to the ski lifts of Verbier found us at a good ski shop which was able to make the necessary repairs and get us on our way up to the Mt. Fort hut for the evening. 

Day 5:  We again woke to fresh snow and blue skies, could this be possible? Up and over the Col du la Chaux and on to the coveted Rosablach Summit. Here we were able to ditch our packs and make a few laps in the fresh snow. 

Continuing on we cruised down to the Prafleuri hut for another afternoon of beers in the sun. This afternoon we were treated to another air show with helicopters using explosives for avalanche control work to get ready for the upcoming Patroullie du Glaciers ski mountaineering race coming through the following weekend. 

Day 6:  Took us along the traverse of the Lac du Dix and up to the Dix hut. Incredibly warm temperatures and sunny skies left us melting on the glacier in the mid day heat. Cold beers at the hut were a welcomed treat, and we spent the afternoon drying and tanning in the sun. 

The next morning again gave us a few inches of fresh snow with the morning sun shining off of the amazing peak of the Mont Blanc du Cheilon. A long day with perfect conditions took us over the Col du Serpentine, the Cold du Brenay and up to the summit of the Pigne d’Arrola. Here the skiing was amazing, and untouched as most people, including the heli-assisted skiers, ski the other side of the peak. We ditched our packs at the bottom and made three great laps in perfect boot top powder before heading down the other side to the Vignettes hut. This final stop on the tour is certainly the most dramatic. Weaving through crevasses and seracs high above the valley floor, the hut is perched on the side of a cliff. It is truly a wonder of Swiss engineering. Our last evening in the mountains we were treated to a fantastic meal and the drinking songs of the German ski tourers at the next table. 

In the morning we found cloudy skies and snow obscuring the skies. A long day over the Col de E’veque, down the Arrola Glacier, up the Col du Mont Brule and into Italy on the Haut Tsa de Tsan Glacier in whiteout conditions proved a bit challenging, but the snow conditions made it entirely bearable. The skies began to clear as we skinned up the Col du Vapelline and we got a magnificent view of the Matterhorn and our final destination of Zermatt. Entering the Stockji Glacier, and our final climb of the trip we found great snow for the long descent down onto the Zmut Glacier and then cruised along the base of the North Face of the Matterhorn and onto the ski slopes of Zermatt. Stopping for celebratory beers and snacks at the first restaurant we were ecstatic with the success of the trip, the perfect weather and fantastic skiing along the way.

Join us next year for the 2011 Haute Route Traverse - Dates just announced!

I’m up next for the Employee Gear Closet. I spend a lot of time in the mountains on a variety of skis and here is my quiver from right to left: First up are the G3 Reverends. I know the telemark turn died in 1924, but I still enjoy dropping the knee at the ski area. Plus, I’ve got the Lord on my side in the Extremes with these solid boards. Next to them are my skinny little G3 Aces–good for long tours and ski mountaineering around CB and the Cascades.

Up next are my go-to BC boards. The Dynafit Manaslu is the perfect mid-winter ski touring ski for the CB backcountry. It is light, decently wide and with a small rocker and early rise up front, they make skiing breakable crust fun. What’s left…I got some approach skis for accessing backcountry ice climbing areas, an old pair of BD Havocs mounted with the G3 Targa Ascent for the Al Johnson Uphill/Downhill Telemark Race and a beat up pair of Fischer Superlights that work great for the Grand Traverse.

AT Boots?  Check.  Tele Boots?  Check. Ice Boots? Check. New for me this year are the Black Diamond Push telemark boot. I like their even flex and 4 buckle support. My Scarpa Spirit 4s are my everyday work boot and I log over 100 days in them each season. For ice climbing and mountaineering I have been wearing La Sportiva Nepal Top Evos for the last 2 years. They are comfy right out of the box, and warm enough for me.

I am also operating a small backpack museum in my closet for old, tattered but still lovable rucksacks. Each pack has its own story to tell and I can’t bear to get rid of any of them! The two climbing packs up front were both hand-made in North Conway, NH by local alpinists and I have logged many miles in the mountains with them on my back. I purchased the red Wild Things Ice Sack my senior year in high school and it is still going strong. The oriental rug is one of the few domestic things I own and it is one of my prized possessions. I bought it in an alley in Katmandu with my Dad about 10 years ago. That’s my gear closet/bedroom. Enjoy!

Johnny

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.

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.

This past weekend brothers Tom & Casey Kaptur once again joined Crested Butte Mountain Guides for a guided trip to the Sangre De Cristo Mountains for climbs of the difficult Crestone Peaks. The Kaptur’s have been regular guests of ours on their quest to complete all of the Colorado Fourteeners.

This year’s trip into the Crestones had a somewhat auspicious start, with a low level storm with lots of moisture blanketing the range on our approach day, so we opted for the dry comforts of town in the small ranching village of Westcliffe, CO, instead of camping and starting our trip off in the midst of a storm.

A  2am start from town had us bouncing up the 4wd South Colony Lakes Rd in the dark and leaving from the upper trailhead at 4am for an attempt at the Crestones Traverse. We were able to make good time under clear but windy conditions and reached 12,900′ Broken Hand Pass at sunrise, where we enjoyed a beautiful ridge walk above the clouds below and under the early morning sun.

 Once in the East Couloir on the Needle we roped up and made a climb straight up the gully to it’s terminus on the ridge, enjoying mostly 3rd and 4th class Crestone conglomerate knob climbing to the summit ridge, where a short scramble along the exposed ridge took us to an early morning 8:30 am summit.

Rapidly building clouds, deceasing visiblity, and high winds made the call for us that conditions for the traverse to CrestonePeak were not optimal so we opted to descend from the Needle with one difficult and successful summit under our belts and return to South Colony Lakes where we could set up camp and attempt Crestone Peak the following day.

 Once down at South Colony Lakes the weather seemed to be breaking, so Tom opted to try and tack on a climb of Humboldt Peak (14,064′) via it’s easy 2nd class route by himself, while Casey rested and secured a good campsite amongst the approaching weekend crowd, and I ran down to the truck at the trailhead to get our remaining overnight gear. As luck would have it, the weather took and incredible turn for the worst, and a half-hour after our sunny blue skies an incredibly fast moving storm was overhead and in no time was pelting sideways rain and hail while I hurried back with tents, and Tom was forced to retreat from 13,000′ on Humboldt.

 The rest of the afternoon was spent in our repective tents, soaked from being caught out there but warm, and waiting for that typical Colorado evening clearing so we could dry ourselves and gear off before tomorrow’s pre-dawn freezing cold start for Crestone Peak. We barely eeked out 45 min of evening sun, before shadow and night hit, and went to bed damp but motivated for the next day.

 Day 3 had us up early before the sun again, and walking out of camp at the lakes by 4am to be ahead of the weekendcrowd on popular Crestone Peak. The morning dawned clear and cold, and we made good time up over Broken Hand Pass again, anddown around to Cottonwood Lake and the base of Crestone Peak’s Southerly Red CouloirRoute. At the 12,600′ mark where we entered the gully proper, Casey had opted to turn around and save Crestone Peak for another day feeling sluggish andtired from the length and difficulty of the previous day’s climb.

 So as Casey chose to turn back, Tom & I opted to continue our climb, and headed into the clouds and frigid October like temperatures, making our way up the long 3rd and 4th class gully. We reached the summit by 8:15 am we were greeted with a surreal mix of clouds, sunshine, and lots of winds, with an incredible view above the clouds to the east of the range, and clear blue skies to the west. We snapped some photos ate some food and were headed back down quickly….a good decision since we passed 28 people still on the way up!

 Arriving back in camp by 1pm, to find Casey in good spirits and the weather completely stabilized and clear, Tom opted to once again try for the easy and thus far elusive Humboldt peak, so off he went again, this time I went with him as guardian against the weather (yeah right) and for moral support and company. By 3:30 pm we had reached the summit of Humboldt under clear skies, and racked up almost 6200′ of vertical !!!  A slow descent on tired legs and achy knees brought us back to camp and on to Casey waiting on us at the trailhead with the last of a few swigs of Crown Royal in honor of our big days and success on the Crestone Peaks.

Congrats again boys, looking forward to the next adventure.

—Your Guide, Jayson Simons-Jones (CBMG Owner / Guide)

 Almost 5 years ago to the day I had spine surgery following a long and nagging back injury that resulted in my collapsing and falling down from losing much muscle coordination in my right leg. The doctors at the Denver Spine Center removed pieces of 2 severely herniated discs in my low back, routed out the nerve holes to make room for the inflammed and swollen nerves to breathe, and clipped off some pieces of the bone on my spine to allow for them to get to the offending discs.

 For the next 7 months I was regulated to basically walking only….on flat ground….while I healed. Not easy mentally or emotionally for some one used to running around in the mountains for work and play. After seeing 4 surgeons along this road, I was told post-op that my ‘mountain career’ and essentially guiding should be reconsidered and that it was unlikely I would be able to climb or run around in the mountains at a continued high level after my recovery. I was also told, that the 5-year mark post surgery was a very good indicator of how the remainder of my life would go with the repair and healing of my back.

So…..Sunday morning, on a big mission I’d been dreaming about for a long time, I decided to attempt a mega Colorado 14er link-up and prove to myself and my docs that I indeed have kept up my ‘mountain guiding’ career and am not hampered in the least by this injury or recovery anymore. So at 3:30 am on Sunday I left the Maroon Bells parking lot to attempt to climb both South & North Maroon Peaks (14,156′ & 14,014′  respectfully) via their technical connecting ridge and then continue onto Pyramid Peak (14,018′) for a 9,000′+ vertical day and countless rugged mountain miles and technical scrambling on these notoriously loose and challenging Elk 14ers.

 With the ‘Bell Chord Couloir’ still full of snow I set off to climb this steep but direct line that intersects the ridge between the two ‘Bells” as the quickest and easiest way to access both summits and do their traverse. I hit the rock fall prone ‘Bell Chord’ at dawn’s first light and was able to make good time up it in great snow climbing conditions, and after a quick 4th class scramble, was on the summit of South Maroon Peak (14,156′) at 7 am…

 A brief time for a drink and some summit photos and I was off, back to the notch at the top of the ‘Bell Chord” to grab my ice axe and crampons and along the decieving and exposed 1/2 mile traverse to North Maroon Peak (14,014′), where I arrived 45 min later, fresh and feeling good, but under early threatening skies.

After a quick stop on the summit of North Maroon and some more summit photos, I pounded some ShotBloks and Red Bull and prepared for the big and steep 4,000′+ descent down to the valley floor and the base of Pyramid trail, where I had stashed some more food, water, Red Bull, running shoes, and some shorts for a fast and light mission on Pyramid that I was hoping would allow me to have the stamina to pull off the 14er trifecta.

 6 hours after starting from the trailhead, and already having both Maroon Bells under my belt, I started up the grueling and direct Pyramid Peak trail, while clouds continued to darken and build just across the valley earlier then normal. At this point, I was running on arenalin on the possibility of pulling this off….as well as an iPod full of punk rock music in my ears and Red Bull in my veins…

 I continued to move quickly and felt good until I hit the mellow snowfields in the amphitheatre below the North Face of Pyramid Peak. Here I began to bonk hard in the heat of the day and my pace started to slow drastically. The loose and frustrating climb up the loose scree and dirt of “The Filter” that leads to the 13,100′ saddle on Pyramid’s Northeast Rideg Route, was hard…as it felt like it took all my energy not to vomit on the spot from all the exertion.

 At the saddle, I took my longest break of the day…pausing to drink some more water and try and get down some real food….a turkey and cheese bagel. At this point the clouds seemed to be confining their convective build-up to localized area and were producing more wind and virga then any real threats, so I went on for the last 1,000′ to Pyramid’s summit.

 30 min later, and 8:45 after starting out, I was on my third 14er summit of the day, and was blessed with also having this summit all to myself as well, except for one lone mountain goat. Here I had 20 min to reflect on the 9,000′ of vertical I had travelled, that I still felt fairly good, and how far I had come in these past 5 years of my life. The mountain goat, however, was obviously much less impressed….as I’m sure that would be a normal routine day for them.

I was able to descend the upper technical part of Pyramid fueled by excitement and enthusiasm….but by far the hardest part of the day was the long, steep, and painful pounding back down the trail from teh ampithetare to the Maroon Lake trail and the 2 mile rocky walk back to the parking lot. This was one of the the most challenging mental activities I’ve endured in a long time….as the last hour, with almost everything done and gone behind me, it took everything I had to not just curl up in a ball and ’sleep it off’ on the side of the trail for a few days. 11 hours and 20 min later I was back in the parking lot, pounding Gatorade, and soaking my tired and sore feet in the ice cold river after a solid day of 9,032′ of vertical…

I realize my endeavor was nothing more then an entirely selfish and incredibly personal goal and achievement….made ultimately clear to me by the humbling and un-enthused mountain goat on the summit of Pyramid Peak….but I hope it has helped settled some important internal battles and questions in my own mind and body, and hopefully will maybe inspire someone else out there that has been given a less then promising outlook form the medical community to take some of their healing into their own hands and achive a goal….and hopefully one more meaningful and important then just climbing some mountains in Colorado really fast.

—Jayson Simons-Jones (CBMG Owner / Guide)

This past week, Randy Brooks and I headed down to the Crestone Needle in the Sangre De Cristo Range for 2-days of alpine mountaineering and a climb of one of Colorado’s most famous 14′ers.

Randy, hailing from San Angelo Texas, is well on his way to finishing his 14′er quest, as this was peak number 48 for him, and as some icing on the cake we spent his 45th birthday below the Needle’s imposing Northeast face camped at beautiful South Colony Lakes.

This was my first climb with Randy, and late spring snowstorms had combined to make the standard Southwest Face Route on the Crestone Needle a mixed alpine climbing bag of solid 3rd & 4th class rock, with snow and ice climbing skills necessary.

After a long and slow, but comfortable drive up the South Colony Road in Randy’s beautiful Land Rover we had a mellow hike to camp at South Colony Lakes where we spent the afternoon resting, acclimatizing, and preparing for the next day’s pre-dawn start.

Day 2 found us up and out of camp by 5 am, and dawned clear and sunny on us as we approached the initial difficulties of getting up to Broken HandPass under a beautiful sunrise. The rest of the climb of the Needle’s SW Face Route went smoothly with mixed sections of snow, ice , and rock, as I chose to do the more preferrable and direct but slightly harder line up the ‘east couloir’ all the way to the summit ridge and then a short exposed ridge walk section over to the summit. While this route is slightly harder (4th class) it is more aesthetic, quicker, and arguably safer.

A brief stint on the summit by 9am, had us turning around and descending under increasingly cloudier skies, and we made it safely back to camp by 12:30 after a fairly smooth and uneventful, but enjoyable and successful climb.

In camp we were greeted with a herd of local big horn sheep with babies in tow, where we hung out and took pictures before heading on out of the mountains and back to our respective homes.

Randy, thanks for a great day, and for sharing your 45th birthday with me. I hope your climbs of Mount Wilson & El Diente went as smoothly as ours did. Looking forward to climbing with you again.

—Jayson Simons-Jones (Your Guide)