Lately, CBMG has been busy with lots and lots of Wildflower Hiking & Peak Tours around the surrounding backcountry.

As the flowers have hit their peak bloom the local trails, alpine meadows, and peaks have been awash in a sea of pastel colors…making the Crested Butte Backcountry a spectacle of natural beauty.

Daily afternoon thunderstorms are contributing to keeping everything fluorishing and in full bloom.

No where have the flowers been in all their glory, then on the West Maroon Pass hike between Crested Butte and Aspen.

CBMG Guides took a special group on this hike between the two towns last week, and despite the difficulty of the hike (11 miles and ascending 12,500′ West Maroon Pass) the group was rewarded with incredible views of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area and the peak of the high country wildflowers.

Many more hikes await your participation, but it is almost August, so the flowers will begin their colorful decline soon, so make sure and get out there with us soon.

-CBMG Staff

A family reunion held in Crested Butte was livened up with 3 days of fun-filled rock climbing.

Nora Longthorne and crew joined Crested Butte Mountain Guides for 3 days of fun-filled vertical adventures with ascents of local favorite the ‘Guides Ridge’ on Mount Crested Butte, and rockclimbing in local Taylor Canyon.

CBMG Guides Kyle Mattingly & Laura Chase had a lot of fun taking various family members on these technical outings over 3 days, and the guests had this to say about their experience:

“Just want to let you know what a great experience the entire family had on our Crested Butte Mountain Guides Adventures! Kyle and Laura were FANTASTIC. The kids all really enjoyed both days with them, and Matt (my husband), Brian (brother) and I all had an amazing experience with them. They are wonderful guides and dealt with the many personalities with good grace and humor! ” – Nora Longthorne

All of our guides have been busy, with CBMG Owner/Guide, JSJ, taking 2 folks up the challenging and exposed ‘Sunset Ridge’ on Mt Crested Butte.

and, along with CBMG Guide, Ian Hatchett, continuing to cover miles of local trails and peaks hiking with return guest, David Maniatis.

Other days have been filled with daily rockclimbing trips in Taylor Canyon and Cement Creek, Mountain Biking Tours, and some very successful and beautiful remote Backpacking Trips.

Stay tuned as more photos and stories roll in from our daily mountain adventures with our guests.

—CBMG Staff

 It never fails that this time of year CBMG stays extremely busy, and it is not hard to understand why.  Beautiful weather, green, luscious mountains and wildflowers are too enticing to even think about staying indoors! 

Our guides are busy taking kids’ camps out climbing and mountain biking, hiking infamous local peaks such as Gothic Mountain, and leading wildflower tours for the 24th annual Wildflower Festival! 

The owner, Jayson Simons-Jones, has also been out leading trips in the Crestones and the Black Canyon – nothing is off-limits!

We have also started are weekly Peak of the Week climbs for all of you who would like to join us for a cheap, fun climb to our local peaks. Please visit our website to check out the schedule or to sign up!

While summer is heating up, there is no shortage of activities going on!  Check out the latest CBMG offerings below. 

Women’s Summer Climbing Series 2010 - July 31st, August 7th, & August 14th

Join the women of CBMG for a women’s specific climbing course challenging yourself in a fun, supportive environment while taking your climbing to the next level! Get better faster with more time on the rock and personalized instruction.

Check out the webpage for more details and to sign up!

WMI of NOLS WFR-Recert Course

CBMG is proud to sponsor a Wilderness First Responder Recertification Course August 27-29, 2010 here in Crested Butte.  The course is offered in the standard 3 day format, from 8-5, for a total of 24hrs., and includes WMI Adult Heartsaver CPR.  This course may be used to recertify Wilderness First Responder and Wilderness EMT (wilderness portion only) certifications. You must possess a valid WFR certification of at least 72 hours in order to recertify through this course. Upon successful course completion you will earn a wilderness medicine certification from WMI of NOLS. This course may also be used to recertify WAFA certifications.

If you would like to sign up or want more information check out the webpage, e mail us at info@crestedbutteguides.com or give us a call at 970-349-5430.

Technical Mountain Biking Skills Clinic & Vehicle Supported Multi-Day & Overnight Rides 

CBMG is now offering multi-day mountain bike trips, ignoring the hassles of logistics and riding only the trails!  Explore the miles of world-famous Crested Butte Singletrack while enjoying campsites along the way under the incredible expanse of a Colorado starry night, sharing stories of the day over the campfire with good friends, with a full belly from a great meal prepared and provided for you by your guides.  Click here for more information.

And finally,check out our new merchandise for Summer 2010!

And that means hiking the backcountry is in full swing!  CBMG guest, David Maniatis has been thoroughly exploring the Gunnison National Forest, covering areas such as Rustler’s Gulch, Baldy, Scarp’s Ridge and a summit to Teocalli Mountain – 13, 209 ft!  Check out the Teocalli pictures – David was accompanied by guide and owner, Jayson Simons-Jones, and Yukon, a husky ever in search of snow!

This past weekend, Crested Butte Mountain Guides held our annual Summer Staff Training. Staff gathered to go over 2 great days of skills workshops, summer equipment and facilities prep, and just some good ‘ol hang out time with an incredible staff and crew of folks. This year’s training was a great mix of older, senior guides, and a few new fresh faces as well.

The weekend took place with a 3-part focus, with Sat. morning being dedicated to operating procedures, emergency response plans, and overall logistical and operational overview for the coming summer season. The we spent the afternoon Rockclimbing, by checking out all our usual climbing sites, developing s few new ones, replacing some anchors, and overall having fun in the sun and on the rock.

Sunday was dedicated as a Mountain Biking skills day, with clinics amongst the guides on appropriate rides and terrain for different guests, sharing teaching skills and tips for improving people’s technical riding, and sharing trail maintenance tricks we’ve all picked up over the years.

We are all looking forward to a great summer season here in the beautiful high country of Crested Butte and the Gunnison Valley and hope to be seeing you all for a guided adventure with us soon…..Call or email us to book your summer adventure today.

info@crestedbutteguides.com  ////  970.349.5430

–CBMG Staff

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!

This past Spring season, exciting things have been happening at Crested Butte Mountain Guides. CBMG Guides have travelled far and wide in search of powder, singletrack, and warm rock, some for play and rest after a long and busy winter of guiding, others keeping the work season going through the Spring off-season lull.

A first stop on many lists was Moab, UT…only 4 hours away, but a great respite from a long and cold Crested Butte winter, with great warm sunshine, invting sandstone Desert Rockclimbing and dozens of desert towers to get back out on the rock, miles of some of the world’s best singletrack to begin the Mountain-Biking season with, and of course great camping.

CBMG Guide Steve Banks headed off to Europe to guide the Classic Haute Route Ski Tour between Chamonix and Zermatt once again. Steve has just returned to Crested Butte and word is, the trip had great conditions and was once again smooth and successful. Join us next year on this ‘must-do’ ski mountaineering tour. Look for Steve’s write-up on this BLOG coming soon. 

 Closer to home, the wet and stormy weather in the Colorado high country kept the Ski Mountaineering season going through late May. CBMG Guides Johnny MacKinnon, and Mike Soucy have been busy guiding these ski descents both locally on the Mt. CB ‘Guides Ridge’ and farther abroad on some of Colorado’s 14ers. Either a great capstone experience to the ski season, an intro into bigger more technical skiing, or as a training regimen for bigger and more complicated mountains, make sure to join us on a Ski Mountaineering trip in 2011.

This off-season the CBMG World Headquarters also got a face lift, as we disposed of the old dingy carpet and replaced it with some brand-new oak hardowwd floors, installed by CBMG’s own JSJ. We think they do alot to brighten and open up our cozy little miner’s cabin, so make sure and come check out the new(er) digs, just make sure to wipe your feet at the “Guide Shack” door.

Lastly, warmer days are here, and dry rock abounds from the Utah Desert, to the local Taylor Canyon and The Black Canyon. This summer, as well as having our standard Rockclimbing Programs and guided opportunities, we are once again having our successful Women’s Climbing Series, a 3-day High Angle Rock Rescue Course, and a few Yoga /Climbing Retreats. Visit www.crestedbutteguides.com or call us for more details.

Don’t delay. Get out and enjoy summer in the Colorado high country and in the Crested Butte backcountry. Book your guided summer adventure today with Crested Butte Mountain Guides. Currently offering guided trips daily in: Rockclimbing, Mountaineering, Mountain Biking, Hiking, Backpacking, Skills Instruction/Training or simply a fully supported car camping trip around a campfire under the Colorado stars…

 —CBMG Staff

Crested Butte Mountain Guides has a few spaces left on our Colorado Spring Ski Mountaineering Camp being held in Crested Butte on April 8-11, 2010. As the resorts close, it’s time to go bigger and badder, so learn the technical skills of ski mountaineering from AMGA Ski Mountaineering Certified Guides in this 4-day camp. $525 / person. Call us 970….349.5430 or visit our website for more info: www.crestedbutteguides.com