A long overdue post....
Silverton.... Silverton, Colorado is a magical place. It invokes
many contradicting emotions. Number one being fear. Number two being excitement. This could explain the feeling in my stomach as we clicked into our bindings and made our way to the only chair lift on the mountain. As we gained elevation and arouse out of the treeline and I could finally see some of the upper mountain, I was fairly certain I may loose my breakfast of eggs and green chili's. See....aside from one short rainy evening at Mountain Creek back in NJ, I hadn't been on ski's in over 10 years. Like many other skiers of my generation, I had retired my ski's for a snowboard when I was very young. Now, the purity and traditionalism of ski mountaineering has steered me back. Along with the fact that I can climb water ice 5 in my Dynafit touring boots.
Now here I was standing on the crest of a massive bowl reading a "trail" map that first states, in bold, "
You could die here today!" Surrounded by remnants of the explosives used during that mornings avalanche control session. I tried to gain my composure and settle my pulse. It didn't work, but Jared was ready to go. I turned on my avy beacon, zippered up, and dropped in. The first run wasn't pretty. My legs were jello and my ski tips chattered across the stiff snow pack. Somehow, I made it down the 2000 foot run still standing. And Stoked! Immediately wanting to get back up to make another run. By the end of the third run I had gotten much more comfortable and began testing myself a little. Trying to, and failing, to keep up with Jared. Regardless, Jared was proud of me. I was proud of myself. My snowboard hasn't been out of the bag since.
After Silverton I was treated to the most beautiful and scariest drive I've ever been on. We made our way from Silverton towards Ouray (Affectionately known as the "Switzerland of America"), Via the Red Mountain Pass. Through avalanche tunnels and around blind curves we went, passing plow trucks that were plowing rock fall off the roadway. As we winded our way down, Ouray came into view. A small quaint little town nestled in the valley below Box Canyon. We made our way into town and met up with some of Jared friends. I was amazed at the massive amount of ice within the park. It was like an ice climbers playground. We all spent the evening soaking in the hot springs while the snow fell. After getting beat up by Silverton, this was a welcome treat.
The next two days were spent at the ice climbing festival. Meeting some of the friendliest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. We did several super fun climbs and I got to witness some of the worlds top mixed climbers, both male and female, struggling up the competition routes. We ended our last day in Ouray running around town trying to find a gluten free cake for B's birthday. In case you were wondering, There are
no gluten free cakes within a 30 miles radius of Ouray Colorado.
The next day we made our way back over the Red Mountain pass, through Silverton, and stopped in at Cascade Canyon to check the ice situation. We found some terrific mixed routes and a super wet pillar that made for some sketchy sticks. Jared set up a top rope on an M5 and gave it a shot. Having never truly climbed mixed before, I wasn't sure I wanted to give it a go. But Jared wouldn't have that! I tied in and shook out. "Night Shift" begins with its crux right off the ground. Several powerful and burly moves demand full body tension leading up to a vertical section with tiny crimps and shallow thin slots. As I made my way up through the crux, I realized what all the hype was about. Mixed climbing is some serious fun! It demands the utmost attention regarding your tool and foot placements. One millimeter off and your crampons are popping out of the little pocket or your tool just skates off the hold. Before I knew it I had onsighted my first mixed climb.
We moved over and set up on an M7. Jared almost had it until the sequence near the top screwed up his concentration and he took a hard fall. I was eager to try, and felt great until about the half way point when my forearms started to burn and protest. After taking a hang, I completed the route. I was super happy that Jared psyched me up enough to get on the routes, and today, I'm a mixed climbing fanatic!
My time in Colorado was all too short. It had been all that I expected, and much much more. I got to experience some new things, do my first true crack climb, scare and surprise myself at Silverton, send my first few mixed climbs, and spend time with such a great friend.
Hopefully I'll be back next year!
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