ice climbing
★ Pickin’ and Grinnin’
KENNAN HARVEY
Gravity has a heyday with water in Southwest Colorado’s mountainous terrain. In the winter, plunges of water freeze in vertical columns and cascading romps, providing climbers who possess the skills, tools and safety sense yet another reason to call the area paradise. Upstanding ice that keeps climbers on their toes:
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Ice meets Danika Gilbert climbing the Whorehouse Ice Hose, the criteria to be a Eureka, Colo. mineral: It is naturally occurring, inorganic, solid, has a specific chemical DURANGO SILVERTON formula and has a fixed Cascade Canyon is a natural ice South Mineral Creek is accessed five internal atomic park just off Highway 550 about miles northwest of Silverton on County structure. two miles north of Durango MounRoad 585. The Direct North Face is the tain Resort, where experts and beginners giant ice first to be seen a few miles down the enjoy single-pitch climbing. It is also no secret that road, followed by the Snowblind chimneys and the Upper Haflin Falls on the east side of the Animas Campground Couloir above the public campground. Valley holds 100 feet of popsicle. The road is not plowed, so reaching these climbs after snowfall requires skis or snowshoes. Eureka, located nine miles north of Silverton on OURAY Forest Road 110, holds a wealth of ice, including Home to the Ouray Ice Festival (Jan. 9 - 13, 2013), favorites such as Stairway to Heaven, a huge flow on Ouray has arguably the best ice climbing in the the east side of the gorge. Tempered by Fire is further country because of the Ouray Ice Park — a mile-long up on the east, beginning in a narrowing slot chimsection of the Uncompahgre Gorge with more than ney just above the road. Also check out Whorehouse 200 easily accessible climbs, most of them “farmed” Hoses, 1st Gully, 2nd Gully, which is an enjoyable via a gravity-fed pipeline. frozen cascade just steps off the road, and Goldrush.
PAGOSA SPRINGS
The Wolf Creek Pass area north of Pagosa Springs has a variety of falls that can turn into great ice climbs, including Treasure Falls, which is long recognized as one of its jewels. Just opposite Treasure Falls is Tasty Freeze, another gem.
TELLURIDE Telluride lacks no amount of steep terrain, which in winter can bring to form great ice at Bridal Veil Falls and Bear Creek Canyon/Falls, Ames Ice Hose and Ames Falls. xyz 2012-13 Southwest Colorado Winter Guide • 15