This last week, Jeff, Matt, Mike, Jamie and Jason joined Matt and I for what turned out to be a great time in the San Juans. The crew had a good range of experience. Some people had never climbed a mountain before and others had already done a couple of the ‘Seven Summits’. Everyone came away from the weekend having learned a lot and having experienced the amazing summit of Engineer Peak.

On Day one we drove North of Durango to Cascade Canyon for a day of ice climbing. Everyone seemed to pick the art of climbing ice up very quickly and were cruising up the walls in no time. Jason and Matt wanted to do some rappelling so we arranged that near the end of the day, then packed up and headed back to Durango to prepare for the next day.

Day two we drove up to Coalbank Pass and hiked in to our camp at around 11′500′. When we arrived we set up our tents and then got to work digging out the best cook tent I have ever seen. At 6′ deep with an archway to the kitchen plus a separate seating area, it will be hard to beat.

Day three dawned clear which was good since we had a ton to go over. We started out with some Avalanche Awareness and beacon searches. Then transferred into self arresting, snow anchors, crevasse rescue, and ascending a fixed line. We finished off the day with, quesadillas and cheddar and broccoli soup for appetizer then burritos for dinner and cheesecake for dessert!

Day four was summit day. A team on day three was nice enough to break trail part way up Engineer, but we had to finish it off on our own. We summited in great time in perfect conditions. After soaking up the views from the summit we returned to camp, packed up and headed for Durango.

Everyone in the group did a great job and I hope to climb with each of you again in the future!

BK

Dispatch from Gary Falk about their recent successful ascent of Cotopaxi. More pictures to follow shortly!

We put six out of eight climbers on the 19,347 foot summit of cotopaxi friday morning, and conditions were perfect for climbing; supportable snow, clear skies, and mild wind. Views of the eastern and western cordillera were stunning, featuring Chimborazo (our next objective), the Ilianizas, Antisana, and the smoking Tungurahua .

Our day began at 11pm Thursday night with scrambled eggs, bread and jam, hot coffee and tea, and yogurt with granola. Spirits were high, no headaches, and everyone was psyched to go climbing. Recent precipitation allowed us to leave the refugio with crampons on, and we crunched up the initial snow field for an hour and a half, to the toe of the glacier. Now roped up, we wandered in the dark around crevasses, under seracs, and ahead of the snaking line of headlamps from the other 15-20 climbers below us.

Making good time, we traversed underneath the massive yannasaccha, which is the rock band on the northern side of the mountain, and over to the west side. Here, at dawn, we tromped up what we coined “cardiac ridge”, a 40 degree and 700 foot slope, and rested below the crux “canaleta”, or couloir, on a nice flat bench. Switching gears, we belayed the 60 degree ice pitch, and rest-stepped our way to the summit. After hugs, photos, and fuel, we turned around and headed down the exact way we came up. The uneventful descent took less than half as long as the ascent, and upon returning to the refugio we packed up and headed to la cienega, our hotel for the night. Tired, hungry, and psyched, we dined at 4pm, and afterward celebrated beside the fireplace while listening to a live local string/flute band.

This morning we slept in, ate, then drove to the town of banos, where the views of the erupting Tungarahua dominated our descent to the valley. Tonight we will soak in the hot springs and breathe the oxygenated air of the 3000 foot town.

Gary F.

Recently, Southwest Adventure Guide achieved American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Accreditation. What does AMGA Accreditation mean? Taken from the AMGA website is the following statment:

“Accreditation provides a consistent and meaningful standard by which to judge the reliability and professionalism of a climbing program. It informs the general public and land managers that a program conducts business in an ethical manner, is in compliance with state and federal regulations, and utilizes guides who are certified and that all guides in the program have received formal training appropriate to the terrain they guide.”

At Southwest Adventure Guides, we understand that our clients have many options when choosing to hire a guide service to help them achieve their climbing, mountaineering, or skiing goals, be it on a course, private trip, or expedition. In addition to the fact that the majority of our guides are certified in either the rock, ski, or alpine disciplines, our commitment as a company goes beyond that with regard to how we actually conduct business with our clients and present ourselves to the general public. The accreditation process was directly related to this commitment.

We’re excited to become one of the select few guide services to have subjected themselves to the rigorous process of becoming an AMGA Accredited Company. Many, many thanks goes out to all the individuals who helped to make this happen, most especially Senior Guide Andrew Klotz, who spent countless hours meticulously organizing all the information that needed to be compiled during the process!!

Click on the following link to read more about the AMGA Accreditation process.

Nate Disser
Director/Head Guide
AMGA Certified Rock & Alpine Guide