All Mountain Adventures

Ortler Ski Tour 2012

All Mountain Adventures — Mon, 14 May 2012 22:35:37 +0000

The Ortler ski circuit is a six day hut to hut ski tour in Northern Italy. We had the same crew from our 2010 Haute Route team and once again were blessed with great conditions. Below are a few images taken from Izzy and Aaron. Thanks everyone for a great trip and looking forward to Norway in 2013!

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Chamonix ski tour

All Mountain Adventures — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 15:59:21 +0000

Due to icy conditions on Mont Blanc, we were unable to ski off the summit this year. Instead we did a grand ski tour amongst the impressive peaks just below the Massif du Mont Blanc. We started off the Aiguille du Midi and had a long day climbing up and over the Breche du Pussieux, skiing the Leschaux glacier and arriving at the refuge du Couvercel just before sunset. The following day we headed up to Point Isabela and had a great corn run back to the Montenvers train. Below are a few photos from our trip thanks to David Hewett.

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La Grave ski week 2012

All Mountain Adventures — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:05:19 +0000

Team Aussie came back to the alps this year, but this time for two weeks! After a great ski tour on the Ortler last year, Tony, James and Matthew wanted to check out La Grave, Chamonix and ski off the summit of Mont Blanc. Below are some images from our trip in La Grave. The Chamonix section can be seen here.

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Skiing the San Juans

All Mountain Adventures — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:55:52 +0000

Video put together by Pete Muszi… nice job Pete, and looking forward to some skiing in La Grave this year!

Ouray Ice Park – rope soloing

All Mountain Adventures — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:58:31 +0000

With such easy access, great anchors on top, and no avalanche danger the Ouray Ice Park is hands down the greatest training ground for ice and mixed climbing in the lower 48. On this particular day, I had about two hours to get after some climbing. I headed to the park with a rope, mini-traxion and ice gear setting off to climb five pitches of ice. Below are some photos a women took while I was climbing the Culminator, a route rated WI 5. With nearly 200 routes to climb the opportunities are endless for all abilities…

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Heli-Skiing with Helitrax

All Mountain Adventures — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:34:48 +0000

A day with Helitrax on Feb. 7, 2012. An old college buddy, Hunter LeGear, came to town for some riding in the San Juans. With a foot of new snow and a blue bird day we decided to do a day of heli-skiing in Telluride. With no wind, the Colorado champaign powder lived up to it’s name. It was fun to see Warner Miller shooting that day and all of us experience some runs of a lifetime. The photos below don’t to it justice, but you can get the idea and there’s a link to Hunter’s GoPro video.

GoPro video

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Ecuador Volcanoes

All Mountain Adventures — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:56:29 +0000

Ecuador has four major volcanoes, all glaciated and sit anywhere between 18,900 and 20,700 feet. We picked three that looked the most interesting; Cotopaxi, Antisana, and Chimborzao and were fortunate to summit all three. Here are a few photos from our highly successful and super fun adventure through the high plains of Ecuador.

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Deep Water Soloing in Mallorca

All Mountain Adventures — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:30:09 +0000

After a week of sport climbing and mountain biking in Arco, Italy, Krista and I were nose deep in guidebooks planning our week long trip to the Dolomites. And out-of-nowhere, I received an email from a good friend and fellow guide Amos Whiting stating he and his girlfriend Ali had an extra room for a week in their apartment in Mallorca, Spain… So we immediately looked into cheap flights and a day later we were flying Easy Jet to Palma de Mallorca and deep water soloing soon after! What an amazing place and rush of adrenalin! Below are some of the photos from our trip and I am sure I will be returning…

Amos spent a month guiding here last year, so he was chalked full of beta. He offers DWS (deep water soloing camps) at his website www.mallorcaclimbingcamps.com.

Matterhorn

All Mountain Adventures — Tue, 31 May 2011 18:43:44 +0000

The Matterhorn (German), Monte Cervino (Italian) or Mont Cervin (French), is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres (14,692 ft) high, making the Matterhorn one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The Matterhorn was the last great Alpine peak to be climbed and its first ascent, up the Hörnli ridge, marked the end of the golden age of alpinism. It was made in 1865 by a party led by Edward Whymper and ended tragically when four of its members fell to their deaths on the descent. To read more about the first ascent click here.

BCA Tracker 2 and Float 30 Pack

All Mountain Adventures — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:38:40 +0000

If you’re on the market for avalanche safety equipment, look no further. Backcountry Access has developed two new items that will greatly reduce the time it takes to find someone and more importantly your risk of avalanche burial. Though education and avoidance is number one, having the right equipment and being prepared can save you and your friends lives.

BCA has long been the leading company in beacon development. With the new Tracker 2, they just got better! The Tracker 2 offers the industry’s fastest, most precise pinpointing, with triple receive antenna, instantaneous real–time display, and same easy–to–use interface. An intuitive mechanical search/transmit switch makes it even easier to use right “out of the box.” Thinner profile and harness than Tracker DTS and also includes the “Special mode” and multiple burial indicator lights.

Check out this video of the new Tracker 2…

Avalanche air bags are, hands down, the best piece of equipment to have while traveling in avalanche terrain. Of course the beacon, probe and shovel are all necessary pieces of equipment, but by not getting buried in the first place, your three steps ahead. Excavation time is by far the biggest contributing factor in avalanche fatalities. By reducing or eliminating burial depth you substantially increase your chances of survival. The Float 30 is the first airbag that is both affordable and easily reusable. We use a smaller cylinder, single–chamber 150–liter airbag, and super–efficient venturi system to reduce cost and weight. The airbag itself not only helps prevent burial, but protects the head, neck and upper body from trauma. With its location behind the head and away from the hips and arms, it preserves the user’s peripheral vision and his or her ability to escape the avalanche before it picks up speed.

Check out the features of the Float 30 pack in this video: