Pre-Course call

Our team will schedule a group call before your seminar. They will discuss the three-day itinerary, review gear needs, and share a general time plan for each day of the trip. This is also a great way to ask any questions about the day!

day 1

You will meet your guide at the Artisan Bakery & Cafe and share a quick morning hello, and the day’s itinerary. The team will make any small adjustments to the climbing kit and then take a stroll to the Ouray Ice Park.

This day will focus on ice leader foundations, starting with the leader mindset and ice climbing gear and strategy. Typically, there’s a need to polish up our movement skills, so we incorporate gear foundations and better movement practices during the first half of the day. Our second half of the day will shift focus from climbing to anchors; more specifically, anchors used for upward progress and then anchors and skills used to descend ice routes.

day 2

Today focuses on refinement and practice of day one skills, while building in multi-pitch transitions. Each climber will have the opportunity to mock lead multi-pitch style climbs and descend those routes using the skills from day one.

The second half of the day is open for more practice mock leading, or single pitch lives leads. Live leads are up to the discretion of the guide and based on guest’s skills progression and movement comfort/ability .

Day 3

The goal of day three is to tackle a local backcountry ice climb in Ouray to employ the skills learned over the last two days. Another guide will join on this final day to keep our backcountry ratios at 2:1. Guests are encourage to lead pitches and our guide team may lead cruxes or other pitches as necessary.

Evening group dinner in town will be planned by the climbing and guide team. It is expected for all guests to celebrate and attend.