Ice = cold, hard, and wet.

Okay. somebody had to say it!

There are updates on OIP and San Juan conditions at http://www.skywardmountaineering.com/ouray-ice-climbing-conditions. Looks as if they've changed their format - used to be a lot easier to read/navigate.

More stuff at http://ourayiceclimbing.blogspot.com/ although it looks more like advertising for Mammut than ice conditions.

Also contact Matt Wade at http://www.peakmountainguides.com. Great guy, really helpful, and out and about all the time. He'll give you the straight scoop.

Awesome! Tell him I send my best and I'll probably see him sometime in January.

Safe travels yourself. Don't be sticking yourself with any sharp pointy things.

MarthaP wrote:There are updates on OIP and San Juan conditions at http://www.skywardmountaineering.com/ouray-ice-climbing-conditions. Looks as if they've changed their format - used to be a lot easier to read/navigate.

I agree big-time! I wonder if we all asked Vince nicely if he would go back to the old format? I like that there's a facility for other folks to post their observations, but the old format was MUCH easier (and the new one doesn't display correctly on my smartphone). :^(

KevinCraig wrote:

MarthaP wrote:There are updates on OIP and San Juan conditions at http://www.skywardmountaineering.com/ouray-ice-climbing-conditions. Looks as if they've changed their format - used to be a lot easier to read/navigate.

I agree big-time! I wonder if we all asked Vince nicely if he would go back to the old format? I like that there's a facility for other folks to post their observations, but the old format was MUCH easier (and the new one doesn't display correctly on my smartphone). :^(

I definitely agree. It was fun scrolling down through ONE page that had reference to all the climbs in the SW - and just looking at the skeleton/skinny suit/fat suit was great information. A few emails to Vince could help convince him that new is not necessarily useful.

The ice in the park is good not great. Plenty of fun to be had for sure but still early. The stuff in the lead area was quite a bit less trafficked.

Our group also climbed Horsetail falls and that was pretty good overall. A little wet on P1 but tons of fun and not another soul in sight!

This is all for Dec 18-20.