Skyward Mountaineering

SPINDRIFT!! This has truly been a challenging season for alpine climbing in the AK Range and despite a promising forecast, a bit of wind and snow was enough to move the needle and created torrential loose avalanches that flushed the Ham and Eggs couloir.

With careful climbing and a bit of willingness to suffer the team was able to push through into the meat of the narrows section but ultimately descended in favor of conservative decision making. It’s fair to assume this would be purely type 2 fun but the team remained stoked and whooped and hollered in between bursts of spindrifts that lasted minutes each time. Heads down, hoods up and a firm grip on the tools!

Our social media posts must have gotten lost in the snow, it’s a bit delayed but we’re back from some challenging conditions on the Moose’s Tooth. No summit this time but our team made it to the col in great time and battled some serious wind, snow and whiteout conditions.

Impressive efforts all around!

Perfect rock climbing weather for Unaweep Canyon granite! Despite the warm@winter, this spring has remained mild and very pleasant for sunny rock climbs!

Sketchy desert anchors series number 2: Drilled Angles!

Pitons were originally made of wrought iron (hence the name “angle iron”) which is highly malleable though most modern pins are now chromoly steel which is more corrosion resistant. Drilling a hole and hammering in angles was a very common protection method in the soft sandstone desert, such as in Zion, Moab, and Garden Of The Gods, among other places. These anchors were often stronger 1/4” bolts and prominent first ascentionist Ron Olevsky was a major proponent.

However, these pitons are not stainless steel so due to the age it’s likely many are heavily corroded despite the arid climate. In fact, many drilled angle iron pitons have been found to just be held into place by the bonding of the rust to the sand particles despite sounding good with initial hammer testing (sketchy). These pitons are also highly subject to fluctuations in size as the metal expands and contracts with cold desert overnight temps and hot sunny days, this further weakens the bond between rock and metal. Additionally, the shape of these pitons put significantly more force on the edge which is more likely to fracture rock in the event of high forces in a lead fall (yikes).

Still a common sight at desert anchors, these should be backed up with modern bolts or cams and viewed as suspect. Though significantly stronger than knifeblades, you shouldn’t rely on aging fixed gear such as drilled angles, but this piece of climbing history is still neat to appreciate.

In a world of via ferratas, we’re taking the next step in the evolution of alpinism. Construction has already begun and we’re now taking reservations for the exclusive Black Canyon Adventure Chairlift!

It’s sketchy anchors (desert) season! Let’s learn about some of the common anchors we see around the desert SW.

The 1/4” Star Dryvins were a common sheath bolt popular in the 1960s - 70s. It functions from a displacement nail being hammered into a split carbon sheath (there are 2 sleeves and a lead sheath that wraps around it). The strength ranges significantly due to variability in the thickness of the sleeves (Star made these thinner in the mid 70s which left the head of the sheath vulnerable to the hangar literally slicing through the sleeve and relying entirely on the nail) and quality of the hangar (most were homemade, Leeper, or thin SMC - look for the orientation of the logo, horizontal = prone to stress corrosion cracking). Unfortunately there isn’t a reliable way to inspect the length or quality of these bolts visually and should be suspected of failure at low loads due to hangar abrasion. The 3/8” ⭐️ bolts can be much stronger and in fact often quite difficult to remove, though in comparison to modern expansion and glue in bolts these bolts are all highly suspect.

It’s closing weekend in the ! Enjoy those last laps in the sunshine 🌞. If you’d still like to get out ice climbing this winter the backcountry is still in excellent condition 🧊! Get in touch and we’d be psyched to climb a multipitch route or continue to toprope and work on your movement skills.

Also, did you know we work with a super talented photographer who can get snaps of you, just like in this post?! 📸

After a significant snowfall in the mountain west, including SW Colorado, we’ve had warm sunny days and cold overnight temps = perfect conditions for growing ice in many of the backcountry areas around Ouray. Camp Bird Road has seen particular improvement with most of the routes in fat conditions and several excellent blobs and daggers on the mixed routes. Winter isn’t over yet!

just wrapped up 4 days of guiding ice climbing at various crags around Ouray. While avalanche hazard was at Level 4, there’s still fun and sheltered routes to enjoy without overhead exposure. Be safe and enjoy the climbing!

After a significant snowfall in the mountain west, including SW Colorado, we’ve had warm sunny days and cold overnight temps = perfect conditions for growing ice in many of the backcountry areas around Ouray. Camp Bird Road has seen particular improvement with most of the routes in fat conditions and several excellent blobs and daggers on the mixed routes. Winter isn’t over yet!

Our 2 day mixed climbing course is designed for alpinists and ice climbers who want to build efficient movement techniques for technical mountaineering and transitions between rock and steep ice. Taught exclusively by IFMGA Guides with significant experience mixed climbing in the big mountains.

⭐️ Feb 7 - 8, 2026
⭐️ $660 for 2 full days of instruction
⭐️ Personalized instruction from an IFMGA Guide
⭐️ Based in the and surrounding backcountry

🔗 in bio. Sign up now or get in touch to discuss the details.