Ouray, Colorado - Yahoo!
by Hershel Fassbinder
http://www.atozcolorado.com
Bored? Want to DO something? Come to Colorado!
There are recreational activities galore, many of them
unusual! In addition to the obvious skiing, hiking, camping,
fishing and rafting, Colorado offers more unusual activities,
such as caving, hang gliding and ...Ice Climbing!
Excuse me? Do I mean Rock Climbing? That, too, of course,
but with the right equipment and a little training, you can
bury your ice pick in a spectacular, vertical frozen
waterfall and haul yourself up a dazzling sheet of ice.
Waterfalls freeze into stationary, solid masses in winter.
With your clawed, metal crampons for your boots, ropes (and
your ice axes, of course) you can maneuver your way up the
icefall.
Does the thrill of defying gravity in a new way and
surviving to tell the tale sound enticing? Actually, ice
climbing is fairly safe. You can use much of your rock
climbing safety gear for ice climbing. This includes
harnesses, helmets, ropes, and belay devices. Otherwise,
the equipment is different: you need ice screws to anchor
the rope, ice axes to hurl above your head into the ice to
balance and pull yourself up, and special boots and
crampons to grab the ice like Spiderman.
There are many secret waterfalls known only to the locals
in the Colorado Rockies. However, since ice climbing has
become so popular in recent years, there are more climbers
than natural icefalls! So, to fill the need, lots of
artificial icefalls were created
in the charming, historic mining town of Ouray in western
Colorado (population 700).
Spectacular Ouray, with soaring, snow-capped peaks all
about, nestles in a narrow valley. An extremely narrow box
canyon just outside town plunges hundreds of feet down; its
walls are sheer cliffs. By spraying water every winter
night over the edge of the box canyon, the cliff walls turn
into dozens of dazzling icefalls by day. It's an
unbelievable sight! http://www.ourayicefestival.com/
Does ice climbing sound like fun? You don't actually have
to be Spiderman to learn. Climbing is more about expertise
and ingenuity than strength, and it's terrific exercise.
You really can't fall very far because you're on a rope
that's secured from above. Of course, it's better if
you're not afraid of heights. And there are plenty of
girls doing ice climbing... they call themselves "Chicks
with Picks!" You can find a trainer to instruct you (and
your group, if need be) by checking the internet for "learn
ice climbing Ouray."
You can easily walk to the climbing area from the hotels in
the town of Ouray. My favorite nice, close, inexpensive
place to stay is "The Vic," at
http://www.ouraylodging.com/victorianInn.php and you can
find a list of other hotels at
http://www.allstays.com/us-colorado-hotels/ouray-hotels.htm
If you have a traveling
companion who isn't interested in ice climbing, there are
plenty of other winter activities nearby.
Your group should plan to be at the top of the canyon early
in the morning to get a good spot to climb. Maybe you'll
see me in Ouray, too; I always go a couple of times a
season! There's lots of camaraderie among climbers, so be
sure to say "hi" to everyone.
The drive to Ouray is incredibly beautiful. You take Route
550 to get there, whether you're coming from Grand Junction
to the north or Durango to the south. From Durango, you'll
follow the "Million Dollar Highway" which goes over three
nearly 11,000 foot passes! Be sure to bring your camera,
and I'll be looking for you at the top of the icefalls!
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