Mountain Trip

12/30/2024

🚨 AVY COURSE DISCOUNT ALERT!!! 🚨

We’ve got spots on our upcoming Level 1 Course (Jan. 3-5) and Rescue Course (Jan. 11) that we’d like to fill, so we’re offering a rare, early season discount!

• $100 off the Level 1 Course
• $50 off the Rescue Course

Use code AVY1$100 or RESCUE$50 online when checking out, or give us a call at (970) 369-1153, to receive the discount.

This is a great opportunity to further your Avalanche Education before stepping into the backcountry ❄️ ⛷️

12/26/2024

Ice bashing season is in full swing 🧊⛏️

So far the backcountry ice has been very nice, with a good number of routes climbing really well. As we step into the New Year, ice flows will continue to fatten up.

We hope you’ll join us while the gettin’ is good!

12/22/2024

The Ouray Ice Park is officially open for the season!

We hope you’ll join us for either a half day or full day of ice climbing, or our Best 4 Days in Ouray 🧊⛏️

Ouray Ice Park guided ice climbing with our AMGA trained ice climbing guides in Ouray, Colorado. Now booking for all skill levels!

12/19/2024

UPDATE from Aconcagua! 🏔️

It took us a minute to get photos, but we’re excited to share that on December 15 our team reached the summit of Aconcagua, aka the “Roof of the Americas,” and the highest peak outside of the Himalaya!

The day prior they made their way to High Camp, followed by a successful summit attempt the next day. What an epic weekend!

From the summit they dropped down into the thick, warm air, and the hospitality of our comfortable base camp scene at Plaza de Mulas, before heading back to Mendoza for dinner and a well-deserved shower.

Congrats to the team on a successful expedition 🥳 It was a great trip with beautiful weather at the perfect time!

12/19/2024

Did you miss our Denali Webinar + Q & A? Watch the whole thing here and join us on "The Great One!"

The latest news and updates from Mountain Trip of Telluride, Colorado.

12/13/2024

UPDATE from Aconcagua! 🏔️

Earlier this week the team did a load carry up to Camp 2, gaining roughly 1,600 feet of vert and taking on cold, 40 km/hour headwinds. Upon arrival, they escaped to a windless dome tent, where they attempted to fix the solar panel system, listened to music, and acclimatized for a few hours. While the hike up to Camp 2 took 3.5 hours, it was an accelerated, hour-long descent back to Camp 1 for dinner.

The next day the team arrived at Camp 2 (18,000 feet) in under three hours—strong work! 💪🏻 They attempted to continue up to High Camp to acclimatize, however, they observed strong winds reaching speeds of up to 70 km/hour, so decided to wait another day, relax and drink tea, and watch the winds blow.

Today, due to more strong winds, the team acclimatized and explored around Camp 2, aka Helicopter Camp. This helicopter crashed in the ‘80s and has been well-preserved in the high, dry, and cold atmosphere of the mountain. Currently, they’re eating well at Camp 2.

(FYI, we received the dinner photo just before pushing publish on this post. Thank you Starlink for the real time photos! Absolutely crazy.)

The team plans to move up to High Camp tomorrow and make their summit attempt by Sunday! Winds are expected to diminish, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that they do 🤞🏻

For updates, check out our Trip Reports link here: bit.ly/mttripreports

12/10/2024

UPDATE from Aconcagua! 🏔️

After a day of rest at Base Camp (13,800 feet), the team made their first trip up to Camp 1 (16,300 feet) to cache gear and spend a little time acclimatizing before retracing their steps back to Base Camp. This is the “climb high, sleep low” approach to acclimatizing.

Along the way they traveled through a snow field with spires known penitentes. It’s an interesting way the snow melts on the mountain, like sun cups but bigger.

Following a second night at Base Camp, they made their move up to Camp 1, leaving the comforts of Plaza Argentina behind. They’ll be staying at three camps above Base Camp, and then descend the other side of Aconcagua to the Plaza de Mulas base camp.

The team continues to move well and spirits are high! For updates, check out our Trip Reports link here: bit.ly/mttripreports

12/09/2024

🧊 Registration is now open for Mountain Trip's 2025 Ouray Ice Fest clinics, sponsored by Arc'teryx! Sign up at the link below 🧊

Join the Ouray Ice Festival 2025 at Ouray Ice Park, Colorado’s premier ice climbing event. Experience expert-led clinics, thrilling competitions, and world-class routes in the heart of Ouray, the ultimate destination for ice climbing enthusiasts. Plan your trip with local Accredited guides since 1...

12/08/2024

Join us and learn what it takes to climb Denali!

Are you signed up to climb Denali, is it a future objective, or are you just curious? If so, we’re excited to share that we’ll be hosting a live-chat webinar for ALL climbers who are planning to or are interested in climbing Denali!

What? Denali Webinar + Q & A
Who? Mountain Trip & Uphill Athlete
When? Thu, Dec. 12 @ 5 p.m. MST (U.S. & Canada)
Where? Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84520565060?pwd=OJmgwuHnZ9NiFFuXERIKCsmyIdN6ur.1

During this webinar and Q & A, we’ll share insight with prospective climbers about our Denali program: logistics, equipment, training, guide tips, travel, etc. and everything it takes to get up “The Great One.” A coach from the Uphill Athlete program will also be on hand to answer questions, outline additional services, and much more.

We look forward to seeing you!

12/07/2024

Our first Aconcagua team of the 2024-25 season is on the mountain!

After meeting in the small, lively town of Mendoza, Argentina, the three-person team, lead by guide Fermin Avila, hiked six hours up the Vacas Valley to Pampas de Lenas, the first camp on the approach to Base Camp.

From there, they continued five hours up the Vacas Valley to their second camp, Casa de Piedra, which sits next to the Vacas River at just over 10,000 feet at the confluence of the Relinchos Valley. Here they got their first view of Aconcagua!

Day three brought the team up the Relinchos Valley to the base of Aconcagua and the Plaza Argentina base camp, where they’ll spend a couple of days acclimatizing and enjoying the comforts of camp before pushing up the mountain.

The team is doing great and moving at a solid pace! For updates, check out our Trip Reports link here: bit.ly/mttripreports

12/06/2024

Registration for Mountain Trip’s 2025 Ouray Ice Fest clinics, sponsored by Arc'teryx, goes live on Mon, Dec. 9 at 8 a.m. MST!

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the festival, and takes place from Jan. 23-26. We’ll be offering five different clinics for a variety of skill levels, including:

☑️ Intro to Ice Movement and Techniques
☑️ Level Up on Ice! Intermediate Skills and Techniques
☑️ Beginning to Lead
☑️ Steep Ice
☑️Open Climbing with Guides

See the link below for details, and mark your calendar to register, because clinics will fill up fast.

We hope you’ll join us at the Ouray Ice Park!

Join the Ouray Ice Festival 2025 at Ouray Ice Park, Colorado’s premier ice climbing event. Experience expert-led clinics, thrilling competitions, and world-class routes in the heart of Ouray, the ultimate destination for ice climbing enthusiasts. Plan your trip with local Accredited guides since 1...

12/04/2024

In addition to Ice Climbing, Backcountry Skiing and Avalanche Courses, we also offer 3- and 5-Day Mountaineering Courses in the San Juans!

Recently, early season conditions opened the door for a 1:1, 3-day private course guided by Spencer Purvis.

Followed by a day of ice climbing up Camp Bird Road, they spent the night camped at the base of Teakettle Peak, ascended the SW Ridge of Sneffels, and descended the Lavender Col. It was a beautiful few days and a hard-earned summit!

If you’re eyeing bigger mountaineering objectives in the future, get in touch with us this winter!

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11/15/2024

Ice climbing season is close!

Experience world-class Telluride and Ouray ice climbing with our expert guides. Perfect for beginners to advanced climbers. Book your next ice climbing adventure in the San Juan Mountains!

11/15/2024

Day by day ice climbing season inches closer and closer, and we’re fired up to get out!

It’s still early, but thanks to a few solid snow storms and cold temps, we’re seeing the ice coming in nicely, and we plan to be guiding routes very soon.

Whether you’re new to bashing ice, are looking to hop on some classic backcountry multi-pitch routes, or want to step into the world-famous this winter, we’ve got options for everyone and some of the best ice around in Ouray, Silverton, and Telluride.

Join our top-notch AMGA trained or certified guides for a totally unique and fun winter experience. We’re anticipating a great ice climbing season ahead.

To learn more and book your trip today, click here: bit.ly/climbice

11/14/2024

We’re only six months out from landing on the Kahiltna Glacier for the 2025 Denali season, and the time to prep is now!

Climb Denali, North America’s highest peak, with Mountain Trip, guiding Denali National Park expeditions since 1976. Trust the most experienced guides for your climb to one of the Seven Summits. Reserve your spot today!

11/14/2024

We’re only six months out from landing on the Kahiltna Glacier for the 2025 Denali season, and the time to prep is now!

We’ve still got space on several teams for our open West Buttress expeditions, as well as spots on our June 7 Quick Ascent expedition. Our June 17 West Buttress expedition will be a Ski Approach trip, for those who’d rather travel on skis as opposed to snowshoes.

Beyond open team trips, we also specialize in custom private expeditions. Since we started guiding Denali back in 1976, we have successfully guided more private groups to the summit than any other guide service.

When preparing, we use and trust the great folks at . Their coaches are experienced climbers and mountain athletes, and can help take the mystery out of training for expedition climbing. Mountain Trip Alaska provides our climbers with a six-month mountaineering training plan, and they have changed the way we train for expeditions!

For more info, including dates, pricing and to book, click here: bit.ly/ClimbDenali, or contact our office at [email protected] or (970) 369-1153.

11/13/2024

🎿 SKI REPORT!!! ⛷️

Folks in the San Juans have been getting great early season powder turns thanks to early snowstorms that have produced up high. One of whom is , one of our top backcountry ski guides. When we say she LIVES for skiing, we’re not kidding.

Here’s her report:

“The skiing has been pretty fantastic. Skiers started poking around our local zones about 10 days ago, and even earlier in the Silverton and RMP areas. All of the SNOTEL SWE sites are showing 200-300% above average. In the alpine we have between 80-120 cm of snow. Below treeline the skiing varies and exits for a lot of the ski areas can still be thin. However, last week brought a lot of deep powder skiing above 11,000 feet.

Winter is off to a good start and if we can keep this trend going it will line us out for a really good season. This is the best early November skiing in the last five years!”

Needless to say, psych is high! Still, low to moderate avalanche hazard exists around the San Juans, so always be heads up and make good decisions when planning tours and heading into the backcountry.

We hope you’ll join us for a backcountry ski trip this season. Snow gods let it continue to snow! ❄️

11/13/2024

Scholarship applications for the Peter Inglis Avalanche Education Fund (PI Fund) are now open for the 2024-24 winter season!

Available for locals who live in San Miguel and nearby counties, the fund offers financial assistance for those looking to further their avalanche education, and memorializes our good friend and former guide, Peter.

We’ll be offering recreational Rescue, Level 1, and Level 2 courses throughout the season, so apply, register for one of our courses, and be prepared when stepping into the backcountry this winter.

To learn more and apply, click here: bit.ly/PIAvyFund