Ouray

[ROKTAXI]

My brother-in-law is visiting from Adelaide Australia, so I took him to Ouray for a few days. We only did some mild trails but he loved every minute. Thought I'd post up a few pix.

[Popsgarage]

Awesome pics, beautiful country, and people you love doing things you love. Don't get any better than that. Hope he had a blast.

[Brad]

Very nice Marty! :thumb:

[Brody]

Thanks for the pictures, Marty! Glad you guys had fun! I imagine that your brother in law was as impressed with our"Outback" as we would be with his....

[Beefy]

I loved Ouray! Beautiful place. :)

[ROKTAXI]

He's lived in a desert environment most of his life and has not traveled much. When my sister died 3 years ago, his 4 daughters helped with giving him a trip around the world last year and that's when I first got to meet him. He came back this year for a longer visit. Even though he's a retired minister, he's a very outdoorsy guy and has traveled the Simpson Desert in AU. Very dramatic contrast between the two. He was quite humbled by the experience here. Hope to go there in the next year or two.

[Kory]

Great pictures. Where was the last picture taken? I was there pretty recently on a few trails with Jeff and don't remember seeing that.

[ROKTAXI]

Kory, that was taken at the top of Yankee Boy Basin. Her'es a few more pix......

[Brody]

Last time I was in Ouray for any length of time, we did an early repeat ascent of Birdbrain Boulevard, a 1200' ice climb that is frequently plagued by avalanches, not to mention pretty damn hard, located off of Camp Bird Road. I have only been to Ouray a couple of times when it wasn't winter.

Here is a picture of Birdbrain Boulevard in good conditions with the belays marked:

[Chris]

Nice pics Marty! Yankee Boy Basin was a pleasant surprise when we were there. We always bypassed it for the more popular trails until last visit and we're glad we did, very nice area especially as it was with all the flowers in bloom!

[ROKTAXI]

Brody, back then Camp Bird Trail (goes through a large mining project) may have been open, but has been closed for many years until this last year. I believe the State has taken over the property for historic value and has reopened that section. It connects with the Imogene Trail now so you don't have to do a giant back fork.

Chris, Yankee Boy is one of the trails you don't have to travel on the main road for any distance to the trail head. Imogene (near the top) was blocked by recent snow and don't know if it will be passable before winter sets in. We missed the extreme color show of the flowers this year. I probably have the worlds largest collection of pictures :lmao: We have reservations for next year so we can experience the flower show.... can't get enough of the botanical show.

[Cr33p3r]

Marty thanks for posting the pics! Good to see you both enjoyed the trip too.

[Brody]

Brody, back then Camp Bird Trail (goes through a large mining project) may have been open, but has been closed for many years until this last year.

Dates me. It has been a number of years since I have been down there, much less doing much ice climbing. when I did this route, it must have been about 20 years ago or so. My friend who put up the route, a few years before I ever did it, is one of the climbing friends of mine who are no longer numbered among the living, either.

[Beefy's Girl]

Great Pictures! Beefy, Kory and I were there the last weekend in July and it was beautiful. We didn't have a chance to do Yankee Boy Basin and I'd love to go back to run that and some other trails we didn't get a chance to see.


I want to go!

Maybe next year we can get some of us to make a run there!!!! :D:thunb:

[Heather]

Beautiful photos, Marty - thanks for sharing.

[Kory]

Kory, that was taken at the top of Yankee Boy Basin. Her'es a few more pix......

Great pics! Now I want to go back so I can see it!

[Jackie]

Ouray is beautiful. We spent a couple days out there exploring last year (no off-roading), but absolutely fell in love with the place. It is on the MUST DO list for next summer. But next time, we'll hit some trails.

[Funrover]

Love that area! Thanks for the pics!

[Jackie]

It's a true FEAST for the eyes!

[Pathrat]

Wow! Excellent pictures, as usual. Thanks for posting these!

[ROKTAXI]

Here is a picture of Birdbrain Boulevard in good conditions with the belays marked:
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You can't possibly be serious that rock face frozen over with snow is climbable ??!! I couldn't even think of doing it if it were HORIZONTAL!!

[Brody]

You can't possibly be serious that rock face frozen over with snow is climbable ??!! I couldn't even think of doing it if it were HORIZONTAL!!

Although my sanity has often been questioned, yes, that is a mixed rock and ice climb in "classic" (ie: good) conditions. When I stopped doing 'pure' ice climbs like frozen waterfalls and drips, I started doing more 'mixed' routes where you are climbing rock climbs covered with snow and ice. These tend to keep the interest level fairly high and require pretty much all of the techniques that you have learned. In other words, pretty entertaining. That happens to be one of the longer 'mixed' rock and ice routes in the state, unless you do something like Capital Peak or the Diamond Face on Longs Peak in the winter, both of which I have also done, but not as a 'day route' and not without getting our butts handed to us a couple of times before we actually managed to finish the climbs.

Oh...and I do agree. It is certainly a little twisted to call something like that 'fun' or entertaining. Holds your attention pretty well, though. Never got back there to do the climb to the left of the route. That is actually a more 'pure' ice climb called The Ribbon. The avalanche danger on all of those routes adds another element of entertainment as anything that builds up up higher, where you don't see it, sails right down this face. You pretty much start in the dark and move really fast all day or you get your head handed to you on a platter.

[otisdog]

Nice pics. I haven't been down there for years. You just can't beat that area for beauty.
Jim