Alpine Training Eldo Style

As an internationally licensed mountain guide living in the Front Range of Colorado, it can be frustrating trying to provide alpine training services locally due to no permits being available for commercial guiding on our local federal lands including all National Parks and Forests.  We can easily obtain permits to pack many horses into the hills, yank many trout out of the streams, clear-cut fores or mine for minerals,etc;  But taking students and guests out climbing with minimal impact (close to none) is prohibited by these agencies so that they can "preserve the resources".  This is certainly one place where we'd like to see a change at the federal level in the name of common sense, but until then we just have to be creative on where and when alpine training can happen without flying to Alaska, Canada, the Andes, or Alps where our guiding licenses are recognized and due access is readily available.

Timing is everything in the mountains and so when my long-term expedition client Steve recently phoned from Philadelphia requesting some training days this spring before our planned climbs in Bolivia later this year, I suggested that we wait and see what the weather was doing before finalizing our plans.  With a big dumpage in the southern part of the Front Range this last week providing extra accumulations in Eldorado Canyon, we grabbed our crampons and ice axes and headed to the east face of the Redgarden Wall for what turned out to be a perfect day of alpine training for a 71 yr. old part-time climber from the big city preparing for his next big mountain route.

Our path was up the east face of the Redgarden Wall to the summit with a  rappel descent of the west face via the Dirty Deeds Chimney and Vertigo rappels which descend vertical and overhanging terrain to the base of the escarpment.  Starting at 8am, we completed the loop in 7 hrs on what was a beautiful day in Eldorado Canyon full of snow, ice, and rock climbing for over 1500' of vertical elevation gain. and descent.

Steve at the base of the east face of the Redgarden Wall as the sun first touches the icicles of the night.

Steve on the crux pitch of the day.

Soaking up a bit of sun on our fourth pitch of the day.

Nearing the top of the East Face with the bungalows of Eldorado Springs below.

Via Ferratta on the final sections of the trail down to the canyon base.

Steve starting the awkward Dirty Deeds Chimney rappel to the top of the Upper Ramp.