Immerse yourself in the spectacular frozen landscapes of Ouray, Colorado, during an unforgettable week of ice climbing and personal growth. This experiential program combines technical instruction from expert guides with daily reflective practice, empowering participants to push beyond their comfort zones in a supportive environment. Students will learn essential ice climbing techniques, practice partner rescue scenarios, and obtain a climbing certification while fostering resilience, teamwork, and leadership. Whether you’re scaling shimmering icy waterfalls or collaborating with peers to solve real-world challenges, this week promises adventure, connection, and the discovery of strengths you never knew you had.
Day 1
What a long day! After departing New Hampton at 1:30 am and making our way to Logan, we set off for Ouray, Colorado via Denver and Montrose. Despite the fatigue, spirits were high. When we rolled into town, we were amazed by the stunning vistas of the Colorado landscape. Tomorrow we head out into the mountains to learn the basics of ice climbing!
Day 2
Today, we learned some physical skills, but more importantly, we learned much more about ourselves in the face of a 120-foot ice cliff. Some people struggled, while others discovered a passion for the mountains. Ice was flying, picks were swinging, and vibes were good. Everyone left tired and feeling like they'd accomplished something they didn't know they were capable of.
Day 3
Today, we set off into Canyon Creek to continue learning about the craft of ice climbing. Our lesson for the day was mixed climbing, also known as dry tooling. This is when a climber needs to climb a route that features both ice and rock. The students put in a lot of hard work today, and we learned a lot about the mental fortitude and perseverance required to scale icy cliff faces. After a long day of climbing, we headed up to Red Mountain Pass to take photos of some of Colorado's 13,000-footers and old, abandoned mining towns. Tomorrow, we will learn to build anchors and rappel from the top of the cliff.
Day 4
Look out below! Today, the crew headed to the Gazebo Wall in Downtown Ouray to learn the fine art of rappelling, or lowering oneself to the ground safely. We rapped into the Gazebo from the amphitheater and then set up for a day of climbing, including a massive 80-foot overhanging competition-style climb on ice tools. The climbers are demonstrating significant growth in both their skills and their confidence on rock and ice. Tomorrow, for our last day, we will finish the week with traditional rock climbing and a final test of our mountain skills from the week.
Day 5
The end of the road. Although bittersweet, everyone on this trip learned something important. Andrew learned that he is a natural climber. Julian learned that he enjoys dry tooling. Jackson learned that he wants to spend some time in Ouray and the American West after college. Abby and Ava learned to slow down, sit, and breathe before giving up. Rupert learned that there's more than one way to solve a climbing problem. AJ learned to approach climbing with perseverance and humility. Mr. Jerome learned that he is both a 5.9 climber and that he is, sadly, not the man that Olivia Dean needs. Alex and Mr. Tracy learned that elevation in the mountains is no joke. And Ethan learned that rappelling is scary (and fun!) and that Thai food exists. On a more serious note, we also learned that the effects of climate change are all around us. Originally scheduled for four days of ice climbing, Colorado is experiencing its hottest and driest winter in decades. As such, we finished our trip solely on rock, trading in our crampons and axes for regular rock shoes. Still, everyone had a blast on Groove Tube, and the weather and vibes were incredible. We cannot wait to get back to New Hampshire and get back out on the rocks!
Credits:
Created with images by Ondra - "An alpinist climbing an alpine ridge in winter extreme conditions.,Adventure ascent of alpine peak in snow and on rocks.,Climber ascent to the summit.,Winter ice and snow climbing in mountains." • 24K-Production - "Point of view ice climber swinging the ice axe into the vertical ice covered surface"