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Alpine, Rock & Ski Trip Report

Recently I had the pleasure to climb and ski with Jake Lauer form Durango. Jake is an aspirant in the mountain guiding realm working hard to achieve AMGA Rock Certification – and he is well on his way.

Day #1: AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Exam preparation. We worked on transitions mostly, covering topics like anchor building for top rope set ups, counter ascending, counter balance rappelling, raising/hauling systems, and lowering.

Day #2: Ski touring and traveling with a focus on tour planning and snow pack assessment. Jake and I roamed through the mountains while targeting a few classic ski descents in RMNP, while taking time to dig pits and gather information on current conditions and potential hazards.

Day #3: Eldorado Canyon this time of year is amazing. So we went climbing on the Red Garden wall to work on efficient multi pitch transitions and complex descents.

Day #4 & 5: Overnight preparation for our summit attempt on Longs Peak – “Colorado’s 14er”. Jake and I packed our backpacks and left for Battle Mountain Camp to get a head start in the morning and to acclimatize for a night. We had our sights set for the North Face route and at this time of year the route is in mixed condition.

This was Jakes first time summit of Longs Peak via the North Face route. Congratulations Jake, very nice work! It’s been a pleasure sharing the mountains with you!