"Where are you guys from?"
"Australia"
"What are you guys in Ouray for?"
"We're here for the ice climbing."
"I guess there’s not much ice in Australia!"
This was how most conversations with locals started, followed by an explanation of how the most reliable ice climbing crag in Australia, Blue Lake, has a two to three hour approach that offers relatively short pitches of climbing for only two months of the year.
James and I are both climbers and backcountry skiers looking to progress safely in the dangerous world of alpine climbing. Recent trips to Nepal and New Zealand, respectively, revealed a gap in our alpine toolkits: comfortability and confidence on steeper ice and mixed terrain. Mileage was what we needed.
We considered jumping the ditch to New Zealand due to its proximity to Australia. We quickly ruled it out as the infamous maritime weather systems and lengthy approaches could severely affect our time on ice. The Canadian Rockies were also discussed, but hearing that it’s common to spend two hours each morning driving to new crags out from Canmore, we started to look elsewhere. Enter Ouray, Colorado.
