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Breaking the Ice
Upstanding ice climbs near Silverton, Colo., that will keep you on your toes.
GETTING STARTED
Ice climbing around Silverton is focussed primarily in two locations: South Mineral Creek and Eureka.
SOUTH MINERAL CREEK South Mineral Creek is accessed 5 miles northwest of Silverton off U.S. Highway 550 on C.R. 585. All of the routes described are on the north-facing aspects of the valley, none exposed directly to the sun. The Direct North Face is the giant ice first to be seen a few miles down the road, followed by the Snowblind chimneys then the Campground Couloir just above the public campground. A fun ice smear also forms up at the terminus of the valley. The road is not plowed, so reaching these climbs after snowfall requires skis or snowshoes. Caution: high avalanche danger.
EUREKA Located 9 miles north of Silverton on FR 110, Eureka holds a wealth of ice. The road is not plowed beyond the mining ruins. Stairway to Heaven is the obvious huge flow on the east side of the gorge. Tempered by Fire is further up on the east, beginning in a narrowing slot chimney just above the road. Like South Mineral Creek, avalanche danger is high and it is not suggested to be in these areas during unstable snow conditions.
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Guides
San Juan Mountain Guides (Clint Cook has guided in the area for nearly a decade and maintains a current blog on local conditions), ourayiceclimbing.blogspot.com, (970) 325-4925
Books
• Colorado Ice by Jack Roberts
Polar Star Publishing, 2006
• San Juan Ice Climbs by Charley Fowler
Mountain World Media, 1996
• Ice and Mixed Climbing: Modern Techniques by Will Gadd Mountaineers Books, 2009
In this highland of world-class skiing, rich mining history and its ghost towns and an end-of-the-rail station stop
of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, the season of bustling activity around Silverton is summer.
However, when Jack Frost nibbles at its nose, Silverton's flow of activity slows to a trickle until that trickle
begins to freeze. To ice. Big, blue and beautiful silver strands of it, and in enough variety to roust ice climbers
far and wide. Ice grows steep and abundant around Silverton, tumbling down gullies, sheering over cliff faces and
pouring over peaks.
Looking for an early strike, we bundled up, arming ourselves with tools, ice axes and crampons, and started cruising
for ice the last weeks of November, striking it first on Second Gully near the mining ruins of Eureka. Second Gully
is an enjoyable frozen cascade just steps off the road, fortunately in ideal condition when we ascended its
headwalls.
The difficulty of an ice climb is measured by its amount of steep and protectable terrain. The Water Ice (WI)
numerical system, rated from easy WI1 through a dreadful WI6, is followed by an alpine system of classification using
Roman numerals. Class I is a short and simple outing; Class V may be an all-day complex affair. Mixed climbing and
alpine climbing have their own systems. The climbs described here are waterfalls, with the rare exceptions when a
move onto rock was warranted. Second Gully is a fun WI3, Class II.
Next on our list was the committing Campground Couloir (WI4, IV) in South Mineral Creek. With a morning start, I took
the lead, hand drilling a series of giant ice screws for safety. This moderate route channels climbers deep into a
couloir, walls towering on both sides. We noticed rusty pitons hammered into rock cracks, where frayed ropes hanging
from them revealed evidence of previous ascents. We kept to the ice, relying on ice screws, the only protection for a
climber on pure ice. Ice screws are medieval-looking things. Ten to 22 cm in length, the tubular screws are equipped
with a sharp bit on one end to help chew into ice until a thread can catch the ice and the screw turned. Turning the
screw will drive it deep into the ice, providing an anchor into which a rope is attached.
I climbed the first pitch quickly, finding an anchor where I took myself off belay. Swapping leads on four more
pitches, we rappelled the route.
Days later, we were back, this time on a more serious mission: to climb Snowblind (WI5-6, IV). My climbing partner
Brian had been studying the technical route for years. Why so long? "I couldn't find anyone dumb enough to do it
with," he said. Gripped with fear, paralyzed midroute above my last screw, climbing sideways to a chimney where I
snagged my crampons on my pants and nearly fell backwards, it was clear that Brian had found his companion. Snowblind
(W5-6, IV) lures climbers around a huge choke stone, up narrow flues, and traverses of thin clear ice. All this
supported by poor protection. Brian led his pitches with confidence where any normal person would have bellowed in
terror.
The Direct North Face of Peak 12,579 (WI5,V) is a stunning ribbon of ice climbing 1,500 feet to a basin. This
steadfast route hangs off five major cliff bands and rolls through gullies. "It's a superb line," commended Clint
Cook, owner of San Juan Mountain Guides in Ouray, Colo., who counseled us prior to the climb. Climbing it, we moved
quickly when able and cautiously at its difficult sections. Near the top, my third pair of gloves hardened, my hands
within miserably cold. After a mind-bending lead up a precipitous sheet, I was relieved when Brian took the lead,
finishing the sixth and final pitch.
Back in Eureka, Stairway to Heaven (WI4, V) rises above the Animas Gorge. Giant drapes of fat blue ice drop one after
another for nearly 900 feet, often sending climbers home unsuccessful, having run of out of time or energy. Stairway,
coveted by locals and visitors alike, requires a plan: start early, climb efficiently and finish in daylight.
Speaking from experience, getting stuck past dark on this behemoth is no fun.
Other less committing climbs abound in Eureka, including the highlight Tempered by Fire (WI5, III). This two-pitch
route starts below a chimney and challenges climbers with exciting narrowing moves before presenting a dead vertical
short pillar or a fun mixed variation. It had us negotiating moves off the ice on rock, sliding our crampons into
stone cracks and delicately hooking rock edges with our tools.
BRANDON MATHIS writes, rides and climbs across the Four Corners but keeps his toes warm in Durango, Colo.
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