John MacKinnon Mountain Guide

Scenes From Oregon

2010-06-03T14:31:00.013-06:00

Despite the fact that it has been a wet Spring in the Northwest, it has been a busy guiding season here in Oregon. And contrary to what NOAA has been predicting, we have seen occasional sunshine this Spring. The following post is a series of photos and trip reports from my last three weeks with Timberline Mountain Guides and Smith Rock Climbing School. I have been guiding mostly alpine climbing on Mt. Hood, but I did get the opportunity to dust off the skis this Memorial Day weekend for a day of ski touring in White Salmon Canyon on Mt. Hood.

My first trip of the season was a two day climb on Mt. Hood. It was a chilly and windy morning but as we climbed up the Old Chute and reached the summit ridge, we got to bask in the early morning sunshine.

Springtime here in Oregon is the prime season for rock climbing at Smith Rock State Park. While Smith gained international attention as a destination for elite sport climbing, it boasts a life-time of single pitch and multi-pitch moderate routes. Here is a shot of Todd climbing on Pack Animal, a lesser traveled 5.8 route.

And the view gets better the higher you get!

In mid-May the whole TMG staff got together for four days of Guides' Training. One of the advantages of working for an AMGA Accredited Guide Service is the high quality Guides' Training provided each year. This year IFMGA guide Art Mooney came out from New Hampshire to team up with on-staff Certified Guides to provide 4 days of excellent rock training. One of the days was spent fine tuning the Tyrolean Traverse from the Diving Board to the Monkey Face. Here is a shot of Geoff going for it!

A silhouette of Tico crossing from the Diving Board to the mouth of the Monkey.

And I have even gotten some turns in this season. All this late season snow has led to some epic spring skiing conditions.

Nicole and Shane came back to Hood for a First Tracks ski touring program this Memorial Day Weekend. They had never been backcountry skiing before and were interested in learning some new skills on snow. We practiced beacons, learned skinning techniques, talked about route selection and the snowpack and of course got some turns in. It was a fun day in the White Salmon Canyon.

Springtime in Oregon has something for everyone: alpine climbing in the Oregon Cascades, rock climbing at Smith Rock and even ski touring on Mt. Hood or in the Bend Area. Come visit and see why we believe this is the prime location for a springtime adventure in the mountains!

Early Season Alpine Climbing on Mt. Crested Butte

2010-04-27T20:52:00.010-06:00

Paul and Tom joined me for some adventurous early season alpine climbing on Guide's Ridge this weekend. The three of us found great climbing conditions, exhilarating exposure and very alpine weather up on Mt. CB. We skinned up the CBMR to the top of the Silver Queen Lift and swapped split-boards for crampons, harnesses and helmets. We then began our traverse across The Peel and gained Guide's Ridge via a steep snow and rock ramp.

We roped up as the ramp steepened and we had to negotiate several rocky steps to gain the ridge. This section provided fun moderate mixed climbing.

Once we gained the ridge, the weather took a turn for the "alpine" as we worked through the snow and rock sections of Guide's Ridge. Good granite, thrilling exposure and awesome climbing!

Here is a shot of Paul with the jagged knife-edge section of Guide's Ridge below him. Earlier in the day, Paul expressed that he was hoping the weather would get wet, windy and wild. Judging by his smile, he got his wish!

We reached the summit around 3 pm. Thanks guys for a great climb. We hiked down from the summit via the non-technical East Ridge. We reached our stash of split-boards and skis an hour later and got a fun 2200 ft. ski run back to the car. A great day out in the mountains!! Look forward to climbing with you both again!

A final look back to Guide's Ridge. This is my favorite local alpine climb. With ease of access, awesome exposure, fun mixed climbing and the best views in the Elk Mountains, it is hard to beat!

British Columbia Trip Report

2010-04-27T20:20:00.015-06:00

Hi Folks,

This is a delayed post from an AMGA Ski Mountaineering Guides Course and Aspirant Exam I attended in British Columbia's Coast Range. The course was 10 days long and included a exam portion during the last 3 days. It was a great learning experience in a fantastic setting.

I had been ski touring up in the Coast Range two previous times, but only for a combined couple days. During this exam I had the opportunity to explore the mountains of southwestern BC in more depth....and I still only have seen a fraction of the potential up there! We skied in two locations: off piste at Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort and in the mountains north of Pemberton near Duffy Lake. The off piste skiing provided amazing lift access to the massive and beautiful backcountry that surrounds Whistler. The Duffy is killer terrain right from the road. We spent our Aspirant Exam in Keith's Hut at the base of the Anniversary Glacier.

Take a look down this couloir! This is a classic shot that drops skiers down about 500 meters down to the Blackcomb Glacier. Can you say 40 degree Bon Poudre!

The weather was predictably bad, but that didn't stop us from skiing amazing lines. It snowed over 1.5 meters during the 10 day course which made for spectacular powder skiing. Above is a picture of me working on my white out steep skiing.

BC's Coast Range is an amazing venue and I look forward to returning. Special thanks to the AMGA instructors as well as all the other candidates. You guys made this an awesome experience.

And what would a post aboot Canada be without a picture of me in a brimmed tuque, eh!

Tips for Thinking Outside the Pit

2010-01-19T09:57:00.006-07:00

Here is an excerpt from an article I wrote for the CB Weekly:

Too often backcountry skiers and riders let a snowpit determine and/or justify their decision of skiing in avalanche terrain. However, one snowpit is just one snapshot of our snowpack and anybody who has been out in the Crested Butte backcountry this season knows that our snowpack is anything but uniform. So instead of just looking at the snow in one place, I often attempt to efficiently gather information about the snowpack throughout the day. This helps me gain a better mental image of how our snowpack changes over the terrain.

To help me do this, I constantly pull out my probe to check for depth, uniformity and layering in the snowpack. I am primarily concerned with shallow snow, changes in snow depth and strength within a short area, and strong over weak layering. If I encounter strong over weak layering, (which I commonly do here in Colorado!) I will take out my shovel and dig down to look at the layers. A quick test pit will reveal the depth of potentially troublesome layers as well as changes in hardness between layers.

I also always read the Crested Butte Avalanche Center’s forecast and create a “backcountry problem list.” The forecast provides me with a targeted list of concerns that I can go out and investigate. When I do dig in the snow, I commonly look for a specific layer and test how the snow above and below that layer is bonding. Reading the forecast can also generate questions that may assist me with safer terrain selection.

Rather than basing decisions in avalanche terrain on one piece of data, I encourage backcountry skiers and riders to employ a holistic and targeted approach to backcountry clue gathering. Have a safe winter and think snow!

Wintertime Options at CBMG

2010-01-18T22:54:00.005-07:00

Howdy Folks,

I am merging a couple trip reports into a Crested Butte wintertime sampler blog to show a snapshot of what I have been up to this season with CBMG backcountry guests and AIARE avalanche courses. Despite a lack of snow in the last two weeks I have had several great backcountry ski trips since New Years. The untracked cold stuff is still out there, and I am happy to show you where it is. Steve came to Colorado all the way from Australia with his son Sam. We had a great tour over to the East River Valley and found some virgin powder.

Here’s a shot of Steve and his first tracks in the Crested Butte backcountry. This early season has been a challenging one in which to guide, but sometimes it takes just a little creativity to find good turns in a familiar stomping ground. Steel and I toured up Washington Gulch to explore a lesser traveled section of Coney’s Bowl. The main bowl was stacked with tracks but we hiked just a bit farther and found some great skiing.

Backcountry skiing is just one way to experience the mountains outside Crested Butte. Chris and Jennifer joined me for a snowshoe tour and we explored the aspen glades and meadows in Washington Gulch. Beautiful weather, good company and great views made for an amazing day out in the mountains.

AIARE avalanche safety courses have kept me busy just about every weekend this winter. CBMG offers a host of courses–AIARE Level I, AIARE Level II and Refresher Courses–that meet the needs of most winter backcountry travelers. CBMG avalanche courses are taught by local ski guides and avalanche forecasters who are experienced educators and have an intimate knowledge of the local terrain. The courses blend classroom time with practical field experience. In the field we focus on companion rescue, gathering backcountry weather and snowpack information and traveling safely in the backcountry.

The rescue component focuses heavily on shoveling. Recent research in avalanche rescue points out that shoveling a victim out of snow will consume the majority of the rescue. We teach “strategic shoveling” as a method to efficiently move snow and quickly dig out the victim. The entire third day of the avalanche course is a ski tour in the Crested Butte Backcountry. Students learn the skills to plan and prepare for a full day ski tour and then spend the day implementing skills such as navigation, terrain selection, travel techniques, and managing the “HUMAN FACTOR.”

And of course we always try to get some turns in.

Looks like Missy found the goods on Mt. Emmons during a refresher course this winter! It’s been a busy winter and I have had a variety of trips. Give the CBMG office a call and let us organize your next adventure. We enjoy traveling on snow on all kinds of skis–AT, Telemark, and Nordic as well as snowshoes and we hold permits to both the Lake City and Ouray Ice Park. We look forward to sharing our backyard with you!

CBMG Guide

Johnny MacKinnon

Off Season Update!

2009-11-12T09:42:00.021-07:00

Hey Folks,

It's off-season around these parts and I have been in and out of Crested Butte since September. Here is an update from the last couple weeks.

I have been doing some professional development for this winter season by attending several snow and weather conferences. It was great to be back in a classroom for the CAIC's Mountain Meteorology Workshop at CMC in Leadville, CO this October.

This 3 day course was an excellent mix of background science and practical applications for forecasting. I will be working as a forecaster for the Crested Butte Avalanche Center this winter and immersing myself in the models with expert oversight was incredibly useful. While in Leadville, I also attended the National Avalanche Center Conference and the Colorado Snow and Avalanche Workshop. I left "Cloud City" super-saturated with information, but excited and prepared for this upcoming winter season.

After thinking about cold, snow and winter, I headed down to the Utah Desert to track down some wayward friends, and find sunshine, splitter cracks and desert towers. I also attended the AMGA Annual Meeting for several days and re-certified my Wilderness First Responder.

After the meeting, I was able to meet up with Chris Benson, Chris Wright and Mike Bromberg at Indian Creek for several days of stellar climbing on the world's greatest cracks.

The Creek hosts an amazing collection of world-class crack climbing in a beautiful remote setting. However, it is not just about the climbing...it's about being there and being ridiculous with your buddies in one of the most spectacular places in the country.

And what trip to the desert is complete without bagging a couple classic towers. Chris Wright and I were able to climb a couple towers in a few days in the Castle Valley.

And there's also something unique, if not ephemeral and downright dirty, about climbing in the Fisher Towers. Chris and I thoroughly enjoyed the exposure up Ancient Art and were both intrigued by the relatively solid mud climbing.

Chris on the corkscrew summit. As a geologist, I am not too sure how this mud dribble has seen so many ascents and not succumbed to gravity!

All in all, it was a fairly productive off-season. Some learning, some climbing and some exploring. Right now I am focusing all my attention onto this winter and waiting for the snow to fly. The CBAC opens on the 16th, we are currently expecting up to a foot of snow this weekend, and soon it will be time for ski touring, AIARE Avalanche Courses and maybe even a pitch or two of ice. Maybe! Think Snow

A Great Series of Adventures with Harry and Iris

2009-08-10T11:44:00.016-06:00

I first climbed with Harry and Iris last summer. We had a couple of fun days rock climbing down at Taylor Canyon. This spring, Harry contacted me via email and inquired about climbing around Colorado with me this summer. My ears perked up at the chance to work at some of my favorite remote, exciting, alpine places with two great folks who are always up for an adventure.

Both Harry and Iris were interested in furthering their rock climbing skills as well as climbing in the mountains around Crested Butte. They both live in the U.K. and have climbed and skied extensively in the Alps so I did my best to show off local treasures right here in CB.

The basis for all technical travel in the mountains begins with a fundamental understanding and use of rock climbing skills and techniques.

We began at Taylor Canyon and climbed a variety of multi-pitch rock climbs. We were able to hone in on movement skills as well as ropework at the crag and then apply those skills to the mountain environment on rock and snow.

Some of our alpine objectives included a traverse of the Ruby range via an ascent of the S Couloir on Purple Peak and a rarely visited rock and snow route on Goldentop, a local 13er.

Our final objective was to climb a route in the Black Canyon. Climbing in the Black is a test of rock climbing skills but also incorporates alpine climbing skills like route finding, dealing with loose rock and being very alone in a very remote place.

We selected Maiden Voyage III 5.9 as our climb. Unfortunately Iris was ill that morning so just Harry and I headed down to the Black. We left Crested Butte at 0400 to ensure an early alpine start and to beat the heat.

We topped out at 1115 just as the sun hit our route. Instantly, a chilly morning turned into an 85 degree summer day. Good thing Harry and I cruised the route!!

All in all, we had six great days of very unique diverse climbing and rarely saw another individual. Our granite is not quite like Chamonix's, but we had it all to ourselves, and only saw two Frenchmen smoking cigarettes throughout the six days!

I want to thank Harry and Iris for a ton of great, exciting climbing but also for their wonderful camaraderie and great sense of adventure. It was a pleasure working with them both, and I am looking forward to it next summer.

Summertime in Crested Butte

2009-07-05T17:11:00.010-06:00

I have returned to Colorado to guide for Crested Butte Mountain Guides for the next several months. I will be instructing rock climbing courses as well as offering guided climbing at our local crag, Taylor Canyon, and the world famous Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

Colorado offers a lifetime of excitement for the alpine climber. Crested Butte lies at the end of the road and is surrounded by mountains on all sides. Let an experienced guide toss you a rope to safely get to you the top of our area classics. I will also be guiding technical 14es in the Elks and the Sangres.

There is still snow out in the beautiful Elk Mountains and snow climbers and ambitious ski mountaineers can find couloirs and lingering snowfields to climb up and even ski down. I guided a ski descent of Purple Peak last July 15 (A CBMG record) but I believe we can beat that this year!

Crested Butte is the birthplace of mountain biking and offers miles of singletrack riding for all abilities. Mountain biking in Crested Butte is unlike biking anywhere else in the country. It's smooth, fast, scenic and has the best flowers in the state. CBMG offers single or multi day mountain bike adventures.

There's a ton of fun to be had right here in the Gunnison Valley. You can book your next trip by emailing me at jwmackinnon@gmail.com or by calling the CBMG office at 970 349 5430. Feel free to visit us on the web at www.crestedbutteguides.com for more ideas and outdoor opportunities.

Smith Rock Climbing School: Intro to Rock Course

2009-06-17T15:44:00.011-06:00

I had the good fortune to teach an Intro to Rock Course last week at Smith Rock State Park. Bob, Scott, Craig and James joined me for two days to learn the nuts and bolts of climbing. James is from the UK and had no previous rock climbing experience and the three gentlemen from western Oregon had a long list of successful mountaineering adventures under their belt and were interested in adding rock climbing to their skill set.

Day 1 began with the basics. We learned and "refreshed" knots, belaying and discussed various types of climbing techniques. We then put that practice into action and hopped onto Smith's world renown welded tuff.

We began with some moderate face climbing and worked on skills such as mantling, edging and smearing. Small pockets and mini nubbins make even the most improbable vertical face reasonable.

We than switched gears to crack climbing and began to use our hands and feet in ways that they were never intended to be used! After a clinic and demonstration of hand jams, foot jams, the crew threw themselves at a fun and deceptively tricky crack. A little blood and skin later, everyone learned how to hang off their hands and torque their feet in cracks. Crack climbing, although painful at first, is a necessary skill for climbers and mountaineers alike.

Day 2 began just where Day 1 left off. We began climbing longer, more difficult routes that required a combination of balancy face skills as well as the occasional hand and foot jam. I also introduced rock climbing protection, both active and passive, and explained gear placement and anchor systems. There was plenty of time for folks interested in anchors to play around with an assortment of gear.

The culmination of our two day trip was a multi-pitch climb. Our multi-pitch climb tied together all the elements and skills that the gang had been learning over the last two days. Our objective was Cinnamon Slab, the classic two pitch 5.6 at Smith. The first pitch is a beautiful crack in a corner.

Cinnamon Slab also boasts a "spacious" belay ledge making it a probable and comfortable objective for our party of 5.

Here is a shot of Scott and Craig living it up at the belay. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse and we were not able to complete the second pitch. After bringing all four students up the belay I decided it was time to go down. On day 1 we practiced rappelling on Rope de Dope Block and today we had to rappel out of necessity.

Bob had a pleasant rappel down to the base of the climb. Halfway through Scott's rappel, it started raining. I ended up lowering the remaining two climbers and hurrying down myself as the skies opened up on us. Good thing we didn't attempt the second pitch! I wanted to thank all the participants for a great course. A good foundation in rock climbing skills and techniques is a prerequisite for many routes in the mountains.

Rock climbing is also just a great way to spend a beautiful day outside challenging yourself mentally and physically. I hope to see you all again out at Smith or in the mountains.

Your Guide

John

A Busy Week on Hood

2009-06-02T19:02:00.010-06:00

The end of May has been prime time for summit bids and adventures on Mt. Hood. The weather was wet and stormy for the first part of May, but a massive high pressure ridge has been sitting over the Nothwest for the last two weeks. Two of my clients, Sandy and Kirsten rescheduled from early May due to the high winds, snowfall and near zero visibility.

They returned to Hood on my birthday and we had glorious weather and great climbing conditions up the Old Chute. The snow was perfect Neve and we ended up climbing the route in 3 fun pitches. We were greeted with the sunrise just as we popped onto the summit ridge. It was a drastic change from their last visit to Hood when we couldn't see 15 feet in front of us.

After my trip with Sandy and Kirsten I had two other successful summit climbs in two days during our bluebird weather window. Several days later I met up with Gary, Tim, Rich and Stephen who had come all the way from Sitka, AK to climb on Hood. Chris and Shane rounded out our team of six climbers. Shane had originally just signed up for snowschool, but we roped him into making a summit bid with us.

We had two strong rope teams and we managed to summit in just over three hours from 8500 ft. Here is a shot of my rope team: Stephen and his father Rich are up front and Gary is in the back.

All six regrouped on the summit to watch the sunrise and celebrate a successful ascent of Mt. Hood.

Although I was working a ton I decided I needed to take advantage of this high pressure system and get out and play a bit on Hood as well. I come from a state with 300 days of sunshine a year, but it is a bit different out here in Oregon! Along with TMG guides Nick Pope and Geoff Lodge, I completed a successful circumnavigation of Hood in just over 7 hours.

Here's a shot of my partners in crime skinning across the the Coe Glacier during sunrise. Below is another dawn shot on the Coe.

The icefall is next on the ticklist for exciting ski descents on the north side of Hood! It has been a busy May on Mt. Hood. I logged 4 summits and one circumnavigation in a span of 8 days. Thanks to fellow guides and great clients, we were all able to take advantage of sunny days and clear, calm nights. If June is anything like May, there should be plenty more great climbing in Oregon!

Oregon Has It All....

2009-04-25T09:59:00.015-06:00

I will be based in Bend, OR for the next several months. Bend is the outdoor recreation hub for Central Oregon and I have everything from large glaciated volcanoes to sunny desert sport climbing right out my door. I will primarily be guiding on Mt. Hood via the South Side Route.

This climb is a great introduction to steep snow climbing and the world of mountaineering. The route provides pitched snow climbing up to 45 degrees and tops out on an aesthetic knife edge ridge.

The Oregon Cascades are also an amazing playground for ski mountaineering. From tours on the Three Sisters and Broken Top right here in Bend to long complex glaciated descents on Mt. Hood, Oregon has plenty of peaks to climb up and ski down.

And if you're like me and crave sunshine and flipflops, the high desert just East of the Cascades provides year round rock climbing and warmer temperatures. Smith Rock State Park is a mecca for rock climbers offering hundreds of routes from 5.5 to 5.14. I first climbed at Smith in 2003 and have been coming back ever since!

Most of the sport climbing is on a light colored volcanic rock known as welded tuff. The Crooked River also cuts through a basalt canyon. Smith's basalt columns provide great traditional climbing on clean cracks as an alternative to the pocketed tuff. And right here in Bend is some more great climbing on andesite, another volcanic rock. When it gets too hot down there at Smith, the Bend high country provides much cooler temperatures.

Here's a photo of TMG guide Chris Wright and me working some andesite crimpers just west of Bend. Stay tuned for more updates from Oregon. Don't hesitate to call the TMG office at 541 312 9242 to inquire about trips or visit Timberline Mountain Guides and Smith Rock Climbing School on the web.

Back to the Desert (this time with skis)

2009-04-24T14:16:00.018-06:00

My climbing and ski partner, Chris Benson, is based out of Moab UT from April to June. This April has been a transitional month for me in many ways, and as I transitioned out of my life in Colorado I decided to stop by Moab for some skiing, climbing and camaraderie. Chris has been talking up the La Sal Mountains and their ski mountaineering potential for the last two years. After a few days of cragging around Moab, we took a break from the heat and crowds and headed up to ski above the desert.

Who would have guessed that one day we could be climbing desert sandstone and the next kicking steps up a 50 degree couloir? It was a gorgeous day in the La Sals and the higher we climbed, the more spectacular the scenery became.

Our objective was to climb an interesting NW facing couloir and ski down the North Face of Mt. TUK. We aptly named the couloir the Brimmed TUK Couloir because we had to tunnel out of it through a large cornice. (Plus I love brimmed tuques!)

Here is a photo of Chris topping out on the summit after we climbed the knife-edge East Ridge.

The descent was a mix of dirty snow, wind slab and various breakable crusts. UGH! Nevertheless, it was fabulous to ski above desert and see the canyonlands from above. The North Face of Mt. TUK cliffs out at the end and we had a bit of a sporty exit!

Here is a shot of our line!

Skiing was our rest day from climbing in Moab. Somehow, I didn't feel too rested after our 4,000 ft day but we drove down to Indian Creek that night.

We arrived at the Creek ready to hone some crack skills and prepared ourselves to get humbled. As usual, the Creek beats you up and then spits you back out stronger. This trip was no exception!

Here's a shot of me on the FUZZ. It had a tricky thin hands start over a bulge and then finished with a steep to overhanging perfect hand crack. It's early season and needless to say, I got a bit worked!

I just wanted to give a special thanks to Benson for being a great climbing and ski buddy but also one heck of a life coach. Look forward to seeing you in July! And one last thanks to Don Pelo for all the #1, #2 and #3 camalots! It's off to OR for me!

Off-Season Multi Sport FUNSEEKING

2009-04-13T11:17:00.011-06:00

I love the geographic diversity of the American West. This off-season has just begun but I have already skied powder in CB, skied corn in CB, climbed in the desert and relaxed in the AZ and UT sunshine. I also took Grandma to church for Easter! The American West, and in particular my little corner in the Elk Mts and the neighboring Colorado Plateau offers, offers dramatic changes in geography, geology and climate so that a springtime multi-sport funseeker need not look any farther. Below are some photos from this spring.

Some spring ski descents on Gothic and the South Face of Avery...

And then it snowed again and I put away the ski crampons and took out the powder boards.

Here are some shots from a ski tour in Redwell Basin. I did this tour in April last year and it was one of the best powder days of the season too!

Needless to say it felt like February not April on the RL Massif. But there is more to life than just skiing...That's why I packed up the Subaru and headed down to the desert for some rock climbing and sun tanning.

I met up with CBMG guide Mike Bromberg for some limestone sport climbing. It was a great way to start the season. We then travelled farther south to Sedona AZ to seek out magical vortices and climb a desert tower.

We didn't find enlightenment or a vortex, but we found a great sandstone tower to climb up.

It was a great quick trip to the desert. In fact, I enjoyed it so much I think I'll head back down there on Wednesday!

Maroon Hut Trip 3/25-3/26

2009-04-13T10:13:00.014-06:00

Here is a trip report from a hut trip that I worked with CBMG celebrity guest employee Jenny Abraham two weeks ago. Forgive the tardiness, but it's off-season and I had to run down to the desert for some sunshine and rock climbing last week. After a solid week of high pressure and warm temperatures, winter returned just in time for us to head out to the Gothic Hut with Gary, Bettye, Fern and Kathy. More snow was just fine with me because the ski conditions needed to be freshened up a bit.

We all met on Wednesday morning and skied the 3 miles into the town of Gothic. Luckily someone had broken trail for us. Once we reached the Maroon Hut, I took Gary and Fern for a "quick" ski tour up to the saddle between Gothic and Snodgrass while Jenny, Kathy and Bettye went for a nordic tour.

There was already 40 cm of new snow and we all earned our turns as we broke trail up 1200 vertical feet to the saddle.

All that new snow translated to tons of soft powdery skiing. It was just hard to see what was in front of us. I made a passing comment that "there was almost too much new snow" but was promptly told by both Gary and Fern that that was impossible.

Like all hut trips good food and good conversation always compliment great skiing. I was intellectually out of my league during the Darwin discussion at the dinner table, but nonetheless learned plenty about Darwin, Lyell and the politics of 19th century publishing! The undisputed highlight of the hut trip was breakfast on Thursday morning. Jenny woke up bright and early to make her special caramel rolls.

She wasn't sure if they were going to rise at 9500 ft above sea level.... After breakfast, we had a brief beacon refresher clinic and then we skied back to the car. The storm had dropped over 60 cm of snow in Gothic and two weeks later my hip flexors have finally recovered from breaking trail home! Thanks everyone for a great trip; Jenny and I hope you had a special first hut trip. It was our pleasure skiing, dining and conversing with you!

CB Adventure Guides a Success!!

2009-02-22T21:03:00.010-07:00

Crested Butte Mountain Guides has teamed up with CBMR to create a new in bounds / out of bounds adventure ski program. The first day takes place in the "extremes" at the ski area with a focus on exploring the intricate nooks and crannies of CMBR's amazingly steep and complex terrain; an optional second day takes place in Crested Butte's pristine backcountry.

I met up with the Schnapp Family from Long Island, NY last week for a terrific day of adventuring around CBMR. David, Alex and Jacob had taken several ski lessons from the Ski and Ride School, but wanted to try something a little different...a little more exciting!

So I gave them the tour of Crested Butte's renown extreme terrain. They soon realized that this is a unique ski area with in bounds terrain unlike anything you could ever find off of I-70.

Occasionally we did a little hiking to for our turns, but the rewards were always worth the effort.

Plus, the snow is always better if you work for it a little.

It was a great day all around. We had wonderful weather, a fun group of talented skiers, and plenty of soft stuff to play around in.

Thanks for coming out to visit us here in Crested Butte. All of us at CBMG and CBMR look forward to your next visit.

Your Guide (and fellow New Yorker)

Johnny MacKinnon

Some Mid-Winter Eye Candy

2009-02-20T08:34:00.005-07:00

Hi Folks,

It's been a great week for some personal adventuring. There hasn't been a ton of guiding work, so I took advantage of my time off and got out there. That's a great advantage of living in the mountains!! No work...let's play.

Here are some pictures from a ski tour up Schuykill's Ridge

A beautiful tour and the skiing wasn't so bad either!

I decided to do a little cross training and headed down to Lake City for some ice and mixed climbing as well. Below are a couple shots of Chris Wright leading a fun M5 mixed route at the ice park.

Luckily there are no pictures of me flailing my way up the route. I think I'm still sore!

Stay tuned for more updates

John

Maroon Hut Trip AIARE Level I

2009-02-10T05:14:00.018-07:00

Last weekend I worked a 3 day AIARE Level I hut trip out in Gothic, CO. Seven of us made the three and a half mile ski to the Maroon Hut for a weekend to immerse ourselves in the Level I curriculum. Basing ourselves from a hut allowed the group easy access into spectacular terrain and provided a ton of field time. One of the learning outcomes from this course is being able to recognize avalanche terrain, and we began training our "backcountry eyes" from the moment we left the trailhead.

Like all courses, students come from a variety of backgrounds and add their skills, interests and input to create a unique learning environment. Dave, pictured above, is a certified physical trainer from Conifer, CO.

Clark and Gary Fountain joined CBMG all the way from Maine, and Mike, an engineer from Crested Butte, came on out to Gothic to take his Level I and get a few turns in as well.

Brad and Bowie, roommates up in Mt. CB, completed the team.

The Maroon Hut provided luxurious accommodations and access to great terrain. Another learning outcome in the AIAIRE curriculum is to learn and effectively apply companion rescue. Recent research from snow scientists and avalanche experts has shown that shoveling is the most time consuming and arduous task in recovery. With a 30 minute window, before survival rates drop below 35%, I made sure our group practiced efficient strategic shoveling techniques in realistic situations.

What better place to realistically practice shoveling than in avalanche debris from a slide off Gothic Mt that occurred two weeks ago. All students agreed that proper shoveling techniques and durable metal shovels are necessary for moving debris that is as dense and solid as concrete.

A final learning outcome in the level I curriculum is planning and preparing for travel in avalanche terrain. I have been stressing diligent map reading and careful tour planning with my classes all season. Terrain doesn't change so backcountry travelers can do their "map homework" and find terrain they want to ski and terrain they want to avoid before they head out into the field. The class learned how to measure slope angles from maps, how to identity avalanche paths and most importantly how to find potentially good, safe places to ski on any given day.

We put our preparation into practice as we went out in the field for a full day tour. All our hard work paid off and we had a great tour.

And we got some good turns in as well.

Thanks everyone for a great weekend. Be safe, and I'll see you all out on the skin track!

John MacKinnon

Strand Bonus!

2009-02-09T10:18:00.007-07:00

Kathy and Bettye returned to CBMG for another snowshoe trip with me this winter. I guess I didn't scare them away two winters ago when we toured up Red Lady in a blizzard! This time we had a warm sunny day. They had requested to go somewhere off the beaten path so we decided to head up Brush Creek and hike around on Strand Hill. We drove around the back side of Mt. Crested Butte--where the road ends and bucolic rural Colorado begins.

Brush Creek and the East River valley is a unique and special place in that it is just around the backside from the ski resort but feels 50 years away. We climbed up Strand Hill and then traversed along the Strand Bonus! trail. We all soaked in the views and the sunshine as we worked our way through aspen glades and open meadows.

Strand is a popular summer biking destination, but we were the only out there on Thursday.

We saved the "best wine for last" and had a really fun descent down an open meadow and back to Brush Creek Rd. Thanks for a great day out there.

The Best of the Butte

2009-02-08T22:35:00.008-07:00

My friend Chris Wright stopped by Crested Butte this last week to visit friends and explore some of CB's famed ski touring. CBMG/AMGA certified Ski-Mountaineering Guide Mike Bromberg and I showed Chris some of the best ski touring the Gunnison Valley has to offer. Chris and I work together in the springtime for Timberline Mountain Guide s in the Oregon Cascades.

He and I warmed up on Monday with a quick tour up Gunsight Pass and explored the ridge between Wolverine and Redwell Basin. We found soft powdery skiing and amazing scenery. On our tour out, we skied down OBJ and enjoyed the Class V creek on our skis.

Here's a shot of Chris committing to the first pillow drop. Once we made this drop, we had to ski out the creekbed until we reached the Slate River.

Mike joined us on Tuesday for what I think is the best tour in the the valley. I call it the Triple Treat and it includes Red Lady Bowl, Coon Bowl and the Climax Chutes--three great descents that are all worthy in their own right. We decided to link them all up for a 6500 ft vertical tour.

We began the tour right with a lap down the Bowl. Here's a shot of me enjoying the lightly wind affected snow. It was soft enough for me to call it powder! Next we skinned back up to the ridge and toured over to the top of Coon Bowl.

This tour is particularly spectacular do its combination of amazing descents and exposed ridge traversing.

We regrouped on Coon Summit and soaked in the views of our backyard. Next we dropped into Coon Bowl for some steep and exhilarating turns. Somehow I ended up being photographed a lot today and this is photo of me skiing in Coon Bowl.

Remnants of a week old avalanche are visible skier's right. The tour concluded with a quick skin up to the top of the Climax Chutes and a long 2300 ft descent down to Slate River. A triple treat indeed!

WSC Level I

2009-02-08T22:17:00.005-07:00

This is a bit of a delayed post...but last week I had the good fortune to teach an AIARE Level I with IFMGA guide Steve Banks. We taught 9 students from the WP program at Western State College in Gunnison, CO. The class began on Friday night with a series of powerpoint presentations on avalanche terrain, the mountain snowpack, and avalanche types and charactoristics.

We spent saturday outside practicing effective companion rescue. We had plenty of practice with our beacons, but more importantly we practiced strategic shoveling techniques for excavating buried victims. Rescuers need to move over a ton of snow for a 1 meter burial. Steve and I had our students digging in the snowplow banks at the trailhead to simulate hard avalanche debris.

On Sunday the class put all their recently learned skills into practice and went on a full day tour up Washington Gulch. We had great weather, and even milked a few turns out of the process.

Students learned show to skin, they dug around in snowpits, and practiced safe backcountry travel techniques and proper terrain selection. Great Job to all!

It Feels Like Winter Again

2009-01-29T20:42:00.006-07:00

Last week's weather was particularly favorable to the Elk Mountains: a series of storms softened up the Crested Butte backcountry with close to three feet of snow.

The storms were predominantly moist southwest flows that delivered lots of warm dense snow. As is typical here in CO, cold temperatures and strong winds followed the storms. Today I went out for a ski tour and braved the cold temps and blustery conditions with local BC hardman Jon Swain.

We toured in the East River Valley and found cold light powder in sheltered areas on the NE side of Snodgrass Mountain.

Winter had returned to Crested Butte, and Jon and I were both OK with that.

Snodgrass Mountain Lift Free Forever!!!

Winter Guiding in CB

2009-01-14T20:44:00.004-07:00

I spend my winters in Crested Butte Colorado working for Crested Butte Mountain Guides. In winter we specialize in backcountry skiing and avalanche education.

All our ski guides are trained through the American Mountain Guides Association and all of our avalanche instructors are qualified AIARE instructors. Crested Butte has a lifetime of ski touring opportunities and we invite you to hop in the skin track with us and explore this side of Paradise.

Wintertime in CB

2009-01-14T19:32:00.019-07:00

It's wintertime in Crested Butte and there are endless backcountry activities to choose from. I've been in the backcountry skiing and working the last 5 out of 7 days. The snowpack has been setting up great and the skiing has just been getting better and better. Below are some photos from this last week.

Steve and Kathryn came out for a snowshoe tour. We had a great day in Washington Gulch exploring the West side of Snodgrass Mountain.

I spent a couple days ski guiding up on Coney's Ridge on the opposite side of Washington Gulch. Here is another photo of Dean powder skiing near the valley floor. (Read more about our trip together below.)

And of course I have been getting out and ski touring on my days off. Yesterday, I skied a lap on Red Lady in the afternoon.

Not a bad view from the flanks of the Red Lady Massif. I headed up there solo for a quick tour in the glades but ran into Massimo in the parking lot and we skied a lap together on the Lady.

The highlight of the week has been a long tour I completed today. My good friend Chris Benson and I skied from the Slate River Valley to the East River Valley. Mon Dieux, Les Trois Vallees!

We began in the Slate River Valley and worked our way up and over Anthracite Mesa. Below is a shot looking west towards Schuykill Ridge and Peeler Basin.

We toured along the ridgeline of Anthracite Mesa. From there we descended down to Washington Gulch and climbed up and over Snodgrass. We finished up on Gothic Road just as the sun was bathing White Mountain and WSC peak in wonderful golden alpenglow. What a great tour!

Stay tuned for more updates.

John

Another Beautiful Day in the Mountains!

2009-01-11T15:35:00.006-07:00

I met Dean at the Guide Shack on a classically cold and clear Crested Butte winter morning. It was sunny and calm with the temperature hovering around a balmy -7. I assured Dean it would warm up and it sure did! We shed layers immediately as we began our skin out Washington Gulch towards Coney's Ridge.

Dean is both a nordic and an alpine skier. Backcountry skiing was the next logical step for him so he could combine the best of both ski worlds. Backcountry skiing on AT gear allowed us the freedom to explore the mountains outside Crested Butte but also provided us with the security and FUN of ripping down powder-filled backcountry bowls. (That's kind of hard on the skinny skis!)

We eventually left the valley bottom and steadily climbed and worked our way up to the top of Coney's Ridge.

Our summit greeted us with incredible panorama views of the Elk Mountains. At the top we re-fueled and prepared for our ski descent of Coney's Bowl.

Colorado powder and Colorado sunshine all lived up to their name today. The light powder snow was the perfect introduction to backcountry skiing.

As we worked our way down the bowl, Dean learned the nuances of powder skiing and began linking beautiful turns. In fact, we both enjoyed it so much, we decided to do another lap and ski the whole bowl again! By the time we returned to the car, the sun had almost disappeared behind the mountains and the temperatures were returning to their early morning lows. Thanks for a great day!

John MacKinnon

CBMG Guide

CBMG Vegas Vacation

2008-10-04T19:32:00.011-06:00

Who goes to Las Vegas to rock climb in September during a record heat wave? Apparently we do at CBMG. I headed down to Sin City 10 days ago with a cast of characters from Crested Butte Mountain Guides for a week of climbing. Five of us on staff have either AMGA rock exams or courses this month so we thought we'd go to world famous Red Rocks to train and work on our suntans. Although the heat was brutal at times, once we reached the shade in the canyons, there were perfect climbing temps. Ironically, the only other people we ran into were other mountain guides! Our team included CBMG owner Jayson Simons-Jones, and guides Steve Banks, Laura Chase, Mike Bromberg and me.

Jayson enjoying the morning sun

Steve studying hard for his Rock Guide Exam

Laura on Dark Shadows

A clean Mike Bromberg on his first day out and me with a week's worth of dirt at the top of Epinephrine. Mike arrived the previous night and this was his first climb at Red Rocks. It was a good one!

Here are some action shots

(Most are dark because we avoided the sun as much as possible!)

A shot of me on Triassic Sands. This could be my favorite climb EVER!

Steve sending the crux finger crack at the top of the Frigidaire Buttress

JSJ somewhere in Red Rocks

Desert Season is ON

2008-09-18T11:12:00.020-06:00

I spent the last several days in the Moab area visiting friends and doing some rock climbing. The temperatures were a bit hot, but manageable. Our objective was the Colorado Northeast Ridge on Kingfisher Tower. It was a solid introduction to aid climbing/big wall climbing as well as a great way to explore to the Fisher Towers. You have to be there, surrounded by spirals of mud, to appreciate the beauty, drama and occasional horror of climbing in the Fishers.

The Fisher Towers are made up of the Cutler Formation which is an abrasive sand and mudstone. If these pictures make it look like I was clawing my way up a big pile of mud, it is because I was!

The Colorado Northeast Ridge (IV 5.8 C2) climbs the right skyline of the Kingfisher Tower.

The next day we swapped mud for some solid sandstone. My friend Jim took us to Wall Street to sample some area classics. We then drove further up Potash road and climbed several excellent Indian Creek style cracks on Wingate sandstone up Longs Canyon. We sampled a good variety of Moab's unique climbing in just two days; I can't wait to get back down to the desert for some more blue sky days and splitter cracks.

John

Jamie's Bachelor Party Weekend

2008-09-18T11:12:00.007-06:00

Last weekend I headed to Boulder, CO for my long time friend James Christensen's bachelor party. Seven of us descended on Boulder for a weekend of some traditional and untraditional bachelor party activities. Most importantly, it was a weekend for Jamie to see his friends and partake in a variety of activities like rock climbing, golf , a G-Love concert at Red Rocks and of course Boulder nightlife. For me, it was like a childhood reunion and I got to hang out with some of my closest friends in a beautiful place. Four of us grew up within three miles of each other in New York and even had birthday parties together as toddlers. (Oh Yeah Wee-Wah!!)

Thanks everyone for a fun weekend. Feel free to comment or post your own pics. Jamie--best of luck with everything and congratulations from all of us. As Darren put it, "Jamie's slaying life." We're proud of you, buddy!

We'll see you all at the wedding this December. Be safe and have fun.

John

Summertime in the Butte

2008-08-30T12:22:00.013-06:00

I spend my summers and winters in Crested Butte, Colorado. Crested Butte is a small mountain town located in the heart of the Elk Mountains. I am lucky to live in such a spectacular place but even luckier that I get to go out and play on the mountains, rocks and trails for my job.

Crested Butte is home to some of Colorado's best single track mountain biking. Beautiful scenery and the best wildflowers in the state make every ride memorable. This is a photo of Jenny Abraham descending the 403 trail down to Gothic Rd.

Last winter left over 450 inches of snow in the mountains around town. That made for some epic winter skiing, but it also set us up for great spring and summer ski-mountaineering. Here is a shot of me skiing the S-Couloir on Purple Peak in mid July.

Welcome Friends!

2008-08-29T13:44:00.002-06:00

Last week I decided it was time to enter the 20th century and purchased a computer. This week I jumped to the 21st century and started my own blog. So here it is:

I work as a professional mountain guide in Crested Butte, Colorado and Oregon, I have family in New York and Spain, and a girlfriend in Boulder, Colorado. This is a place for me, my family, my friends and my clients to write about our adventures. In our "world without borders" here is a place where we can all be separated by thousands of miles, but still share memories.

Welcome and Enjoy

John MacKinnon