After a bumpy start with a very cold wet November and a warm and dry December the Utah Ice season is finally off and running.

I spied this at the very bottom of Little Cottonwood Canyon and hadn’t ever remembered it forming. A quick look at Mountain Project yielded no information. I knew that another nearby small flow had been FA’d in a recent winter. Protected by some mixed climbing I thought we might have a shot at doing a new route.

I had a partner lined up for Saturday so Friday afternoon I hiked to the ramps that led to the base of the pillar.  There were no other tracks and on my way out I covered mine. There were still a few hours of daylight left and I didn’t want to get scooped.

6AM is always a tough time to get out of a warm bed. Especially to go hike in the dark and stand in the cold but the sunrise found us at the base of the rock and within a short mixed pitch to the base of the Ice.

Easy but insecure slabs went down fairly easily and I was at the base.

Nate lead the pillar of beautiful yellow ice to the trees that we planned on rappelling from and……. that had slings from a previous ascent.

No new route but a fine adventure on new (to us) ice and a great way to start the day.

I just got the first 2011 stream flow forecast and things are looking great. The drainages that provide water for our Utah rafting trips received 150% of average snowfall in December which means that even if we have an abnormally dry month stream flows will be at least normal. If we stay in this storm track the forecasters are talking run off levels not seen since 1997, way above normal.

What does this all mean.
First, our Dolores River trip will be incredible April thru early June. The Dolores is one of my favorite river runs. Technical rafting in a desert setting is not the norm. The Dolores serves this kind of rafting up in buckets.
Second, the Fisher Towers will be incredibly fun and really big. Don’t let this put you off. This section is easily customizable buy simply either missing or hitting the big features encountered along the way.
Third, Cataract Canyon will be huge in May and June. One of natures spectacles, the rapids on this trip are some of the biggest in N. America.

No matter if you have 1 day or a week we have a trip for you and it looks like this is going to be a year to remember.

Well after years of thinking about and now months of development our new site is live. There’s still some work to do but the majority of the heavy lifting is complete. Clean and easy to navigate with lots of photos of our great Moab rafting, rock climbing and canyoneering trips I am super excited about the launch.

Here’s some good news. The NPS has begun offering online reservations for the Fiery Furnace hike. One of the best ranger led activities I have ever done. No one better to see this magnificent area with than a NPS ranger. The ranger I went with was studying the Fiery Furnace for a PHD.

To see a description and book online check out recreation.gov

This hike is a great one to combine with a day of Moab rafting or rock climbing.

We are scheduled to kick of 2010 operations in less than a month. Call now to reserve your adventure. (800) 259-4046

This is a photo of my girl. Emma getting it done at the Kids Wall, Ouray, CO. 1st Ice Climb ever.

This past weekend we got to return to one of my favorite places, Ouray. A quintessential mountain town with unpaved streets, cool architecture, Hot Springs and great Ice Climbing make this a place I miss the moment I leave.

It’s always great to play in the snow that will become our summer time play ground, the Colorado River.

The Moab rafting season is right around the corner. Pray for snow!

Wow!
That was what I call a breather. 8/15/09, the last blog post that was written. Since then we’ve put the lid on our best season ever, rafted the Grand Canyon, hosted another AMGA SPI course, done some traveling and been skiing and Ice Climbing.

It’s 2010 and there’s plenty of rafting, climbing and canyoneering to be done. Hard to believe that the season opener is only 2 1/2 months away.

As of 1/1/10 snow pack numbers are about 90% of normal for the Colorado River Basin. This is good all we will need is near normal precip in the mountains of Colorado and we’ll have another fun and exciting year on the Colorado River.

Found this amazing video that the Moab Travel Council put together, enjoy.

Red River wants you to join our good friends at the Sawtooth Adventure Company on thier final float through the Frank Church Wilderness this summer. You will experience fun rapids, huge sandy beaches, amazing food and complete relaxation only found on Idaho’s famous Salmon River.

In an effort to end the 2009 season with a bang we are offering the best summer travel deal around…..$795 per person ($300 off) includes:
4 night Wilderness Rafting Trip that includes all food, river & camp equipment, and amazing scenic flight over the largest wilderness in the lower 48.
Scenic charter flight back to Salmon at the end of the tripThe trip will meet at the Salmon, Idaho airport at 5 PM on Aug 20th.

You will be flown back to your vehicle via an amazing scenic flight on August 24th.Give us a call to take advantage of this unheard of travel deal

Going to the grocery store was so much easier than it used to be.
It dawns on me today as I juggle 5 empty gallon water jugs, 5 lids and 2 re-usable shopping bags, wallet and a blackberry that I carry almost as much into the store as I do out of the place.

In my drive to be green I finally remembered the freakin tote bags and the water jugs that we reuse so we don’t clog the landfill and because we can’t drink the water that flows from the tap and I forget the shopping list.

Tough enough when I had to remember the list, everything on it and to grab all my bags as I left the store (come on you know you’ve left groceries you just bought behind) now I’ve got to have a check list of things to take TO the store.

Well that sure was a quick 2 months. A blur of rafting, climbing and canyoneering with people from all over the world. What a season we and Moab have been having.
I just want to take 2 seconds to say, thanks to those that have shared an adventure with us so far in 2009 and come on down to those who are thinking about it.

The river is still at levels that we didn’t even see in some of the worst dought years and the scenery that surrounds our rock and canyoneering routes is spactacular as always.

Our 2009 guides are doing a fantastic job, keeping people safe, sharing what they know about the sports we do and the area in which we do them. I’ve heard more than a few times this season that the time spent with Red River Adventures was the very best of the entire vacation.

Patagonia sells a T-shirt with the words “live simply” and pictures of seals and whales and such emblazoned on them for $30.
Does this strike anyone else besides me as ridiculous?

Living simply would not, by any measure, include buying $30 T-shirts.

This is one of those posts that has been sitting on my hard drive, 0’s and 1’s, since last September. Two accidents in about as many months left me thinking about doing what we do. It’s been revisited, tweaked, but still hidden until now. Why? This last weekend we lost a Friend and an employee and now just seemed like the time to let this fly.

It’s a strange thing when someone you know dies. It a far stranger thing when someone your age who is vibrant, strong, and who has plans similar to you own dies. Stranger still is that around here this dieing happens, all too often, and while playing.

When I moved here in the late 90’s I did so with the pictures I’d seen and the stories I’d read in magazines filling my head. Wonderful stories of huge powder days, remote rivers and beautiful rock climbs all done with close friends. There were also stories of tragedy and loss. Stories of avalanches, mistakes made in very high places and of the undeniable power of water and our inability to breath it, all taking close friends and leaving the world a little more empty.

Both sides of this coin seemed so remote to me when I left the East to come here. The mountains were a far off place that I was sure I would visit like a tourist, observe and then likely leave. I couldn’t picture myself being a part that world and the culture that I’d so often read about.

I’ve been here 11 years now and in that short period of time have been witness to my own stories of both bliss and tragedy. Fortunately the, can’t wipe the smile from your face, great times I’ve gotten to experienced first hand. The wipe your mind clean sad times, still to this day, through one degree of separation.

I can remember the first time a close friend of a friend was killed while playing. I’d been in the mountains for 2 years and through a weird set of coincidences I met and become friendly with those very guys I’d read about while living “back East”. The stories of folks that filled the pages of the adventure mags had become people I knew and did things with.

It was one of these magazine worthy adventures that prompted the need for the first “slide show” that I would attend. An avalanche had occurred during an expedition to the mountains halfway around the world, two miles higher than were I currently sit writing this. Snow had moved and lives had been lost. My new friends had come home broken and I went in a show of support.

The Slide show is the mountain equivalent of an Irish wake. Folks get together and look at pictures of the lost friend and his or her exploits. Alcohol flows, stories are told and for a brief period I don’t think it hurts so much.

At first it was easy to disregard these occurrences, after all I’d only just arrived. I was still getting the lay of the land. I didn’t think of myself as a climber or a boater or a real skier. Since that night there have been many more slide shows. They are results of drowning, avalanche, misstep, equipment failure, poor judgment and poor luck all while playing. Pretty much the same story over and over. Tragedy always happening to someone I’d met but not really gotten to know. This made the loss real but somehow distant. I still felt like a tourist, observing from the outside, not really a part of the picture.

But now as time, and more people have passed I no longer feel like I’m am an observer. I realize I am part of this shrinking tribe yet I continue to play. As I sit here I can’t tell you exactly why I do so. I’m really not sure how I and others deal with the reality that playing can not only get you hurt but may actually kill you. A few have thrown in the towel. Most are still out there. Some have backed off, some continue on as hard charging as ever.

We’ve just lost another one. Someone I knew fairly well and I wonder if maybe, just maybe I should be watching the world series instead. Is it crazy to continue to do the same things that have been thinning my herd for a decade? Probably but if I or any of us stops isn’t it a bit like dieing anyway?

RIP.

This past weekend myself, Landon, Chelsea and our good friend tommy went out for a quick lap of our wonderful Morning Glory Canyoneering route.

(more…)

A friend emailed me a link yesterday. I got it while skiing. I knew it wasn’t going to be good.

Shane McConkey 1969-2009

RIP

What do we do when we aren’t guiding rivers or rock?.?.?

We rock climb and run rivers.

Well that’s it. Winter’s over.

It might be snowing where you are and admittedly is cold here but winter’s over.

Our first booked trip is for March 31st which means that the 2009 rafting season starts in only a few weeks. To be ready for the 31st means that we start NOW!

Getting boats out, cleaning gear, making changes and improvements all the things that have to be done behind the scenes start now.

I know I keep saying it but this summer should be good. March 1st numbers are above average, 115% of normal, and with more snow predicted water levels should be great.

Reservations are ahead of last year and we’ve already sold out several dates in June and July.

With new rock climbing and canyoneering options guided by the same great people that take you rafting there’s no need to look anywhere else for Moab Adventure.

Longing for some warmer temps, long routes and easy climbing to shake out the cobwebs from a long winter I put together a last minute plan to head to Red Rocks for some fun.

3 days, 3 or 4 routes with an estimated 25+ pitches all under 5.9 were on the menu.
What unfolded was not in the plan at all.
Day 1
Rain.

This although pretty is not something you want to see before heading out for a day of desert rock.

We did mange to get in a two pitch climb during the only break in the clouds.

But then this moved in and we were shut down for good.

You might ask? What next. Well, being well trained and forward thinking outdoor professional we had of course brought along all the things you might need in an emergency. Food, water and adult beverages all laid in for just such a situation. Obviously there was only one thing to do, hit the emergency supplies, hard. Later deciding that shelter was in order we headed to the Bonnie Springs Ranch for food and beverages that didn’t come from a cooler. After much food and drink, meeting Bonnie and seeing freinds who live in Vegas it was time to go, they were closing. Closed a bar in Vegas…enough said.
Pitch tally 2

Day 2
Not so much….and no pictures.
After a rather long nap in the Pine Creek parking lot which prompted quite a bit of conversation among some of the other visitors to Red Rocks we managed to get off at the crack of 1PM. We hiked to what we were sure would be an empty Cat in the Hat to find a party, only slightly more lazy than us, just leading off on pitch 2. We decided to head up. Ooppss. Climbing hurt much more than hiking and with a pinch of hot afternoon sun I, well, I wasn’t feeling “tip top”.
After catching the party above at the bottom of pitch 3 we decided to call it a “DAY”. Down we went. Pitch tally 4.

Day 3
This is what we came for.

** Video Missing – Would Not Transfer**

Steep and fun, classic Red Rocks face climbing, steep jugs, 580′ of a rock climbing “powder run”.
These 5 pitches would have been worth the drive.
Pitch tally 10.

The trip didn’t unfold the way I thought it would but it will be one I remember for ever.

The February snow pack numbers are in and things are looking great. The Colorado River basin is 123% of normal above Moab. Combine this with the fact the reservoirs are about 1oo% of average as well and we are virtually assured that the water levels on Fisher Towers and Cataract Canyon will be great, making for truly exciting Moab rafting trips.

The Dolores River basin is 116% of normal and reservoirs storage is 105% of normal. This is more than enough to count on this amazing river section to run at great levels in 2009.

I just got the Colorado River basin Forecast report for January.
The mountains up stream of Moab are at 125% of normal snowpack. This is fantastic.
I know that we’ve got plenty of time for it to stop snowing or for it to get warm and for the snowpack to go away but for now it’s more snow on Jnauary 1st. than any time since 1997.

Moab rafting is gonna be good, let’s hope.

I had the pleasure of seeing these climbers on Little Cottonwood Canyon’s Coffin Crack, 5.9 while driving down from Alta yesterday.
Winter is holding off so folks are getting out and climbing in the sun.

December 1st. That was a quick month or so.
The posting of the “obs” thread may have been a bit too early. I sit writing this as our snowpack continues to melt, rot and evaporate. The Park City resorts have opened but are skiing man made snow.
Why so much about skiing?

Well we love it and more importantly the snow we slide on in winter becomes the river we run in the summer.

The good news is that the Colorado Mountians up stream of our Moab Rafting headquaters are getting more snow than the Wasatch outside SLC.

Off the the mountains.
Pray for snow.

There are certain things that happen each year that mark the changing of the seasons. Flowers bloom, leaves change, the temps drop, folks around town start wearing bennies, the first flakes fly and one of my personal favorites WOW starts the new “obs” thread on Telemark.com.

WOW, as he is know, is a person. Bob Athey or the Wizard of the Wasatch has for years started the unofficial/official depository of backcountry trip reports and observations for the Wasatch.

Well the leaves have changed, I’ve indeed got to put on a beenie and the thread has been started.

Pray for snow!

I’m often asked, how long does it take to get from place to place. LA to Moab, Las Vegas to Moab, etc. To be honest I don’t know. When I’m on vacation I drive slowly, get sidetracked easily and generally tend to wander around. So when folks ask I usually let Google give me the answers, everyone should. Google maps is great. Type in the town you’re leaving from and going to and bam you’ve got total milage, a map and a guesstimate of the time it will take to drive it.

This time estimate is, of course, the actual time it takes to drive the route not stop and pee or get lost, read those roadside interp signs, sight see or eat. These can all add alot of time to a trip.

Well a Friend of mine just reset the bar on how long it takes. Over the Labor day weekend, drove from Trenton, NJ to Park City, Utah in 2 days. This is a journey that, back in the days of the 55 MPH speed limit, would take my dad 5 days to cover as we headed west on our family vacations.

He left at 7:30 AM on Saturday and arrived Park City at 8PM on Sunday. 2 days, 2142 miles and I can’t imagine that there was any stopping for any of the things that I mentioned along the way. So next time your wondering how long it takes check out Google Maps and know that it is possible to roll through 1071 miles in a day.

Had the oppritunity to see John Mayer in SLC recently. I get to see a college buddy of mine that works for JM and each summer we get the chance to catch a show and I get to reconnect with one of the few folks that I stay in touch with from that chapter in my life.

The real bonus this year was catching Brett Dennon opening the show. Check it out.

My 4th of July vacation happened in the early hours of July 6th. I went to Big Cottonwood Canyon, Mule Hollow wall and linked Down, Dirty, Doublecrossed, 5.7 430 feet and Implorien 5.9 200 feet.
Up at 5:30 AM, meet Dan at 6 on the route by 7AM after about a mile and 1200 vertical feet of approach.

Sunrise happened some time during the first or second pitch. Beautiful rock and views of Stairs Gulch for the next hour or so keep us content and make the “evil StairMaster” approach worth it. 2 and a half double rope rappels gets us back to the ground. A short walk and we are heading up again on Implorien. More great stone and a trail of bolts gets us to the top and we rap. Back on the ground again we suck down some water, eat an apple and run out to the car.

6 pitches, 4 rappels, 2 miles, 2400 vertical feet of up and down approach and 4 hours and 27 minutes and we are back at the car. 4th of July celebration complete.

For the grade I don’t think that rock climbing in the Wasatch gets much better.

Imagine my surprise when, at 6 PM Sunday, I walk into the office and a camera crew, sound guy and the artist Kenny Harris are standing there rolling film. This is the last time in the next 24 hours that things are remotely normal.

My first thought was that my wife had finally, after years of threatening, signed me up for some TV show.

Turns out Kenny is an artist who has, for the last 32 days, been making his way across the country trading the art he makes for food, transportation and lodging. NY to LA on only what he can get from his art.

Kenny wants to incorporate some rafting into his journey and after some time I concoct a plan to run him through Cataract Canyon in a day. This will get him 120 miles closer to LA. This plan involves running 29 0f the biggest rapids in N. America and traveling from 8AM til 6PM or so in a “sport boat”. These are basically dingies on steroids. After some convincing the production crew is “in” and departure is set for 7 AM.

The day is a blur of red rock canyons, blue sky and clouds, HUGE rapids and the camera. The camera followed us everywhere from the office, to the bar (only to finalize plans), launching the boat, running down river, making lunch, running rapids and finally, to the middle of no where in the hot the desert, saying good bye.

The show air’s in October. I wonder what I’ll look like on TV?

I think that Kenny’s blog does a good job of capturing the day, check it out.

Well spring has sprung and summers right around the corner. The melt has started and the Colorado is running high. Here’s a recent photo of the Class II Rocky Rapid.
The BIG hit. We’re havin fun now.

Wait a minute, that doesn’t look right!

I hope this answers the question, “will it be exciting enough”.

NOTE: **No humans were hurt in the rafting of this river.**

While spending a little time in Salt Lake City, a place that many of our Moab rafting clients pass through, I ended up at One World. I heard a few of our guides talking about the pay what you think you should policy and how good the food was and decided to see for myself.

Check out the website and go for the food. In a word, GREAT.

Don’t forget to finish with a cup of organic coffee and a piece of the “everything” cookies. Never has organic anything tasted so good.

On the 27th of April the 2008 crew of Red River Adventures embarked on a 3 day Utah rafting trip that was fantastic. 13 of the Riverpeople launched at Gateway, Colorado for the 2008 kick off Dolores river run. Along the way we discovered that you can fly into Gateway, new pictographs, and that Charlie can fly but doesn’t land so well