Guided Climbing & Skiing in Colorado
Custom Rock Climbing, Ice Climbing, Alpine Climbing & Backcountry Skiing
From the desert rock climbing in Western Colorado to the alpine peaks along the Front Range, ephemeral ice in Ouray, and deep snow of the San Juan Mountains, Colorado offers an incredible range of climbing and skiing terrain. Skyward Mountaineering provides custom guided climbing and skiing adventures throughout the state, with local guides who know the terrain and conditions firsthand.
Our Colorado programs include rock climbing, ice climbing, alpine climbing, backcountry skiing, and splitboarding. Whether you want to take an ice climbing course in the Ouray Ice Park, climb a long multipitch route in the Black Canyon, ski steep lines in Silverton, or pursue a challenging alpine objective in Rocky Mountain National Park, we tailor each trip to your experience, goals and ability. Based on Colorado’s Western Slope, our guides have exceptional access to the state’s most diverse climbing and skiing destinations.
Guided Ice Climbing in Colorado
Book a guided ice climbing trip in Colorado for an unforgettable winter adventure. With the highest concentrations of easily accessible ice climbing in the country, Ouray is a must-visit winter destination. Learn to climb or hone your movement skills in the Ouray Ice Park with personalized coaching, or venture into the San Juan Mountains for a backcountry multipitch climb. From beginner friendly routes to steep pillars and delicate mixed climbing, Ouray offers an incredible variety of winter climbing for all ability levels.
We also now offer ice climbing in Lake City Ice Park and the surrounding backcountry, as well as Rifle Mountain Park. Lake City Ice Park offers a similar variety to Ouray in a more remote setting with fewer crowds and taller walls, while Rifle Mountain Park is best suited to climbers with previous experience who want to practice climbing steeper ice and pillars.
Skyward Mountaineering is the longest continuously owned and operated Ouray ice climbing guide service, giving our team an exceptional depth of local knowledge. Our small team of AMGA certified guides brings decades of experience to every climb, helping you choose the right objective and develop efficient climbing techniques, solid mountain sense, and the skills needed to climb longer and more challenging routes.
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![A guide in a yellow jacket leads a steep pillar in the Ouray Ice Park Lead Only Area.]()
Beginner to advanced ice climbing with over 150 routes in the Ouray Ice Park, Colorado’s premier ice climbing destination
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![A guide leads a steep pillar of ice above Ouray, Colorado.]()
Beginner to advanced backcountry ice and mixed climbing in Ouray, Colorado.
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![A woman in a blue jacket wearing a white and orange helmet is ice climbing up a steep pillar on a multipitch route in Eureka, Colorado.]()
Intermediate to advanced backcountry multipitch ice climbing in the San Juan Mountains.
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![A guide leads the iconic and steep ice climbing route, Bridal Veil Falls, in Telluride, Colorado.]()
Advanced ice climbing on Bridal Veil Falls, in Telluride, Colorado.
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![An ice climber in an orange jacket and red helmet is leading a multipitch route at the Lake City Ice Park. He is swinging his left ice tool above him with an orange rope below being belayed by a climber in a blue jacket.]()
Beginner to advanced ice climbing with over 100 routes in Lake City Ice Park. Most routes are over 120 ft tall and without the crowds of it’s neighbor, Ouray!
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![A blue gloved hand is holding an ice tool behind a pillar of ice in Rifle, Colorado.]()
Intermediate to advanced toprope ice climbing on steep pillars and daggers
Guided Rock Climbing in Colorado
Explore the wide variety of world class rock climbing in Colorado with Skyward Mountaineering. From alpine routes in Rocky Mountain National Park to adventurous sandstone desert towers in Grand Junction, the imposing big walls of the Black Canyon and the multipitch lichen streaked walls of Eldorado Canyon, the rock climbing in Colorado is a diverse landscape that should be on every climber’s must-visit list. Whether you’re new to climbing or pushing into challenging multipitch objectives, our AMGA certified guides provide customized support and maximize your efficiency on the best routes in the state.
Whether you're new to climbing or ticking off a challenging multipitch route, our AMGA certified guides provide customized instruction and guiding throughout Colorado. We also offer dedicated rock climbing courses for climbers who want to develop specific technical systems and movement skills. Book your rock climbing trip or sign up for a course today.
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![A rock climber in a yellow jacket is leading a route in the Black Canyon. He is stemming in a corner and jamming his fingers in the crack while removing gear from the harness to place as protection.]()
Intermediate to advanced multipitch rock climbing in the Black Canyon, Colorado’s tallest cliffs with routes up to 20 pitches
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![A rock climber in a blue shirt and helmet with a yellow backpack is climbing up the steep headwall to the summit of Otto's Route in Colorado National Monument.]()
Beginner to advanced toproping and multipitch rock climbing on desert towers in Colorado National Monument and the granite walls of Unaweep Canyon
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![Sunrise alpenglow on the Flatirons above Boulder, Colorado.]()
Beginner to advanced toproping and multipitch rock climbing at the various crags around Boulder
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![A rock climber in a red helmet and gray shirt and shorts is laybacking on a large flake while sport climbing in Rifle Mountain Park, Colorado.]()
Beginner to advanced toprope rock climbing on some of the best limestone sport climbing routes in the USA
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![A rock climbing camming device is placed in a granite crack during an anchor lesson on a rock climbing course.]()
Introductory to advanced rock climbing courses in Colorado, such as Gym to Crag, Crack Climbing, and Intro to Trad and Multipitch
Guided Alpine Climbing in Colorado
Rocky Mountain National Park is a premier training ground for alpinists with year-round access to the mountains. The summer season is primarily alpine rock climbing season, fall in Rocky Mountain National Park forms some of the earliest season alpine ice and mixed climbing routes, and spring can similarly yield excellent alpine ice and mixed climbing routes as the snow consolidates. With most of the climbing being around 11,000 ft to 13,000 ft and so close to the metro Boulder area, RMNP is undoubtedly a world-class alpine climbing venue. Most of the alpine climbing routes in Rocky Mountain National Park can be completed in a long day, though we also offer overnight trips with a bivy at the base of a route for climbers wanting a shorter summit day or for more remote peaks.
The San Juan Mountains in SW Colorado are also home to several aesthetic and rugged peaks with several 14ers, including Mount Sneffels. Much of the rock quality in the San Juan mountains is loose, so we focus our alpine climbing routes on spring and early summer ascents when there is still snow and rocks are held together better with colder morning temperatures.
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![The steep rock face of Wham Ridge on Vestal Peak rises above a cluster of Columbine flowers growing at the base in the foreground.]()
Beginner to intermediate alpine rock and snow climbing on rugged 14ers
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![A climber wearing a red backpack with ice tools strapped to the outside is hiking the trail into Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. The icy steep face of the Diamond is in the background with early morning alpenglow.]()
Beginner to advanced alpine rock climbing, snow and ice/mixed climbing in the Colorado Rockies
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![A guide is leading a traverse on the top pitch of the Casual Route on the Diamond of Long's Peak. He is wearing a blue helmet and red jacket.]()
Advanced alpine rock climbing in Rocky Mountain National Park
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![A climber in a red jacket is practicing crevasse rescue during a snowstorm. A second climberi n a blue jacket is weighting the rope to provide realistic representation of a crevasse fall.]()
Alpine climbing and mountaineering courses with expert instructors
Guided Backcountry Skiing & Ski Mountaineering in Colorado
The San Juan Mountains around Silverton and Ouray offer some of Colorado’s most spectacular backcountry skiing. Steep runs, reliable winter snowfall, and thousands of acres of skiable mountains make the region a destination for everything from deep powder days, jump turns in steep couloirs, and technical ski mountaineering objectives. With decades of experience skiing and guiding throughout the San Juans, Skyward Mountaineering knows the best powder stashes and fun ski tours on Red Mountain Pass and in Silverton.
Our private backcountry skiing and splitboarding tours in the San Juans tailor each day to your experience, goals, and current snow and weather conditions. Explore epic bowls and glades, tour high alpine ridgelines, ski narrow couloirs and perfectly spaced tree runs. For experienced backcountry skiers and splitboarders, the spring yields excellent ski mountaineering conditions on the rugged peaks throughout the San Juan Mountains. These objectives combine technical climbing systems, challenging route finding and expert downhill skiing.
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![A skier in a blue jacket is carving a turn and spraying powder into the air.]()
Beginner to advanced backcountry skiing and splitboarding tours. Ski deep powder, jump turn in steep couloirs and carve open glades
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![A group of four skiers are touring up to the Hayden Backcountry Lodge.]()
Intermediate to advanced European-style hut based ski and snowboarding tours in the San Juan Mountains
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![A skier in blue pants and an orange jacket is breaking trail up the steep Snake Couloir on Mount Sneffels with a skier in a blue jacket behind them.]()
Beginner to advanced backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering courses. Level up your ski and splitboarding skills
Why Choose Skyward Mountaineering?
Skyward Mountaineering is a small, independent guide service based on Colorado’s Western Slope, with decades of experience climbing and skiing throughout the state. As the first AMGA Accredited Business in Southwest Colorado, we maintain rigorous standards for guide training, risk management, customer service, and ethical business practices.
Our guides are expert climbers and skiers who know Colorado’s mountains firsthand, we use our local knowledge to choose the right terrain and conditions for your goals, whether its the best powder, a new backcountry ice climbing route, or a classic multipitch rock climb. Every trip is customized around your experience, ability, and objectives rather than built around a one-size-fits-all itinerary.
We believe guiding is about more than a single day in the mountains. Our small team provides personalized support before, during, and after your trip, helping you build the skills, confidence, and experience to pursue bigger objectives over time.