Ouray, Colorodo Ice Climbing Courses
Develop Your Ice Climbing Skills in the Ouray Ice Park
Skyward Mountaineering founder and IFMGA Guide, Vince Anderson has been guiding in the Ouray Ice Park for more than 30 years. That experience informs our ice climbing course curriculum, which emphasizes efficient movement, practical climbing systems, and hands-on skills practice that transfer to bigger routes in the mountains. Our ice climbing courses are primarily based in the Ouray Ice Park due to the unparalleled access to a variety of terrain, though we also venture into the Ouray and Silverton backcountry routes for advanced level courses.
Schedule: Courses are full days (8 hours) of hands-on learning and ice climbing. Length of courses range from 2-3 days.
Group Size: All ice climbing courses are taught with a maximum of 4 climbers per guide.
Prerequisites: No prerequisites required for the Intro to Ice Climbing course, though more advanced level courses require that climbers have previous ice climbing experience. Our courses are based on an intended level of progression.
Course Descriptions: Beginner to advanced ice climbing courses:
Intro to Ice Climbing
Steep Ice Efficiency
The Art of Mixed Climbing
Learn To Lead Ice
Location: All ice climbing courses are based in Ouray, Colorado.
Elevation: 7,792ft / 2,375m
Pricing: Varies based on the course.
Choose the Right Ice Climbing Course for Your Goals
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![A climber in a pink helmet and pink jacket is belaying, looking through an icicle in the Ouray Ice Park.]()
Beginner ice climbing course in the Ouray Ice Park. Learn how to ice climb safely and efficiently with expert instruction
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![An ice climber in a yellow jacket is swinging his ice tool on a steep pitch in the Ouray Ice Park during an ice climbing course.]()
Learn how to efficiently ice climb steeper WI5 pitches and avoid pumping out quickly
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![A climber in a blue jacket is leading a mixed route on Camp Bird Road. He is placing his crampons on a small rock foothold.]()
Learn how to mixed climb on rock and thin ice, this course is designed for alpinists transitioning between mixed terrain in the mountains
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![A guide in a yellow jacket is leading a pitch of ice in the Ouray Ice Park with a belayer in a blue jacket below.]()
Learn the skills to lead ice safely and efficiently with personalized instruction from AMGA certified guides
What You’ll Learn in an Ice Climbing Course:
Ice climbing equipment selection
Climbing communication
Hazard identification and risk management
How to build toprope anchors
Belaying and rappelling techniques
Fundamental ice climbing movement and body positioning
Improve climbing technique on steep WI4 and WI5 routes
Avoid pumping out
Delicate ice climbing on pillars
How to navigate three dimensional ice features
Advanced body positioning for increased efficiency
Micro resting on longer routes
Footwork with crampons and ice tool placements on bare rock
Torquing picks in cracks
Delicate climbing on thin ice veneers
Transitioning from rock to ice
Mixed climbing in moderate alpine terrain
Develop technical systems for safely leading multipitch ice routes
Ice anchors
V-thread descents
How to read the macro and micro features of ice and manage terrain
Multipitch transitions
Why Learn how to Ice Climb With Skyward Mountaineering?
Our courses are designed to make you a confident independent ice climber and not reliant on a guide. We focus on practical climbing skills, efficient movement, and solid risk management that you can apply to your own climbing and future alpine objectives.
With hundreds of ice and mixed climbing options concentrated in a single accessible area, the Ouray Ice Park is the premier venue for progressive ice climbing instruction. Beginners can learn on moderate terrain while experienced climbers can develop efficiency on steep ice, practice mixed climbing, and build toward leading more challenging routes. Build your ice climbing foundation in the Ouray Ice Park, then put your skills to work on big objectives in the San Juan Mountains and beyond.
Ready to Take Your Ice Climbing Skills to the Next Level? Customize Your Ice Climbing Course:
Our scheduled ice climbing courses are based in the Ouray Ice Park, with private, custom instruction also available in the Lake City Ice Park and at ice climbing crags on the Front Range. Our instructors can also customize the content and curriculum of an ice climbing courses to best fit your experience level and goals. Sign up for a private ice climbing course!