Mountaineering in the San Juan Mountains

57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.

We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, their guides, and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, please refer to Colorado’s COVID-19 travel guidelines.

Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!

What you get on this adventure:

• • An experienced, local mountaineering guide with extensive knowledge of the area
  • One or more days of mountaineering depending on your chosen itinerary
  • All technical climbing gear and protective equipment
  • Breakfasts and dinners for multi-day trips
  • Assistance arranging for post-trip activities in the area

What’s not included:

• • Transportation
  • Accommodations
  • Food on day trips
  • Lunch on multi-day trips
  • Travel and rescue insurance

These tours are quite challenging, and you need to be in good physical condition to attempt them. You will spend one or more days on your feet, hiking, scrambling, and rock climbing, encountering some mentally and physically draining technical routes. Mountaineering is a strenuous activity, and it’s up to you to make all the necessary preparations to ensure good health and physical conditioning. To ensure you have a fun day, your guide will help you choose routes that best suit your skill and fitness level.

This tour requires prior mountaineering experience. Traversing the San Juan Mountains requires a decent level of familiarity with technical scrambling, abseiling, rock climbing, and other techniques. For intermediate to advanced mountaineers, Cuillin Ridge has loads of routes to spend the day on. Your guide will discuss your objectives and customize the day to your goals. Let your guide plan the day so you can focus on developing your skills while climbing the classic routes or best-hidden gems the area has to offer.

All technical climbing equipment will be provided by your guiding service. However, if you have your own gear, feel free to bring it. You’ll need:

• • Alpine climbing harness
  • Two locking carabiners and two non-locking carabiners
  • Helmet
  • Crampons
  • Ice ax

Here’s a list of the equipment we suggest you bring:

• • Climbing pack with crampon and ice ax attachments (around a 30-45L pack)
  • Buff or neck gaiter
  • Warm hat and sun hat
  • Light fleece hoody
  • Synthetic T-shirt or sun shirt
  • Rain jacket
  • Sun hoody — optional
  • Lightweight softshell trekking pants
  • Water bottle
  • Food you can eat on-the-go
  • Toiletries (sunscreen, lip balm, toilet paper, etc.)
  • Headlamp with extra batteries
  • Sunglasses
  • Camera — optional

Different objectives require different technical and safety equipment. Inquire with your guide about a more detailed equipment list before the tour.
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.

Group sizes and prices:

• • For the standard tour, the max guest-to-guide ratio is 3:1.
  • For the multi-day tours and the one-day Wilson/El Diente tour, the max guest-to-guide ratio is 2:1.
  • Costs per person decrease as the group grows for private tours, so it’s the perfect opportunity to climb with friends and family.

Mountaineering tours in the San Juan Mountains can be arranged for bigger groups. Contact us prior to booking.

Min. age requirements:

• • If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
  • Minors younger than 18 may be permitted to climb on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.

If your group has mountaineers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

To get to Telluride, CO, in the San Juan Mountains, most people fly into Denver International Airport 6 hours away. From there, you can rent a car and drive to Telluride, take a direct regional flight to Telluride, or fly to Monrose and take a shuttle there.

Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, whether that’s at the guide shop in Telluride or a predetermined location. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.