Date & Time
8:00am MDT - 5:00pm MDT
Price
About This Event
Paradox Sports is excited to partner with KMAC Guides in offering a brand new activity: Via Ferrata in Estes Park, CO!
Never heard of a Via Ferrata? Italian for "The Iron Way", Via Ferrata is a ladder and cable system that allows for very secure and seriously entertaining access to terrain where climbing isn't always possible. Originally designed to more-safely transport troops through steep and dangerous European mountains during the world wars, these systems quickly became a popular recreational activity in the post-war era. While Via Ferrata is well known and has been heavily enjoyed throughout Europe for decades, it is just starting to gain traction in the United States and only a handful of routes currently exist in Colorado. Two of these, constructed and guided by KMAC Guides, are in our "backyard" of Estes Park, CO and we can't wait to share them with you.
The route: our climb, Cloud Ladder, offers 900’ of vertical adventure up Deville Rocks to the summit of South Cathedral Mtn, with sweeping views of RMNP, the Estes Park valley, and the granite domes of Lumpy Ridge. If the views aren’t enough to grab your attention, two crossings of suspended cable bridges definitely will! We expect the day to take around 6hrs total with 4-5hrs on route and hiking, so please plan accordingly.
Accessibility: The trail to the base (approx ¾ mile) and back from the summit (approx 1¼ mile) is good but is not wheelchair accessible. Additionally, the route itself requires a certain amount of upper and lower limb dexterity / mobility as we will be climbing on a mixture of steel “ladder rungs” and natural stone, while clipping and unclipping personal protective gear that runs along a cable. While our guides are able to offer short belays for particularly difficult sections, participants should be capable of moving largely un-belayed for a majority of the time. Due to the limitations of the personal protective equipment that keeps us attached to the Via Ferrata, unfortunately KMAC cannot accept guests over 265lbs at this time.
Weather, clothing, and personal equipment: As mountain weather can change quite quickly, we recommend wearing a backpack capable of holding a light-to-medium weight puffy coat as well as a rain jacket. Leather work gloves, helmets, climbing harnesses and specialized Via Ferrata lanyards are required to participate. KMAC has lanyards to lend out and Paradox can provide the rest if you don’t have any of these items. For footwear, we recommend wearing approach shoes or other high-performance shoes like trail runners, trainers, etc (no casual shoes or climbing shoes please).
Meeting locations will be sent out prior to trip date.
If you have questions about the event, please contact our National Program Manager, Sam Sala at sam@paradoxsports.org.
*Registration space is limited. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
About This Event
Paradox Sports is excited to partner with KMAC Guides in offering a brand new activity: Via Ferrata in Estes Park, CO!
Never heard of a Via Ferrata? Italian for "The Iron Way", Via Ferrata is a ladder and cable system that allows for very secure and seriously entertaining access to terrain where climbing isn't always possible. Originally designed to more-safely transport troops through steep and dangerous European mountains during the world wars, these systems quickly became a popular recreational activity in the post-war era. While Via Ferrata is well known and has been heavily enjoyed throughout Europe for decades, it is just starting to gain traction in the United States and only a handful of routes currently exist in Colorado. Two of these, constructed and guided by KMAC Guides, are in our "backyard" of Estes Park, CO and we can't wait to share them with you.
The route: our climb, Cloud Ladder, offers 900’ of vertical adventure up Deville Rocks to the summit of South Cathedral Mtn, with sweeping views of RMNP, the Estes Park valley, and the granite domes of Lumpy Ridge. If the views aren’t enough to grab your attention, two crossings of suspended cable bridges definitely will! We expect the day to take around 6hrs total with 4-5hrs on route and hiking, so please plan accordingly.
Accessibility: The trail to the base (approx ¾ mile) and back from the summit (approx 1¼ mile) is good but is not wheelchair accessible. Additionally, the route itself requires a certain amount of upper and lower limb dexterity / mobility as we will be climbing on a mixture of steel “ladder rungs” and natural stone, while clipping and unclipping personal protective gear that runs along a cable. While our guides are able to offer short belays for particularly difficult sections, participants should be capable of moving largely un-belayed for a majority of the time. Due to the limitations of the personal protective equipment that keeps us attached to the Via Ferrata, unfortunately KMAC cannot accept guests over 265lbs at this time.
Weather, clothing, and personal equipment: As mountain weather can change quite quickly, we recommend wearing a backpack capable of holding a light-to-medium weight puffy coat as well as a rain jacket. Leather work gloves, helmets, climbing harnesses and specialized Via Ferrata lanyards are required to participate. KMAC has lanyards to lend out and Paradox can provide the rest if you don’t have any of these items. For footwear, we recommend wearing approach shoes or other high-performance shoes like trail runners, trainers, etc (no casual shoes or climbing shoes please).
Meeting locations will be sent out prior to trip date.
If you have questions about the event, please contact our National Program Manager, Sam Sala at sam@paradoxsports.org.
*Registration space is limited. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Date & Time
8:00am MDT - 5:00pm MDT