Cathedral Mountain Guides

It’s simple: We climb because we love to. And we guide because we love sharing that feeling.

Cathedral Mountain Guides. By climbers, for climbers.

Another awesome shot by !

.grant.simmons

Climbing. Because we love it.

📸:

All-star mountain guide, Keith Sidle, reporting in from Alaska where he is clearly taking great care of his guests, and doing it in damn good style.

While we are beyond lucky to have Keith guide with us through the winter season, we sure do miss him the rest of the year while he travels to Alaska in the spring to work with and then to the Tetons to guide with . On the upside, it is a resume like this - one that is so rich with personal and professional experience - that is part of the reason Keith is such a phenomenal guide.

1. Keith rocking the Fitz Roy jacket
2. Keith rocking disco ball earrings and a good looking CMG sweatshirt!

With the cruise control on and the rain falling hard on the Great Plains, I look down at tattered hands and tired skin and notice the way that red dust coats the dash of the truck. It has been a great couple of weeks in the desert. For now, and for the road ahead, I’m happy to sit with these little reminders of time well spent.

One more big thank you to Kate and Olivier for supporting me and CMG, giving me the opportunity to climb with them at one of my all-time favorite crags, and for just being a ton of fun and great company for those desert days! Also, they crushed! 💪💪💪
of.her.comfort.zone .grant.simmons

Who doesn’t love great photos of the Indian Creek classic, Scarface (5.11-)?

It’s tired skin and sore shoulders after an incredible stretch with .of.her.comfort.zone and Oliver!

.grant.simmons

March in the mountains… It still is as good as it gets, even this year!

Winter, please stick around. We would love a lot more of this.

A sample from the other side as Kevin and I took the tour of Woober Goober Gully, et al.

We had originally planned to work on our multipitch ice skills on the classic Tablets of Lake Willoughby, but as we turned the corner and saw the cliff in the morning, this clearly looked like the better option. The right place at the right time!

A dreamy finish to ’s first Steep Ice Seminar.

It was bitter cold when we arrived at Lake Willoughby that morning but by lunchtime, the sun had come out and it was perfect - sticky ice, comfortable temperatures, and a bluebird backdrop. Note that “perfect” sunny temps at the Lake are often below 20 degrees. Warmer than that and it starts to get scary!

With a day of skills at the crag and a day of climbing big pitches at the Lake, this course was a huge hit with the group. Through Keith’s coaching and feedback, folks were able to make serious gains in their comfort and technique on steep ice. They also just had plain type 1 fun - good climbing and great company.

We have one spot remaining for the second session - February 14th & 15th. Get in touch if you are looking to tune up that steep technique!

Victor on the Frankenstein tour de force!

✅ Dropline
✅ Scratch n Sniff
✅ Penguin
✅ Dracula Right
✅ Dracula Left

It’s about time.

Seems like we finally have some reliable climbing out there. It’s still coming together, but it’s happening!

If you are looking for the perfect combination of excellent instruction and a supportive, super fun learning environment, then this is it! will be leading two amazing ice climbing programs for Women & Genderqueer folks this winter (joined by , as well!). These two women are talented climbers, fantastic teachers, and incredible folks to spend a day climbing with. They are excited to share their love of ice climbing with you and to provide an incredible, accessible opportunity for all.

They’ll help you to find your flow and feel at home on the ice as they explore what it means to move with grace as non-male climbers. Whether you are in it for experiencing an introduction to ice climbing, or are looking to further polish your movement on steeper terrain, then there is a day for you!

Intro to Ice Climbing: Saturday, January 13th ($115/person; limited to 6 participants)
Steep Ice: Saturday, February 24th ($125/person; limited to 4 participants)

Get in touch to ask questions or enroll today!

Do your 2024 goals include climbing pillars, curtains, daggers, and steep sweeps of ice? Are you looking to dial in your technique, increase your efficiency, keep the pump at bay, and feel more secure and confident on WI4 and WI5 terrain?

If so, there likely is no better way to fast track that process than by enrolling in one of Keith Sidle’s Steep Ice Seminars. is not only one of the region’s finest steep ice climbers, he also has an absolutely brilliant knack for articulating the nuance of ice climbing technique. In fact, one of last year’s participants told us that his experience with Keith was the most exceptional coaching he had received in his near 20 years of attending ice fests around the country.

With instruction that is hard to beat and low ratios that allow for plenty of personalized feedback and climbing time, this course in an incredible opportunity. Get in touch to ask questions or enroll.

Session 1: Saturday, 1/20 & Sunday, 1/21
Session 2: Wednesday, 2/14 & Thursday, 2/15

Price: $430/person

Prerequisites:  Solid belaying skills and the ability to comfortably top-rope WI 3.  Multi-pitch experience is not required but will help significantly on day 2.

Last Saturday, Cathedral Mountain Guides turned 10 years old. In honor of the milestone, here’s a shoutout to CMG’s founder, . Bayard isn’t guiding these days, but he still shows up to the crag, forgets his jacket, and climbs in that dynamic, loose, seemingly haphazard - yet somehow still super smooth - way that is classic Russell style. Man, can that guy climb!

📸 1: Bayard on some steep Quebec ice - Speedy Gonzales, I believe.
📸 2: Bayard on some thin Cathedral ice - the Unicorn. Credit to for the sweet shot!

Welcome to the team, Zack Cleary!

At CMG, we are constantly blown away by the guides that we have on staff and we couldn’t be more excited to add Zack to the roster. Zack’s professional background includes tons of guiding in Acadia National Park, leading Colgate University’s Outdoor Education Program, and guiding stints here and there - throughout the Northeast and far beyond.

A great teacher and a dedicated climber, Zack has a soft spot for the climbing in New England. He can also be found jamming cracks in the desert SW during the shoulder seasons or breathing that thin mountain air during summer trips.

Zack’s professional credentials with the AMGA include being an Assistant Rock Guide and a Certified Single Pitch Instructor. He will be taking an Ice Instructor Program this January.

Are you looking to advance your ice climbing ability towards more difficult objectives?

Want to learn techniques to help manage the pump on pillars and curtains?

We’ll spend two days immersed in WI 4 and 5 terrain at some of the best ice climbing locations in the lower 48! Let us help you become a more confident ice climber and feel comfortable pushing yourself on steep ice this winter!

Day 1 will take place in a cragging environment (likely The Flume in Franconia Notch but the exact location will be based on current conditions).  We will prioritize skills related to efficient movement on steep ice in a top-rope setting.  You will try out new techniques, receive guided feedback, and work to keep the pump at bay!

On Day 2, we will head to one of the United States’ premier destinations for big, steep ice lines – Lake Willoughby, Vermont (conditions permitting).  At “the Lake”, we will put into practice that which we worked on the day before.  We will split into two teams and each group will attempt a multi-pitch objective that challenges them appropriately.

These two days will be led by CMG guide, Keith Sidle.  Keith is well-known as one of the region’s finest steep ice climbers.  On top of that, he is a brilliant instructor and an all-around great guy.

Prerequisites:  Solid belaying skills and the ability to comfortably top-rope WI 3.  Multi-pitch experience is not required but will help significantly on day 2.

Come join CMG guides (and climbing partners!) Kelsey Rex and Molly Mundy for two single-day clinics this winter, geared towards women and genderqueer folks interested in trying out ice climbing and/or tuning up their steep ice techniques in an affinity space.
Saturday, January 13th
Intro to Ice Clinic with Kelsey & Molly

We’ll focus on understanding the gear used in ice climbing, safety precautions at ice crags, the basics of kicking with crampons, swinging with ice axes, and body movement when climbing ice. Your guides will share their tips for how to stay warm and cozy in the winter elements. They’ll provide movement and coaching advice that will be focused on finding your flow and feeling at home on the ice. We’ll explore what it means to feel comfortable moving with grace on the ice as non-male climbers.
*No prior climbing experience necessary!*
Limited to 6 participants.
$115 per person for the day!
Saturday, February 24th
Steep Ice Clinic with Kelsey

Want to take your ice climbing to the next level? Kelsey will cover techniques specific to climbing efficiently on steep ice and work on building confidence on challenging terrain. Come for the individualized coaching, stay for the fun vibes and community-/partnership-building. 
*Prerequisite that you’ve ice climbed before.*
Limited to 4 participants.
$125 per person for the day!
Get in touch to sign up or ask questions! We look forward to climbing with you :)

Some fine Moab cragging - sporting sandy slabs, grovely corners, and CRACKS!

Sandstone season might be over for us but, for now, at least we still have healing gobies and red sand in everything to remind us of just how good we had it.

That was a good trip!

Classic and amazing desert adventuring with Jen!

I led up the first, cold pitch and Jen took it from there. The day before, she said that she didn’t need to do any multipitch climbing at all on this trip. Yet here she was, grabbing the rack and telling me to put her on belay. She blasted the last couple of pitches to the top and there she celebrated not only her first multipitch leads, but her first canyon country summit. 💪🙌💪

Big thanks to for hosting us in Moab for a few days!


grant.simmons

The plated goodness of Armatron (5.9, 6 pitches).

What a way to wrap the Red Rock trip! Now it’s time to leave the Mojave Desert and spend some time on the Colorado Plateau. More climbing on ancient petrified sand dunes, but a totally different style of climbing and a totally different atmosphere. Long live the desert!

Red Rock. Desert alpinism at its finest.

Crimson Chrysalis stands right there next to New Hampshire’s Moby Grape as one of the county’s great 5.8s. Absolutely phenomenal climbing - pitch after pitch!

.grant.simmons

These days may be done for the year (at home, at least), but that doesn’t make their memory any less special. Cheers to an incredible season on the Northeast’s best stone!

📸:

That fleeting October feeling.

Working the Plan B circuit as we found Cannon to be the busiest - and windiest! - we have ever seen. Originally arriving with the plan to climb Moby Grape, we arrived at the base to find a couple of parties already climbing and waiting, so we elected to switch gears. Turns out it was a great day for some alpine cragging!

Those dreamy fall days come and go all too quickly. Don’t miss them!

A sweet sweet start to SENDTEMBER!

We’ll just let these pictures speak for themselves. Man, we get to climb with some great folks!