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Laramie Winter Activities

Original Post
longlep · · Grand Junction · Joined May 2014 · Points: 20

I am working on choosing graduate schools to apply to. I have been looking into University of Wyoming a bit. How are the winter activities around Laramie? How much of the year is it too cold to climb at Vedauwoo? Is there ice climbing near Laramie? And, how is the skiing? How is touring in The Snowy Range? Or, do people mainly trek down to Colorado to tour?

Tom Ashley · · Las Vegas, NV · Joined Sep 2014 · Points: 85

I'm about to start my first year of my masters at Laramie. I haven't had a winter yet, but it sounds like you can climb 300+ days a year if you don't mind the cold. Don't know about ice climbing. I hear skiing in the snowy range is actually really good. How often you make the 3ish hour drive to Colorado is entirely up to you. I chose Laramie in large part due to the outdoor opportunities, but my other option was in Texas. Hope this helps.

HJ Schmidt · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 0

To say you can rock climb in Laramie 300+ a year is saying you could rock climb here (I'm in Bozeman) 300+ a year. Unrealistic for most of us. Too cold. Snowy Range has a tiny downhill ski area that can be fun and good backcountry and cross country skiing. There is a great track skiing area where UW crosscountry team trains at Happy Jack, about 15 minutes from town. Don't know about ice climbing.
My brother and family are happy enough with the winter activities, and they are Bozeman people.

Avi Katz · · Seattle, WA · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 260

Driving to CO

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 35

I went to UW.

I have climbed vedauwoo at least one day every month of the year. It's possible. Not terribly fun and in the deep winter (Nov-Feb) your route selection gets really small. Most of the year has enough nice days that you can justify the 20 minute drive. It would be dumb for someone living an hour or two away to take the drive for the 180 minute window of climbability on nice days.

I found the dating scene to be unspeakably bad. Loud drunk girls, not as hot as a 20,000 person town makes them feel, running from guy to guy. Not my style.

I was an avid cyclist when I lived there. Due to the wind and cold, I spent most of my time travelling to Ft. Collins to ride or on the trainer. It sucked.

It is not occasionally windy there. It is occasionally calm. This is year round, not just winter.

I'd go back for the right program at the right price. I'd never consider living there long term though.

Nick Votto · · CO, CT, IT · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 320

Snowy Range is AWESOME for ski touring and you generally won't see a soul, did some amazing backcountry lines there last year in 3 feet of powder, I know there's some ice climbing there to but don't know the beta....Vedauwoo is the shit.

longlep · · Grand Junction · Joined May 2014 · Points: 20

Thanks for the info.

fluff head · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 65

Would agree with above comments about outdoors activities, ladies, etc.

Have also climbed Woo in all months, but don't expect Dec-Mar to be pretty. Depending on the year, Nov and April can be pleasant, but it is a gift. If you want to maintain climbing strength, you'll need to find some indoor alternatives in town and make some trips down to Ft. Collins (aka. the Beach) for bouldering and sport climbing, also a few gyms. UW is rebuilding its climbing wall and it looks to be pretty rad (from the outside), but not sure when it'll be done. Not sure what the status is of the local bouldering gym, the Source. There isn't really ice climbing nearby, but I do know some folks that climb in the Snowies in the winter. If you're into riding fatties (snow biking), there's a growing scene for that in these parts. Curt Gowdy SP is a little lower in elevation and can be mountain bike-able well after Woo is unfit.

Groomed and ungroomed cross country skiing can be had 15 minutes from town at Happy Jack, and 35 miles away in the Snowies. Snowy Range (the resort) offers a place to get the boredom out, but no challenging terrain really. They do offer a cheap season pass ($240) with 5 days at Steamboat (2 hrs. with good roads) for $150 more. Snowy Range (the mountains) have a lot of uncrowded terrain to explore. Cameron Pass down in CO (2.5 hrs) has some pretty sweet terrain for some BC action.

All that said, you won't have to deal with crowds and the wind could easily be a deal breaker.

Neil L · · Casper, wy · Joined Mar 2014 · Points: 1

I agree it is definitely possible to climb in the voo during winter if its not a blizzard; try the south side of Nautilus on less windy days and Jurassic Park if it's windy. Also I found that the Poudre Canyon in CO is a great place to mix it up on cold days in Wyo, specifically the palace where an ice bridge allows for easy access yet the sunny hillside makes it possible to climb in a t-shirt any day it's > 40 degrees in Fort Collins. (Maybe a bit over an hour drive from Laramie, 5 minute hike.) Plenty of ice in Rocky Mountain NP. Also, like everybody is saying, all the skiing both north and south of the border might keep you busy enough that you won't even have time to bust out the rope. UW has a great indoor gym as well (or did , but I assume the expansion at half acre gym only increased the wallspace?). GO POKES!

Rob Cotter · · Silverthorne, CO · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 240

The winters in Laramie are interminable snow comes in October and continues through May, drinking and snowmobiling seem to be the prevailing winter pastimes. At 7000 feet of elevation with cyclonic winds I wouldn't count on rock climbing out of doors much, the UW is building a new climbing gym however as the refurbish the 1/2 Acre. Snowy Range has excellent downhill riding on a powder day, a season's pass is inexpensive and utterly worth it. Most of the ice-climbing seems to be done in Rocky Mountain National Park. Coal Creek is a good coffee spot that now has a decent brewpub, Anong's has excellent Thai but otherwise it's pretty hillbilly...

Frankly I find the place to be exceedingly bleak and depressing in winter, I am happy I only work there and reside in CO.

Mr. Wonderful · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2014 · Points: 10

The great thing about Laramie is that you are within easy striking distance of everything else.

For winter rock climbing, there is a ton of new stuff at Guernsey State Park which is about two hours from Laramie. I think it was either Rock and Ice or Climbing magazine that recently mentioned Guernsey as an ideal winter rock climbing destination.

mountainproject.com/v/guern…

For nearby mountain biking, Curt Gowdy State Park and Glendo State Park both have a fabulous new trail system without the crowds that you get in Fruita or Moab.

JNE · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 2,110

The only way I would consider Laramie is if it is REALLY CHEAP for you, or somehow the program available is just spectacular for the price, or if you REALLY want to get better at short powerful crack climbing.

Ft. Collins just has so much more to offer, plus everyone I know from Laramie struggles with the logistics of partnering up in our small community, whereas folks I know from Ft. Collins seem to more or less have their pick of partners to go to Vedauwoo with. (25,000 people and a small and largely regressive climbing community vs. 200,000 people and a large and very progressive climbing community...)

As for winter recreation, there is plenty of accessible skiing, and a limited amount of accessible climbing nearby, though if you want more than a few weeks or a month worth of winter climbing (in terms of available pitches/warm days) at Vedauwoo you will need to boulder.

Lastly, as mentioned before, girls in Laramie can be hard to come by. There is a tech school in town (which is almost all males) so the male/female ratio is way out of whack, so you have much fewer options than you would in just about any other university town. Plus most of the girls are just not likely what you are looking for. They come here because the ratio is out of whack, and mostly "men", so read into that what you will.

All in all, I would look into your other options. Laramie has LOTS of potential, but at this point that is all it has.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Wyoming, Montana, Dakotas
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