KMAC Guides has begun its 2026-27 winter season in Estes Park, Colorado, with guided snowshoe outings, ice climbing days, cross-country ski tours and multi-day winter courses scheduled from December 1. Most winter programs operate in Rocky Mountain National Park, which borders the company's 10-acre home base.
The snowshoe program runs as a 4-hour half-day outing or as a full-day trip, and the full-day option reaches longer objectives as conditions allow. Routes such as Bear Lake and Hidden Valley are chosen to match a group's ability, according to the company. Guides cover subjects ranging from winter survival skills to alpine biology, along with the area's ecology and history. Snowshoe outings are also scheduled for school groups and youth organizations, with group dates arranged directly through the KMAC office.
Ice climbing is offered as privately guided days at three levels. The Intro to Ice Climbing day requires no prior experience, and the Ice Climbing Progression is built for climbers with previous experience who want to develop technique at local crags. Experienced climbers can arrange a Custom Alpine Ice Climbing day on a longer multi-pitch or alpine-style route chosen with a guide. Longer guided ice objectives in the park begin in December, conditions permitting, according to the company.
Climbers preparing for one of those longer routes can book an Alpine Prep Day first, a separate guided day used to practice skills before the objective itself. The company notes that ice changes from day to day and week to week, so a route climbed in consecutive seasons rarely presents the same conditions twice.
"Most people who come visit during the winter have never stood on snowshoes or held an ice tool. A half day on the Bear Lake trails or a first day on the ice is where that starts, and the longer courses are there for the people who come back wanting more," said Reed Woodford, Co-Owner and Chief Executive Officer of KMAC Guides.
Cross-country ski tours in the park are scheduled for both first-time Cross-country skiers. Because the company's winter guides are trained in both skiing and snowshoeing, a scheduled tour can switch from one to the other when snow conditions change. Privately guided backcountry ski and splitboard days are also available, with the company listing a December through April season for its introductory ski tours. One listed tour visits Hidden Valley, a former ski area whose lifts were removed in the 1990s and which is now used as a backcountry ski area.
For participants who want structured instruction across several days, the winter course calendar includes a two-day Intro to Ice Climbing course, a two-day Snow Climbing Seminar and a four-day Intro to Mountaineering course. The backcountry side of the calendar adds a three-day Intro to Ski Mountaineering course and one-day introductions to splitboarding and backcountry travel. Private versions of each course can be arranged through the KMAC office. Avalanche education runs separately under the company's 2026/27 avalanche course catalog.
The winter season follows the company's summer and fall schedule of rock climbing, via ferrata and youth climbing camps, and the company's listed spring ski mountaineering descents extend the winter calendar into May and, on some routes, June. Guides set routes and venues for each day according to current snow and ice conditions in the park.
KMAC Guides, formerly Kent Mountain Adventure Center, is an outdoor guide service based in Estes Park, Colorado, that has operated under local ownership since 1987 from a 10-acre base bordering Rocky Mountain National Park. The company is an American Mountain Guides Association Accredited Business and an authorized concessionaire for the park, with additional permits from the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. It provides guided rock and ice climbing, via ferrata, cliff camping, hiking, winter programs, avalanche education, youth climbing camps, school and group programs, and AMGA Single Pitch Instructor courses. For more information, visit the KMAC Guides website.
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