Ouray Ice Climbing Festival 2011

As you know, we Outdoor Women are always searching for a good adventure. Last summer in Colorado I was discussing climbing with a friend and the topic took a turn from rock to ice, which I've never tried. Of course, as a long-time rock climber having an opportunity to take climbing into the off-season was extremely appealing.

A Tribute to Ice

As we continued talking on the subject (and as we were in Colorado), the Ouray Ice Climbing Festival was naturally flowed into the conversation. I learned how people come from all over the world for the event, that there are routes to climb, gear to try, a whole new crowd of climbers to meet. That did it for me. I instantly began planning my trip to the festival- something that was still months away. I already was in love with what I knew would be an amazing sport and adventure.

The months could not have gone fast enough, but January did indeed come. Final details were finished: a hotel room booked in Montrose, a 30 min drive to Ouray, winter climbing clothes organized, camera stowed and travel partners ready to go. At last departure day arrived. Gathering my things and cramming them into the already stuffed trunk, I jumped in the car. We made the traditional pit stop we hit whenever heading south on a roadtrip, stocking ourselves up on fried goodness at Cracker Barrel. On to the open road...

Half of us had never been ice climbing before. The trip was quiet... it may have been the excitement toning down with the dose of reality that was hitting those of us that hadn't climbed. We were actually going to Ouray and we were actually going to be climbing... ice. ICE. It is volatile. It is changeable. It is seasonal. And it falls - easily. What would our mothers say?

Learning the Basics

We arrived to our hotel a couple of hours after sunset, checked in & grabbed some complimentary cookies, dropped our stuff in the room and ran right back down to the car. Exhaustion had no place on this trip. We had actually arrived and no matter the hour, we were determined to get everything we could out of this experience. Driving to Ouray, we hit up the opening social they had going at one of their local bars in the Main Street in Ouray. After eating some good food, talking to the festival-goers, listening to some music and making a few friends, we headed back to Montrose and hit the hay, full of excitement for tomorrow.

Morning came a little too quickly for our late night adventures but we scrambled into our winter gear, grabbed some complimentary waffles and made our way to Ouray. The drive was filled with views of great snowcapped mountains and beautiful sunshine, highlighting all we missed on the previous night's drive. As we came around a bend, the Ouray town sign welcomed us. Each of us gasped a little at the view. The tiny town sat nestled between to steep walls of rock, funneling your vision to a background of the most perfect snowy peak I'd ever laid eyes on. Wow.

Day 2 - getting it down

We headed slowly through the quaint mountain town and wound a short way up the canyon road to the already packed parking lot. A mental note was made to get there a bit earlier the next day. Heading up to the festivities, we pushed past people crowding around the main bridge which offered views of the steep pitches below and climbers tackling the routes. Tents full of ice climbing gear were lined up above. The Beatles were blaring from loudspeakers and an announcer gave the details on the days events as we walked past . We headed to the tents to demo the day's gear and, as hard as it was to tear myself away from the action packed hub, we headed up to do some climbing.

As a first timer I didn't know what to expect but the adrenaline was running and I couldn't wait until I got on the ice. Arriving at the practice wall, I got my harness on and received careful instructions on how it was all done. I triple-checked my gear: had my shoes on, my harness in place, helmet on my head and the ice picks in hand. I was ready to rock it...er... ice it?

Immediately, with my first picks & kicks into the ice, I knew I was going to love this sport. I felt liberated. Each time I finished a climb, I waited impatiently for my turn to arrive again. As the sun began sinking lower and we realized we had climbed all day without a break, we reluctantly headed back to return the demos. I could have stayed out there until night. I was hooked.

One of the few women competitors this year

The ice climbing competition was a highlight of the weekend- it was amazing to watch the athletes maneuver up the fragile-looking ice. The downside? There were only a few women competing... the announcer even made mention asking "Where are all you lady climbers?" (We better get a move on and get more women to represent us there!) I quickly thought about what it would be like to be a competitor myself as I watched the mixed climbing- it was intense. I imagined the concentration and strength that that level of competing would require.

The festival was amazing and so were the people. As we climbed people would share their ropes and extra gear, tell stories and give tips. Each day we checked out the parties and different places to eat. We slept little but were running high on adrenaline. As the trip neared completion, we all made a pact to return the next year. We said our goodbyes to the little town of Ouray and its amazing icefalls and turned our car in the direction of home.

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Edit: 03/17/2011: Curious to know WHY not many women were competing at the Ouray Ice Climbing Festival? This really chaps our hides... read the follow up article.

Help the next generation of female ice climbers - spread the word about the Sue Nott Scholarship.

Categories: Climb