Ouray Ice Park Guide 2018-19 by Barbara Kondracki

C O M P L I M E N TA RY

GUIDE 2018-19

O U R AY I C E PA R K . C O M

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5 WELCOME 6 PARK HISTORY 7 ABOUT THE PARK 8 ABOUT OURAY 10 ICE PARK ETIQUETTE 12 WHAT’S NEW 14 TECH TALK 15 MEMBERSHIP 16 VOLUNTEER PROFILE: HANNAH HOLLENBECK 17 BEHIND THE ICE PARK 18 ICE FARMER PROFILE: LUCAS CARRION 20 MEET THE STAFF 22 MEET THE BOARD 23 BOARD MEMBER PROFILE: RALPH TINGEY 24 PARK MAP 27 FESTIVAL CONTENTS 46 SPONSORS 47 LOCAL BUSINESS PARTNERS 48 BEYOND ICE FEST 49 IN MEMORIAM

COVER ART BY MIXED MEDIA ARTIST KELLIE DAY I like the way words mix with images, and often add Chinese take-out containers, chocolate wrappers and torn pages of books to my paintings that can be serendipitous to the viewer. If you look closely, you’ll find all kinds of surprises. All of my paintings are original mixed media pieces. I often begin a painting with collage because it adds so much texture and depth to the canvas. I love to allow the collage to peek through the painting. You might find part of a sufi poem, or a saucy romance novel, in the leaves of a tree or a mountain top. To learn more about my art and my story, visit me at kelliedayart.com.

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PHOTO B Y DA N C HEHAYL

Welcome to

Ouray Ouray Ice Park!

and the

elcome to the Ouray Ice Park and the 24th annual Ouray Ice Festival, the place to be, if you love climbing in the winter. If you’re not a climber, you might wonder what possesses an otherwise normal person to don heavy winter clothing, stiff boots, attach crampons, a helmet, and grab two lethal-looking ice tools to climb a vertical icicle. It must be a form of madness...and it is contagious. Just over 30 years ago, ice climbing as a sport was limited to a few elite climbers at the vanguard of the sport. Today, thousands of climbers from all over the world inch their way up frozen waterfalls. Ouray is the home and center, the most famous venue, and has by far the most accessible and highest number of quality routes to climb. If you are coming to learn, San Juan Mountain Guides will be coordinating clinics taught by many of our sponsors’ athletes, the most famous ice climbers in the world. If you are coming to watch, the two bridges and viewing stands offer superb views of the ice where you will be able to see climbers making their way up the vertical ice. With over seventy sponsors in the pavilion adjacent to the Ice Park, climbers and aspiring folks can check out boots and climbing tools to try the latest equipment on the ice. For the kids, a whole wall dedicated to their enjoyment is just off the upper bridge where some of our 150 volunteers will help them get into the gear and whack away at the ice while the parents watch. The Festival is a time for climbers and those wanting to view climbing to gather, meet the masters, and listen to the great stories of climbing around the world. We have a full agenda of slide

shows, talks, and the infamous Petzl Party, all provided by our sponsors. Take time to go meet them at the pavilion near the lower bridge in the Park. At this winter’s festival we are offering a tribute to Jeff Lowe, a founder of the Ouray Ice Festival, who passed away earlier this year. Jeff ’s legacy has grown exponentially over the years, from a small gathering to the thousands of folks who will attend this season. Jeff was a leader in developing the techniques, designing the tools, and discovering the great ice climbing venues for the sport. Wherever you go, Jeff Lowe will have done the first ascents. This is the twentieth anniversary of our local “Chicks Climbing and Skiing”, a leader in teaching women winter outdoor sports. The company started right here in Ouray as “Chicks With Picks” by locals Kim Reynolds and Kellie Day. Chicks continues to be owned by local women: Kitty Calhoun, Angela Hawse, Karen Bokel and Elaina Arenz whom you will probably meet at the Ouray Ice Festival this winter. Chicks is a huge supporter and partner of the Ouray Ice Park, making it possible to keep the Park free and open for all. Ouray Ice Park Inc., is proud to partner with the owners of the property: the City of Ouray and our friend Eric Jacobson – owner of the upper Park and also the Ouray Hydroelectric Plant and penstock running through the Park. Please be respectful of all the posted rules that are designed to keep you safe in the Park. Ralph Tingey Board of Directors, Ouray Ice Park

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TIMELINE:

History of the Ouray Ice Park:

KEY HISTORICAL MOMENTS AN ICE PARK IS BORN nce upon a time back in 1991, a California AT THE OURAY ICE PARK wind-surfing-bum-turned-ice-climber named 1970s – Ouray is on the map as an ice climbing destination. 1991 – Informal development of the Ouray Ice Park begins. 1995 – The Ouray Ice Park is officially founded. 1996 – Jeff Lowe organizes the Arctic Wolf Ouray Ice Festival. 1997 – Ouray Ice Park, Inc. (OIPI) is formed. 2001 – OIPI upgrades the Park’s infrastructure. OIPI takes over the Ouray Ice Festival. 2005 – The Ouray Ice Festival tops attendance record with more than 5,000 visitors and participants. 2009 – OIPI signs an operating agreement with the City of Ouray, recognizing the City as the lead government agency at the Park. 2011 – Josh Wharton is the first competitor to win the Ouray Ice Festival competition three years in a row. 2012 – The City of Ouray becomes the proud owner of 24 acres of former USFS land in the heart of the Ouray Ice Park. The deal, which had been 14 years in the making, gives the city greater control over the icy engine of its winter economy. 2013 – A 3.5 ton, 25-foot-tall steel climbing wall overhanging the Uncompahgre Gorge near the Lower Bridge enhances the complexity of the Elite Mixed Climbing Competition. 2015 – Hundreds of beetle-infested white fir trees are cut down the Ouray Ice Park, and new engineered anchor systems are installed along the rim of the Uncompahgre Gorge. 2016 – The historic hydroelectric penstock that runs alongside the Uncompahgre Gorge suffers a spectacular blowout during the 2016 Ouray Ice Festival. No one is hurt. 2017 – The Ice Park shuts down six weeks early due to warm weather and water supply issues. 2018 – The City of Ouray signs a new contract with OIPI to operate the Ice Park until 2023, giving OIPI full control of factors that were previously managed by other entities, and putting to rest the notion that Ice Park operations were a simple task that could fall under the umbrella of City staff.

Bill Whitt and a local trial-attorney-turned-realestate-developer named Gary Wild bought a motel together in Ouray called the Victorian Inn. Business was great in the summer, but in the winter things were so slow there was no point in even staying open. So, the story goes, Whitt and Wild decided to create an ice park in Ouray to lure more visitors to town during the winter months. For years, rogue climbers had been poaching a handful of routes inside the nearby Uncompahgre Gorge where water spilled from a leaky pipeline and defunct reservoir (part of the City of Ouray’s old municipal water system) and froze into climbable ribbons of ice. Whitt and Wild’s brilliant idea was simply to divert more of this water to more places in the gorge, to make more ice to climb on. But first, they had to solve the access issue. Much of the land skirting the Uncompahgre Gorge belonged to Eric Jacobson, the owner of the Ouray Hydroelectric Plant, whose century-old infrastructure delivered water from an upstream dam to the powerhouse in town via a pressure pipeline alongside the Uncompahgre Gorge. Jacobson got on board with the Ice Park concept, even giving Whitt and Wild permission to weld taps onto his hydroelectric penstock along the lip of the gorge to make more ice. But the water in the penstock came straight out of the Uncompahgre River, and formed icicles that were piss orange, not crystalline blue. “They looked disgusting, so we gave that up almost immediately,” Whitt said. Instead, they returned to the old city reservoir as their primary water source, cobbling together a rudimentary gravity-fed system of hoses, valves and sprinklers to deliver water to the rim of the gorge. The Ouray Ice Park was born. Over the years, Whitt, Wild and other early Ice Park founders fine-tuned their original plumbing system and tapped into the City of Ouray’s municipal water supply to farm acres and acres of vertical ice. That system has continued to evolve and become more and more sophisticated over the years as the park has grown to span about a two-mile stretch of the gorge – the icy engine of Ouray’s wintertime economy and a world-class ice climbing destination.

About the

Ouray Ice Park

ow in its 25th year, the Ouray Ice Park is one of the most famous ice climbing venues and training grounds in the world. For three magical months each winter, it echoes with the sound of myriad languages and accents, and countless picks swinging into ice. Located within walking distance of downtown Ouray, Colo., the Ice Park offers three vertical miles of ice and mixed terrain in over 100 identified routes equipped with dozens of fixed anchors and access points, all concentrated within a one-mile span inside the Uncompahgre Gorge. Shaded cliff faces, a gravity-fed municipal water supply, sub-zero overnight temperatures and a tenacious crew of ice farmers conspire to create the ribbons and curtains of steep blue ice that attract up to 15,000 adventurous souls each winter. The Ice Park’s innovative gravity-fed plumbing system has improved exponentially since its early days in the 1990s, when locals first cobbled together a system of hoses, valves, shower heads and sprayers along the rim of the Gorge. Today, using 7,500 feet of pipe and 235 spray nozzles, about 150,000 gallons of highly pressurized spring water are sprayed and dribbled on the canyon walls on a typical winter’s night, creating an icy fantasy world that beckons to ice climbers of all abilities. Amazingly, the Park still remains free and open for public use. It is jointly owned by the City of Ouray and a mix of other private and public landowners, and managed and operated by Ouray Ice Park, Inc. (OIPI), a non-profit organization that relies solely on memberships, sponsorships and donations to maintain this unique world-class attraction. There’s no other place like the Ouray Ice Park in the world. So take a moment to chillax. Shake out your arms. Enjoy the view. Breathe. Then belly up to a slick wall of ice and begin your climb.

PHOTO © LO WA B OOTS/D. K R AUSS

OURAY ICE FESTIVAL

GATHER WITH THE TRIBE

ffectionately described as an annual “gathering of the tribe”, the Ouray Ice Festival is the Ouray Ice Park’s biggest event and most important fundraiser of the year. The eclectic gathering of alpinists, gear manufacturers and ice climbing enthusiasts convenes over a long weekend every January to climb, socialize, test out the latest equipment, and watch the pros power their way up the latest competition route, all the while generating more than half of the annual operating capital needed to run the Ouray Ice Park. During daily vendor exhibitions, Festival attendees have the opportunity to demo the latest ice tools, apparel and gear from the outdoor industry’s leading retailers. Hundreds of spectators line the top of the Uncompahgre Gorge to watch the world’s best ice and mixed climbing talent battle for the prize. And, with over 100 interactive and educational climbing clinics to accommodate every skill level, Festival participants are sure to have an experience to remember. Nightly events include multimedia presentations, music, food, dance parties and a live and silent auction overflowing with screaming deals on the latest outdoor gear. Mark your calendars – the 24th Annual Ouray Ice Festival is scheduled for Jan. 24-27, 2019!

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About

Ouray

uray – the self-declared “Switzerland of America”, “Outdoor Recreation Capital of Colorado”, and “Most Majestic, Kick-Ax Place to Ice Climb on the Planet” – nestles like a little jewel in the heart of the San Juan Mountains with outdoor adventures beckoning in all directions and natural hot springs to soothe your aching muscles when the day is done.

Ouray was settled by miners in the 1870s and takes its name from the Ute leader, Chief Ouray, whose people frequented the area’s sacred healing waters for centuries. As unpretentious as it is charming, the entire town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with architectural landmarks like the Wright Opera House and Beaumont Hotel, both dating back to the 1880s.

WHERE TO SOAK

W H E R E T O P L AY

Ouray Hot Springs Pool & Fitness Center – Ouray’s historic outdoor hot springs pool has recently undergone extensive renovations, making the hot soaking section twice as nice after a day on the ice. $18/day for adults, $12/day for kids 12 & under. Open Monday-Friday (12 p.m.-9 p.m.) Saturday/ Sunday (11 a.m.-9 p.m.) Fitness Center open from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week. (1220 Main St., Ouray; 970/325-7073; ourayhotsprings.com)

Backcountry Ice Climbing – Beyond the Ice Park, the surrounding San Juan Mountains are home to one of the greatest concentrations of water ice climbs in North America. Steep relief and deep shady gorges provide a superb venue for backcountry ice climbing. Old mining roads carved into the sides of mountains provide access to that terrain today. Ouray’s backcountry climbing scene begins at the Skylight area near the Camp Bird Mine up County Road 361, several miles past the Ice Park. The road is plowed throughout the winter, and open to the public (conditions permitting) as far as Senator Gulch, where there is a gate and a public parking area. The Skylight climbs are a short walk up the road from there. Be sure to check for avalanche conditions before you go. A shuttle service to Skylight is available through Western Slope Rides. gowsr.com

Orvis Hot Springs – This small, clothing-optional facility just south of Ridgway offers a variety of indoor and outdoor soaking areas, including a natural outdoor pond where geothermal spring water bubbles up out of a meadow in the shadow of 14,150 ft. Mt. Sneffels. Try the “lobster pot” if you dare! Open daily 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Overnight lodging and massage available onsite. Overnight guests have 24-hour access to the pools. (1585 County Road 3, Ridgway; 970/626-5324; orvishotsprings.com) Wiesbaden Hot Springs Spa – The Historic Wiesbaden Hot Springs Spa, on a quiet side street in Ouray, sits directly over the emanation points of several natural hot springs. Enter the spa’s underground vapor cave and soaking pool for a dark, steamy, otherworldly soaking experience. Outside, enjoy a small hot springs swimming pool with pure untreated water, and the “Lorelei,” a secluded outdoor soaking pool available by reservation only. Overnight lodging and a full range of spa treatments are offered. (625 5th St, Ouray; 970/325-4347; wiesbadenhotsprings.com)

Backcountry Skiing – The most accessible terrain in Ouray County is found on both sides of US 550 at the top of Red Mountain Pass. For lift-served backcountry skiing, head over the pass to Silverton Mountain with its advanced and expert only riding, no groomers, no clearcut runs, and one chairlift perfectly located to deliver you to the goods. silvertonmountain.com Nordic Skiing – Seven miles south of Ouray on US 550/Red Mountain Pass, Ironton Park offers a free, well-maintained Nordic trail system on relatively flat terrain that winds through a ghost town and old mining ruins. Closer to town, the 2.5 mile Ouray

River Trail system is also groomed for Nordic skiers, conditions permitting. Top of the Pines, near Ridgway, has spectacular vistas of the Sneffels Range and five miles of winter trails groomed for Nordic skating and classic flat-track skiing when it snows (small user fee required). ouraynordic.org, topofthepines.org, ouraytrails.org Winter Hiking – The Ouray Perimeter Trail loops around Ouray, taking in Ouray’s greatest hits such as Cascade Falls, the Amphitheater, Ouray Ice Park and Box Canyon Park, while providing beautiful vistas of the town and surrounding peaks. Much of the trail remains boot-packed or snow-free and accessible throughout the winter season. There are numerous access points along the trail, so the entire five-plus miles does not have to be completed all at once; pick and choose which segments you want to do. The Ouray Ice Park trail, typically accessed from Camp Bird Road (County Road 361) just uphill from the upper bridge across the Uncompahgre Gorge, has been incorporated into the Ouray Perimeter Trail system, and offers an insider’s glimpse of the Ice Park – no crampons required. ouraytrails.org/city-ouray-trails/perimeter-trail Hut Skiing – Five backcountry huts dot the northern flanks of the 14,000-ft. Sneffels range from Ouray to Ridgway to Telluride, offering access to a network of over 60 miles of backcountry and Nordic trails that together comprise the San Juan Hut System. Hit one hut at a time, or connect the dots in a tour that can cover between four and 11 miles per day. Other options to try include St. Paul Lodge, Opus Hut and the brand new Red Mountain Alpine Lodge near Red Mountain Pass. Alpine & Heli Skiing – About an hour’s drive from Ouray, the highly acclaimed Telluride Ski Resort offers mountains of fun for skiers, snowboarders and backcountry enthusiasts, with over 2,000 acres of beginner, intermediate and advanced skiing terrain. Revelation Bowl offers lift-served backcountry skiing, while the Surge Air Garden is a snowboarder’s playground of berms, banks, tabletops, pyramids and a competition-sized halfpipe. Telluride Helitrax and Silverton Mountain both provide Heli Skiing and Heli Boarding adventures in the San Juans. tellurideskiresort.com, helitrax.com, silvertonmountain.com PRESENTATION | FEATURE | SPONSORS & BUSINESS PARTNERS | MEMORIAM | SCHEDULE

ICE PARK ETIQUETTE BY DAN CHEHAYL | OURAY ICE PARK EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

ust like on the ski slopes or your local biking and hiking trails, there are some basic steps you can take here at the Ouray Ice Park that will make your experience and that of everyone around you a better one and fair for all. Following the Ouray Ice Park rules is the perfect place to start! The Park doesn’t open until 8 a.m. on weekdays and 7:30 a.m. on weekends, and it always closes at 4 p.m. Always wear crampons and a helmet in climber-only areas and while in the gorge, and please remember that there are no dogs allowed in the gorge. There is no reserving of anchors and there are no unattended ropes allowed. Basically, if you are not climbing on a rope, or using an anchor, even for a couple of minutes, you should take it down so that others can enjoy that climb. Closed climbs and areas are closed for a reason, so please respect these closures at all times. Closed areas are clearly marked with bamboo, poly rope and signage. Please set up only the number of routes you can

efficiently use. For example, a party of two should only have one rope set up at a time. You are required to be moving onto a new route at least every three hours. If you are planning on leading a route, you should have the anchor at the top of that route occupied so other climbers know that you are below and climbing. If you see an anchor with no rope on it, there is a potential that someone is leading the route below it. Soloing is discouraged. Kids have ultimate priority to routes on the Kid’s Wall. If any arrive and wish to climb, you must yield your route to their climbing party, immediately. For your own safety, it is a good idea to always be alert and aware of climbers near you. Keep your head up, and never turn your back to the ice. Belayers should always position themselves in an area where they are out of the line of fire from falling ice. While you are climbing, whenever you knock loose a piece of ice you should be yelling “ICE!” to alert all of those around you to the potential danger, and never throw the ice to one side or the other.

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Instead, let it drop below you. Knocking ice down for the sake of knocking it down is frowned upon. The ice farmers are working hard to build that ice and get it to connect to the rest of the climb. Another thing to keep in mind is the proximity of yourself to other climbers. If someone is way up on a route and your rope is nearby, you should probably wait until they return to the ground until you start your ascent to minimize the potential of you getting hit by their ice chunks. This is also true when a climber is down low on a route and you are in the same proximity as them, where you will be lowering from the top; wait until they get back up to avoid knocking ice down on them. Often times climbing side by side is a convenient way to address the previous two situations. There are many different styles of climbing, belaying, and setting anchors – if someone is doing something different than you are used to, that doesn’t mean it is wrong. If you are very concerned for their safety or yours, either contact the Ouray

Ice Park staff or politely have a conversation with them. Please use the outhouses and porta-potties to relieve yourself. If you do take a pee in the Park, kick some snow over it and do so away from the ice, anchors and any other Park infrastructure. Smokers, please be aware of and respect those around you. Parking is only allowed in town, at the turn on County Road 361 between the rescue barn and the upper bridge, or at the large parking area located inside the big turn on U.S. Highway 550 across from the Five Fingers area. Drop-offs in any area other than the two parking lots are not allowed; the ice farmers and staff need this clear access to the Park. The only exceptions to this are for handicapped visitors to the park. Remember you are in Ouray and we are all at the Park to enjoy and challenge ourselves. Be happy, say hello, and watch out for each other. Together we can make everyone’s experience one to remember for a lifetime! #getyouraxeingear Here’s to winter!

ICE FESTIVAL

SPECIALS $8 Ice Screw Sharpening 10% Off Climbing Gear Ice Tools – Ice Screws Crampons – Harnesses Ice Climbing Boots – Ropes Carabiners & Hardware Valid 1/24/19 – 1/28/19

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What’s New at the Ouray Ice Park? BY DAN CHEHAYL OURAY ICE PARK EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

he 2018/2019 season ushers in a bunch of new and exciting changes for the Ouray Ice Park! The season is a turning point toward ensuring a sustainable future for the Park and toward continuing Ouray Ice Park Inc.’s (OIPI’s) longstanding commitment to operate, fund and manage this invaluable resource. The new changes and initiatives are all being undertaken with the idea that by better managing use in the Park, we can ensure the best experience for all of our users for this season and all to come, cementing the Ouray Ice Park’s reputation as the best and biggest ice climbing destination the world has to offer.

Changes to Group Use

In May 2018, OIPI and the City of Ouray signed a new five-year agreement which keeps the operations, funding and management of the Ouray Ice Park under the umbrella and care of OIPI until a new agreement can be reached in 2023. Within the parameters of this new agreement are several user management modalities now under the oversight and control of OIPI. Beginning with the 2018/19 season, OIPI is excited to be the holder of a new concession to regulate and manage group use in the Park by tax-exempt organizations. In the past, these organizations’ use of the Park was loosely regulated and recorded. All that changes this season beginning with an Institutional Group Event (IGE) application and permitting process for tax-exempt organizations. Well before the Park opened, Ice Park administrative staff and the board of directors developed the parameters, guidelines, and requirements of the concession, compiling that into an application process for organizations wanting to receive a permit to operate in the Park during the season. These applications and an accompanying introduction were sent in November to all known organizations that have previously operated in the Park under the auspices of a tax-exempt organization. Among other requirements, organizations are 12

now required to list the City of Ouray and OIPI as additional insureds, provide proof of certifications and training for their instructors, request dates for their group use, and pay a per-person, per-day fee for each member of their group. While the concession and its accompanying application and permitting process are in their first year and some details need to be refined, the initial implementation has been a success and has been received warmly by its recipients. We expect to see full compliance this season from all organizations operating Institutional Group Events in the Park. We believe the end result of this new modality will be giving OIPI one more tool to effectively and fairly manage use in the Park by all user groups. This, in turn, will help to manage crowding on the busy days and help to protect the image of the Park as the number-one destination for any type of user to experience ice climbing.

Ice Ambassador Program

Building on our pilot program from the 17/18 season, the Ice Ambassador Program returns with some modifications for this season. The long awaited, much anticipated program began last season as an attempt to begin increased management of the various user groups in the Park as well as to begin to collect the data needed to analyze Park use and capacity. Expanding on the two-days-a-week model from last year, our Ice Ambassadors, Andrew and Tres, will now be in the Park Thursday through Monday. First to arrive each morning, the Ambassadors will be the welcoming committee, opening the gates to each day’s climbers and happily answering questions and giving out beta. Throughout the day they will be checking in with commercial, institutional and recreational groups and individuals to ensure rule compliance and to keep a close eye on things. Simultaneously, throughout the day, they will also be doing intensive data collection including but not limited to: the number and type of climbers present, the number of spectators, Park

PHOTO B Y DA N C HEHAYL

and individual area capacity as well as recording rule violations, and potential safety concerns. And you can be sure to see them at the end of the day, when they’ll cheerfully issue one last warning to get back to town before the ice farmers turn the free showers on, for those of you who just aren’t cold or wet enough yet! As with the new concession, the ultimate objective of the Ambassador Program is to provide the best experience to all of our users by improving and building upon OIPI’s management strategies and capabilities in the Park.

A Few New Faces at OIPI

Our newest Ice Ambassador is Tres Barbatelli! Tres is fresh off guiding a 45-day backpacking expedition in Alaska and spent the rest of the summer guiding canyoning and day trips throughout Zion National Park. He is stoked to return to the Ouray Ice Park, to join the OIPI team as Ice Ambassador! Mairi Humphreys joins us as OIPI’s Administrative Coordinator, a newly created staff position. Mairi helps OIPI’s Executive Director and Board of Directors to coordinate ongoing duties like fundraising, and preparing for the Ouray Ice Festival. She has played a vital role in the implementation of the new IGE concession and will be a key staff player as OIPI moves forward to fulfill its obligations outlined in the new agreement between the City and OIPI, and begins a new phase in its operational and administrative modalities that will drive the success and sustainability of the Ice Park for the years to come.

OIPI to Take Over Commercial Guiding Concession

The new agreement between the City of Ouray and OIPI also stipulates that beginning in the 2019/2020 season (we are still a year out), San Juan Mountain Guides will hand over control of the Commercial Guiding Concession to OIPI. OIPI plans to manage that concession much like San Juan Mountain Guides did in the past, with no initial plans to change any of its structure. Any changes to the Commercial Concession will only come with

extensive public and stakeholder input, and will be driven by data-based analytics gleaned from the Ice Ambassador Program over a multi-year period.

Hooray for More Water!

Also new this year is the North End’s water supply! We are wrapping up our two-year project to convert the old South Reservoir back into a storage catchment capable of holding nearly 1 million gallons of water at the ice farmers disposal. Since Nov. 1, the Ice Farmers have been using the South Reservoir as their only source of water for all farming of ice on the north end of the Park. This significantly reduces the amount of water that the ice farmers draw directly from the City water supply or its runoff, giving us all or nearly all of the water we will need to successfully build the ice for the Park for this season. This is a big and much needed change to the water resource the ice farmers will have at their disposal this season, a resource that has dwindled in the past five seasons and was one of the main factors in late openings and early closures in the Park. We believe this will lead to bigger, fatter ice, a more complete Park opening, and more sustainable, longer-lasting, higher-quality ice throughout much, if not all of the season. And of course, more ice means less crowding! The next step in this process is to find and implement a water supply that is robust and completely independent from the City of Ouray’s potable water supply, permanently securing the Ouray Ice Park’s water needs forever and putting the Ice Park’s water woes to rest. Change is a vital and constant reality at the Park as it matures and transforms throughout the years. As we continue to implement our newest changes, and seek to identify and evaluate future potential changes, we want to make sure that all of our users’ and stakeholders’ voices are heard and accounted for. Please share with us all of your questions, concerns, ideas and dreams! Feel free to reach out directly to OIPI staff and board members, or you can always contact us at info@ourayicepark.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Tech Talk

Anchoring in the Ice Park: Bolted Anchors BY ANDREW HUMPHREYS OIPI ICE AMBASSADOR

s Ice Ambassadors in the park, we see all sorts of anchor configurations on top-rope climbs, from bomber to darn-right scary. Anchors in the Park are often marked for identification, and they will either be bolted or a living tree. When it comes to bolts, there’s one rigging that we see over and over again that we immediately know is solid: The Mountain Guide Set-Up.

what you’ll need

• 60ft (20m) of Static Rope. Anchors in areas like South Park can be very far back from the edge! • 4 locking carabiners (2 of them should be identical)

how to do it

1 Tie a figure-8 on a bight in the end of the static rope. Be sure to leave a sufficient tail. 2 With a locking carabiner, clip the figure-8 to a bolt hanger.

3 Drop a loop of rope approximately 5 feet past where you want your anchor focal point to be. Be mindful of water pipes! Pressure and moving rope can damage our precious ice making plumbing! 4 Pull the loop back up and fold the end in half to make a large, doublelooped bight. 5 With the large bight, tie an overhand knot or figure-8 knot to create an anchor focal point.

Over the years, local mountain guides have fine-tuned their Ice Park anchoring kit, developing a quick and easy set-up that ticks all the boxes for a solid, redundant anchor. The Ice Park is different from backcountry ice, and while much of the equipment is the same, there’s a few extra pieces of kit you’ll want to bring along in the Park. 6 Clip 2 identical carabiners, opposite and opposing, into all 3 loops of the anchor focal point. 7 Attach a locking carabiner to another bolt, and with the free end of the rope from the anchor point, tie a clove hitch on the carabiner. 8 Adjust the clove hitch to equalize the strands of the anchor.

9 With the working end of the rope a few feet away from the clove hitch, tie a figure-8 on a bight and clip it into the same locking carabiner to close the system. 10 Tidy up the remaining rope in a hanging coil. 11 Set your climbing rope through the two carabiners at the anchor focal point and get ready to head into the gorge for some climbing! Ouray Ice Park Inc. will not be held liable for improper execution or use of this technique. Regardless of your level, always seek regular, professional instruction to validate and refresh your skills. Best practice changes all the time! You can find a qualified guide any day of the week from the Ouray Ice Park’s authorized concessionaires.

Ouray Riverside Inn & Cabins BECOME AN ICE PARK MEMBER

P H OTO R H YS R O B E RT S

he Ouray Ice Park is free to climb in, but it’s not free to maintain. Every year, thousands of man hours go into the preparation and operation of the Park well before it opens in midto-late December. As the season progresses, our dedicated staff and volunteers work both day and night to ensure that climbers from all walks of life have the experience of climbing in the Park. During a typical season we estimate that nearly 15,000 climbers visit the Park. As a nonprofit organization, most of our funding comes through fundraising, donations and memberships. Ice Park Members receive lots of benefits – discounts on clinics at the 2019 Ouray Ice Festival; a complimentary Gear Card for the 2019 Ouray Ice Festival; discounts with local Ouray businesses; and perhaps best of all, a tremendous amount of good climbing karma! Membership comes in several different levels.

• Basic membership – Costs $40 and includes all of the benefits above. • My Psych is High – Costs $75 and includes all of the benefits above AND a Ouray Ice Park T-Shirt. • Ice Ambassador – Costs $150, includes all of the benefits listed above, plus a Ouray Ice Park zip-up hooded sweatshirt, and a bonus perk of 10% off guided programs with San Juan Mountain Guides ($100 limit per year). Become a member or renew your membership today and support your ice climbing venue. Your support is critical – we depend on it! For more information about how to become a Ouray Ice Park member please visit: ourayicepark.com/membership/.

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• 19 Rooms & Kitchen Suites • Aspen Log Furnishings • Satellite TV • Free Wi-Fi

9 Camper Cabins - 2 Kitchen Cabins Hot Tub - Snacks - Gas - Laundry 1-800-432-4170 • 970-325-4061 1804 N. Main St. • Ouray, CO 81432 info@ourayriversideinn.com www.OurayRiversideInn.com

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VOLUNTEER PROFILE

HANNAH HOLLENBECK: Swag Queen BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT

annah Hollenbeck has always had a thing for swag. When she was a wee one growing up in Ouray, Hollenbeck remembers going up to the Ouray Ice Festival with her friends to ogle the climbers and raid the outdoor gear expo. “We got some chapstick on a lanyard – and it was the coolest thing ever!” she said. Today, as coordinator for the Ice Fest’s annual silent and live auctions – Hollenbeck keeps track of hundreds of items of donated swag each year, and shepherds them toward their happy new owners. The stakes are high. The auctions bring in upwards of $35,000 annually to help fund Ice Park operations, and it takes a special skill set to pull them off. Luckily, Hollenbeck has it all – artistic flair, a knack for doing things on the fly, and insane organizational skills which she actively cultivates in her day job as deputy clerk to the Ouray Board of County Commissioners. She also has a lot of help. The OIPI staff lays the groundwork for the Ice Fest auctions throughout the year, reaching out to sponsors and asking them for donations. By late December or early January, the swag is starting to pile up. That’s when Hollenbeck swoops in. First, she inventories all the auction items on a “big hairy spreadsheet”. Then, on the appointed day, she and her posse of friends descend on the Ouray Community Center to set up the silent auction. Hollenbeck has a knack for displaying stuff in a whimsical way. One of her recent masterpieces was a “camping corner” – “We put up the tent and we put out the sleeping bags. We had the chairs and tables and the whole scene – it was so cute!” Hollenbeck recalled. Finally, on Ice Fest Friday, it’s action time. The tribe gathers. The beer flows. The silent bidding begins. And there’s a lot to bid on – from anchors

and quick draws, to custom crampons, to antique climbing tools and widgets autographed by climbing greats. Business is always brisk, but the most extravagant bidding usually happens at the welllubricated live auction on Saturday night. Last year, an old-school Black Diamond ice axe signed by Yvon Chouinard brought in a whopping $5,000.

ARTISTIC FLAIR, A KNACK FOR DOING THINGS ON THE FLY, AND INSANE ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS Hollenbeck’s favorite auction item of all time was the Ice Fest poster from 2017, depicting artist Kellie Day’s version of Gustav Klimt’s iconic painting, ‘The Kiss’ – with two ice climbers melting into a passionate embrace. “It was a really lively auction, and that was fun to see,” she said. “And the person who ended up buying it actually lives in Ouray.” Who knows what the hot auction items will be this year. Whatever they are, Hollenbeck has a few words of advice for would-be bidders: “Come early. See what you want to bid on. Hover.” Oh, and one more thing. “Bring the volunteers a beer or two.”

It Takes a Village ice Fest Runs on Volunteer Power BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT

he Ouray Ice Festival is quite the production. Just like an alpine expedition, it takes vision, passion, meticulous planning, lots of lead time, and a whole lot of teamwork to make it happen. A core team of Ouray Ice Park board members and employees do a lot of work behind the scenes before the Fest gets underway. But the event itself could not succeed without the help of the nearly 200 or so volunteers who show up every year, without fail, often in awful weather, to make it happen. The Ice Fest has lots of moving parts, and happens in lots of different places all at once, so volunteers are deployed throughout the Ice Park and Ouray. Setting up the vendor area is especially time-andlabor- intensive. It involves putting up tents, tending to specific vendor booth needs, and shoveling tons of snow. Around the Ice Park, volunteers also belay at the Kids Wall, serve food in the concession area, drive shuttles back and forth from town, and patiently answer questions or process gear cards at the info booth. Local volunteer climbers and guides rig all of the routes for the 100-plus clinics at the Ice Fest each year, and help the ice farmers make sure everything’s ready to go. Belaying the competitions is a particularly highstakes volunteer job. These heroes are down in the pit of despair (i.e. the narrow, shady river bottom of the Uncompahgre Gorge), where it’s cold all day, making sure the competitors are safe, dialed in, and ready to climb. As night falls and the action shifts to town, the volunteers are at it again – working the door at the evening presentations, pouring beer, and checking IDs to make sure you’re old enough to legally guzzle it. For their efforts, Ice Fest volunteers get some swag, and the satisfaction of helping make the Ouray Ice Festival the best event of its kind on the planet. Plus, it’s a lot of fun! “A lot of folks come back year after year,” said OIPI Board President Lora Slawitschka, who herself volunteers countless hours of her time to the Fest each year. “They love the event and are part of the climbing tribe.” PRESENTATION | FEATURE | SPONSORS & BUSINESS PARTNERS | MEMORIAM | SCHEDULE

ICE FARMER PROFILE

LUCAS CARRION Zen and the Art of Ice Maintenance BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT

ucas Carrion’s first year as an ice farmer in 2016-17 was doozy. Water shortages. Frozen pipes. And then, the infamous February thaw that degraded the too-thin crop of ice so badly that the Ice Park was forced to close six weeks earlier than normal. Carrion was climbing in the canyon near Dick’s Chalet on the day his boss Dan Chehayl made the call to close the park. All up and down the Uncompahgre Gorge, huge chunks of ice were peeling away from the rock and tumbling to the canyon bottom. “It was like a bombing range down there,” Carrion, 27, recalled. “It was sad. We are a fairly well oiled machine, but if the weather doesn’t cooperate there’s not much you can do.” Last year made up for it, though. Last year, “It was really good,” Carrion said. And with the early arrival of winter and more access to water for ice making, this year is off to a good start, too. “If the weather is cooperating and the resources are available, we’re gonna create a ton of ice,” Carrion promised. Carrion grew up in Shaker Heights, a Cleveland suburb in northeastern Ohio, far from the cool crop he now cultivates. He studied geology at Allegheny College in northwestern Pennsylvania, and swung his first ice tools in New Hampshire. In college, Carrion spent his summers working for a nonprofit pack outfit in the Sierra Nevada backcountry. For a kid from the Cleveland ‘burbs, it turned out to be a life-changing experience that clarified what he wanted out of life – “and that was climbing and being outside and experiencing mountains and deserts,” he said. He passed through Ouray for the first time while driving across the country to his summer job. He fell in love with the small town and its badass backyard full of mountains, and moved here in the summer of 2014 – as soon as he’d graduated from college. “I knew nobody. I remember walking around Main Street with a handful of resumes that I’d 18

printed out at the library,” Carrion said. He found work at the Ouray Brewery and Ouray Mountain Sports, and spent every spare minute climbing – rock in summer, ice in winter. Before long, he’d befriended the Ice Park staff, and he joined their ranks in 2016. This winter marks Carrion’s third year as an ice farmer, and his fifth year in Ouray. When he’s not farming ice, he puts his rope access skills to work repairing wind turbines all around the country. Recently, he also helped catalogue a treasure trove of prehistoric artifacts in a remote cave in the Bears Ears region of Utah, where his girlfriend – an archaeologist – has been doing research. But wherever Carrion wanders, he always looks forward to getting back to ice farming in Ouray. “I kind of love it,” he said. “It’s hard sometimes. It’s definitely hard. But I love it.” He loves the playful artistry involved in painting the sheer walls of the gorge with ice – “the vertical frozen Zen garden we get to move around in.” He loves the problem-solving – the physical and mental challenges that are inherent to the job. Most of all, though, he loves the people that he works with, and the sense of camaraderie and common purpose he’s found in his Ice Park family. “You see what needs to happen, and you just do it,” he said. “Nobody is complaining. Sometimes we swear a little bit – and then we just get to it. Complaining isn’t going to make the frozen pipes melt faster.”

REVIVING OURAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MINING HERITAGE

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THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE ICE

he nonprofit Ouray Ice Park, Inc. formed in 1997 to provide formal organization to what previously had been a loose grassroots effort to maintain and promote the Ouray Ice Park. The organization is overseen by a hard-working volunteer Board of Directors and eight awesome employees.

MEET THE OURAY ICE PARK STAFF Dan Chehayl, Executive Director

Ice Park Executive Director Dan Chehayl is no stranger to the Ouray Ice Park. This is his eighth season working here, beginning as an ice farmer and graduating to Park Manager and Director of Operations before assuming his current position. Chehayl first came to the Ouray Ice Park as a college sophomore with a group of friends from Sterling College in Vermont. He came back as often as he could over the next couple of years and eventually moved to Ouray in 2007. That first winter, he worked at Mouses Chocolates and ice climbed obsessively. Then, after a year in Telluride and a brief stint back east, he came back to Ouray for good, winning a job as an ice farmer with former Ice Park Manager Kevin Koprek. Chehayl wears many hats at the Park, from overseeing the ingenious plumbing system and the staff that maintain it, to facilitating the annual Ouray Ice Festival, to securing funding for the annual budget. One of Dan’s favorite things about working for the Ouray Ice Park is watching the transformations of the gorge throughout the winter. “It’s like the cliffs in the gorge come to life; every day is magical out here in the park!” he said.

Mairi Humphreys, Administrative Coordinator

Mairi grew up in London, and left the UK ten years ago to live, work and travel all over the world. During this period Mairi worked for various outdoor operators, before launching Canyoning Colorado, in Ouray with her husband Andrew. This season, Mairi joined the team at the Ouray Ice Park as the Administrative Coordinator. In addition to working behind the scenes in office roles, Mairi is a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher and her passion for yoga as a lifestyle continues to expand her practice and teachings. Prior to joining the Ice Park team, Mairi studied yoga in India. You can join her weekly yoga classes in Ouray at Wellness Day Spa.

Logan Tyler, Ice Park Manager

Born and raised in Ouray, Logan began climbing at a young age, experiencing all that the San Juans and their surrounding environs have to offer while developing himself into a gifted climber. He has competed in the Ouray Ice Festival Elite Mixed Climbing Comp and at Vail’s Teva Mountain Games, often as the youngest competitor in the field. Logan has transferred his climbing skills and passion to all aspects of his life, coaching students on the Ridgway Secondary School’s climbing team and serving as a foreman on a midwestern cell phone tower crew. This is Logan’s fifth season working for the Ouray Ice Park and he is honored and beyond stoked to be leading the ice farmer crew again this year! Logan is also the founder and co-owner of Red Mountain Riders, a company manufacturing highquality handcrafted longboards.

Xander Bianchi, Lead Ice Farmer

Born and raised in the corn fields of northwest Indiana, Xander first explored Ouray in 2010 on a road trip through Colorado. It was here in the shadow of the San Juans that the seed was planted for many more journeys westbound. After scraping together a mechanical engineering degree in 2012, he threw a sleeping bag in his car and set out for the mountains. His next few years were painted with a mosaic of nomadic brush strokes, until at last he shelved his engineering career and moved to Ouray in 2015. Since then, Xander has focused his energy on a different side of life – one full of white velvet mountains, rusty desert canyons and worn-out soles.

Lucas Carrion, Ice Farmer

Lucas moved to Ouray in August 2014 after finishing his fourth summer working for a non-profit pack outfit in the Sierra Nevada backcountry. It was there that he developed a love for mountain life and climbing. Lucas swung his first ice tools in New Hampshire, and further developed his climbing skills on rock and ice in Ouray and the deserts of southeastern Utah. His favorite ice climbs are La Ventana in the Ouray Ice Park’s Five Fingers climbing area, and Whorehouse Hoses near Silverton. (Learn more about Lucas on Page 18.)

Justin Hofmann, Ice Farmer

After years of intermittent work woven with nomadic tendencies chasing rocks and sunsets, Justin has made base camp here in southwestern Colorado. His journey began on the Front Range, where he discovered the freedom of the hills as a teenager. It didn’t take long before stories of deeper canyons and higher summits lured him further west, and places like Indian Creek and the Winds soon became seasonal homes. A chance encounter involving a sticker-plastered Subaru, a note on the windshield, and a complete stranger led Justin to a wintery Ouray for the first time six years ago. Since then, he’s found much more than just frozen water in this narrow box canyon – he’s found his community, his family, and his new home.

Andrew Humphreys, Ice Ambassador

Andrew moved to Ouray after traveling the world and following summer for eight years. His international travels were focused on his professional passion for canyoning/canyoneering, and landed him in places such as New Zealand, Switzerland, Japan and Indonesia. He and his wife Mairi came to Ouray in 2016 to start their canyoningfocused guiding business, Canyoning Colorado, and to settle down and create a home. Ice climbing quickly became a necessity in Andrew’s life, since he needed a winter sport! A life-long rock climber and a lover of all things ropes-related, his transition to ice has been natural. Andrew is joining us for his second year at the Park.

Tres Barbatelli, Ice Ambassador

Tres learned to climb ice in Ouray during a spring break in college. Since he first climbed in the Park years ago, he’s developed a passion for ice climbing. In recent years, Tres has lived in many different places working a number of different jobs in the outdoor industry. His experiences range from leading backcountry trips with Chicago’s inner-city youth, to working with traumatized adolescents at a wilderness therapy program, to leading extended backpacking expeditions in Alaska’s Brooks Range, and most recently working as a guide in Zion National Park. When he’s not working, he loves to climb, ski, travel, cook and explore. Since first visiting Ouray years ago, he’s climbed ice all over the midwest and is thrilled to now call the San Juans his home. Tres is joining us for his first year at the Park.

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MEET THE OURAY ICE PARK BOARD OF DIRECTORS

he OIPI Board of Directors is comprised of seven volunteer members who devote well over a thousand hours throughout the year to fulfill OIPI’s mission. Although the ice climbing season at the Ouray Ice Park runs from roughly mid-December to late March, OIPI is hard at work planning the next season shortly after the Park closes each spring.

Lora Slawitschka, President

Lora moved to Ouray when she was nine months old and her parents purchased the Ouray Chalet Inn on Main Street. She has lived here for most of her life (except for those erroneous years in Florida) and took over the family business when her parents retired in 2001. She loves Ouray with all her heart and could not imagine living and working anywhere else.

Ralph Tingey

Salt Lake City native Ralph Tingey has been an avid climber most of his life. He joined the National Park Service in 1965 as a rescue ranger in Grand Teton National Park. Over the course of his career, he went on to work in many national parks in Alaska, and served as Associate Regional Director in Alaska from 1994 to 2006 prior to his retirement. Ralph now lives in Ridgway. (Learn more about Ralph on the facing page.)

Bill Leo

Bill owns Ouray Mountain Sports and is a past president of OIPI who recently rejoined the board. He brings a wealth of knowledge of the history of the Ice Park and a passion for its continuing success. In his spare time, Bill gets out on a specialized snowmobile and grooms the Ouray Nordic Council’s system of cross-country ski trails at Ironton Park on Red Mountain Pass. 22

Mike Gibbs

Mike began volunteering for the Ouray Ice Park in 1995 and was one of the seven original founding OIPI board members. He has served as both president and vice president of the board of directors. Mike is the owner/operator of Rigging for Rescue, a technical rope-work training organization.

Tom Kavanaugh

Tom developed his love for the outdoors as a professional rafting guide in Colorado, where he was introduced to climbing and mountain biking. These days, when he’s not managing the Ouray Hot Springs Pool, on a backcountry call with the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team or volunteering as an EMT, you may be able to find him in a remote area of the state either suffering up an ice climb or barreling down the finest alpine singletrack.

John Walker

An artist by nature, Detroit native John Walker has been mountaineering since high school and designing aerial adventure courses in Colorado for 15 years. He now lives in Ridgway, and enjoys the lovely mountain hinterland of western Colorado, with visits to the desert, the ocean, and the deep city, in search of all the interesting edges.

Frank Robertson

Frank has been climbing for 40 years, 20 on ice, and first came to the Ice Park in the late ‘90s. After working in the semiconductor industry for 42 years, Frank retired from Intel Corporation in 2015 and moved to the San Juans. He joined the Ice Park board in 2018 and currently chairs the Ice Park Advisory Team. He also serves on the board of the dZi Foundation, volunteers with Paradox Sports, and gets to climb as much as he wants.

Board Member Profile

Ranger Ralph BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT

alk to OIPI board member Ralph Tingey about all the twists and turns in his 75 adventurous years on the skin of the planet, and there is a theme that keeps coming up. As Tingey puts it: “I’m a forward-looking person; I have never looked back.” A Salt Lake City native, Tingey started climbing at age 14, when he and his best friend Milt decided to climb Lone Peak, one of the tallest mountains in the Wasatch Range. “I remember dangling my legs over the edge of a 400-foot-cliff eating a tuna fish sandwich and thinking ‘Man, this is great!’ I went crazy for it,” Tingey said. By the time he was 16, he and Milt had scaled the Grand Teton in Wyoming. Tingey was also crazy for languages. He became fluent in Finnish during his two-year Mormon mission to Finland. Upon returning home, he studied Classical Greek in college while working a summer job in Grand Teton National Park as a climbing rescue ranger. Here, he was part of a legendary three-day rescue in 1967 on the north face of Grand Teton that was recounted in the 2014

AT AGE 75, TINGEY ... IS STILL LOOKING FORWARD TOWARD WHAT COMES NEXT. documentary film, “The Grand Rescue”. As much as he loved climbing, Tingey always thought he’d be a linguist. But after graduating from John Hopkins University with a PhD in Near Eastern Languages in 1971, he couldn’t find a job in his chosen field. The chief ranger who was his boss in Grand Teton National Park said, ‘Well, why don’t you stay here and work?” Tingey joined the Park Service…and never looked back. He worked at Grand Teton National Park fulltime throughout the ‘70s. In 1981 he transferred to Denali National Park in Alaska, which had just been expanded from 1.6 million acres to 4.5 million acres through the Alaska Lands Act of 1980. “It was a thousand new things,” Tingey said. “Everything was

P H OTO X A N D E R BIA NC HI

new to me. It was probably the most exciting time, management-wise and administratively, in my life.” Tingey stayed at Denali for 10 years, building a log home with his wife and and raising two kids there. “I had a dog team of 20 dogs – raced the Yukon Quest – and I became an Alaskan,” he laughed. “Those were great days.” Tingey eventually worked in many of Alaska’s parks, and served as Associate Regional Director from 1994 to 2006 prior to his retirement. Today, Tingey lives in Ridgway, where he relocated in 2012 to be closer to old climbing pals like Jim Donini. The dust hadn’t even settled from his move when he accepted an invitation to join the Ouray Ice Park board of directors. It’s been a challenging time for the organization, but Tingey takes it all in stride; his years in the National Park Service and experience on the board of the American Alpine Club have gifted him with valuable perspective on the issues OIPI faces. At age 75, Tingey doesn’t have time to look wistfully back on his lifetime of adventures. Instead, he is still looking forward toward what comes next. “A month ago Jim Donini and I climbed a serious route in the Black Canyon,” Tingey said. “At one point Donini said to me, ‘I bet we are the only 150-year-old team in the canyon.’ It’s just wonderful to have someone my age and ability to climb with. The very fact Jim and I can still climb 2,000 feet of granite is a highlight of my career.”

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Canyon Access

Ladder over Penstock

Winter Toilet

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GRAD SCHOOL SCHOOL ROOM

THE OURAY ICE PARK IS 100% DONOR FUNDED Visit online to become a member and help us keep the Ouray Ice Park free! OurayIcePark.com

School Room Emergency Ladder

Ice Park Office

TRESTLE & MIXED ALCOVE PIC O’ THE VIC LEAD AREA

Upper Bridge

Lower Bridge

361 Camp Bird Rd. Canyon Access

LOWER BRIDGE

SCOTTISH GULLIES STUMP WALL

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KIDS’ WALL

Proud Sponsor of The Hari Berger Speed Climbing Comp Ouray Ice Festival 2019

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GORE-TEX, GTX, GORE, and GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY and design are registered trademarks of W.L. Gore & Associates Inc. VIBRAM®, the Octagon Logo, and the Yellow Octagon Logo and the color Canary Yellow are registered trademarks of Vibram S.p.A. ©2019 LOWA Boots, LLC.

24TH ANNUAL

OURAY ICE FESTIVAL

P H OTO Â© LO WA B O OT S / D. K R AU S S

28 HOW TO ICE FEST 32 ICE PARK ACTIVITIES 34 THE COMPETITIONS 35 ANNOUNCER PROFILE: MONTE MONTEPARE 36 COMP ROUTE 37 FEATURED ATHLETE: RYAN VACHON 38 SPECIAL EVENTS 39 THE AWARDS 40 PRESENTATION: CHICKS CLIMBING 41 MEET THE MUSICIANS 42 PRESENTATION: MARCUS GARCIA 44 PRESENTATION: NICK BULLOCK 46 SPONSORS 47 LOCAL BUSINESS PARTNERS 48 BEYOND ICE FEST 49 IN MEMORIAM 50 SEMINAR SCHEDULE 51 CLINIC SCHEDULE 54 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

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HOW TO ICE FEST

elcome to the Ouray Ice Festival – an annual gathering of the tribe that has become the premier event of its kind for people who are hooked on ice climbing, or want to learn more about it. The Fest can be roughly divided into two categories: • By day, the action happens at the Ouray Ice Park and includes exciting climbing competitions, an Outdoor Gear Expo, Kids Climbing College and adult walk-up climbing, interactive climbing clinics and more. • In the evening, the action shifts to town. There’s lots going on – multimedia presentations with big-name climbers, music, dance parties and a live and silent auction overflowing with screaming deals on the latest outdoor gear. Here’s all the beta you’ll need to make the most of the 2019 Ouray Ice Festival.

new stuff

Ouray is still not quite up to speed with ride-hailing apps, but there is an awesome new shuttle service in the area! Call Western Slope Rides at 970-626-5121 or email westernsloperides@gmail.com to schedule your ride to the airport, late-night hot tub tryst or favorite backcountry adventuring spot.

PARKING

The parking lot across Highway 550 from the Ouray Ice Park entrance is reserved for sponsors and festival staff only during Ice Fest weekend. There is also no parking permitted along US Highway 550; park there and you will be towed. So unless you are getting dropped off, it’s best to leave your car in town and walk, or take the Ice Fest shuttle, up to the Ice Park. Overnight parking is also prohibited on Main Street in Ouray throughout the winter to facilitate snow removal. People who leave their vehicles on Main Street overnight will receive a citation. Their cars may even get towed. Don’t be like them.

GETTING TO THE ICE PARK

On Foot: Starting at the southern terminus of Main Street, turn right (west) on Third Avenue, and walk two blocks or so down the hill toward the Box Canyon Lodge and Victorian Inn. When you get to the bottom of the hill, veer left at the Box Canyon Falls exit, and follow the road up the hill for a few hundred meters. After a brief hike, you’ll emerge on 28

a path on the west side of the Uncompahgre Gorge that leads straight to the heart of the Ouray Ice Park and Festival Headquarters. Alternatively, starting at the southern terminus of Main Street, you can simply walk up U.S. Highway 550 for about one-fourth mile until you get to the Ice Park entrance and turnoff for County Road 361, just after the first switch-back. By Shuttle: Catch a ride up to the Ice Park on one of the free shuttles that will be running continuously along Main Street from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday through Sunday. The shuttle route starts at the Ouray Visitors Center near the Hot Springs Pool, and ends at the Ice Park entrance, and includes a Third Avenue spur. Shuttles are marked with magnetic Ouray Ice Park logos. Designated pickup spots include the Ouray Visitors Center, Citizens State Bank at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Main Street, and the bottom of Third Avenue (near the Victorian Inn and Box Canyon Lodge). Or, you can just flag the shuttle down as you see it coming, and it will probably stop for you.

INFO BOOTH

Got questions? We’ve got answers. An info booth at the Outdoor Gear Expo area near the Lower Bridge is staffed with friendly and helpful volunteers throughout Ice Fest weekend. Here, you can pick up your gear card (if you didn’t already order it online), maps, programs, schedules and comp order, buy Ouray Ice Festival memorabilia and ogle the custom-made trophies that will be awarded to comp winners at the Asolo Award Ceremony on Sunday.

GEAR CARDS

An integral part of the Ouray Ice Festival, the gear card allows clinic participants and other Festival attendees the opportunity to demo jackets, tools, boots, crampons, harnesses, gloves, etc. from Ice Festival sponsors throughout the weekend. Purchase a gear card online for $5 in advance at ourayicepark.com/passes/ or stand in line at the Festival (at the Kickoff Party on Thursday night, or at the Info Booth at the Ice Park starting on Friday morning) and pay $10. Ouray Ice Park members and All Access Pass holders get a complimentary gear card with their membership. The gear card works like a library card; provide your credit card number as collateral, then check out gear for free and return after your clinic or at the end of each day. Gear card holders will be charged retail value of item(s) demoed during Ice Fest weekend which are NOT returned to the specific vendor by 2p.m. on Sunday.

ALL-ACCESS PASS PROGRAM

• The $60 All-Access Pass gets you into all of our awesome evening events for one cool price. Pass holders receive the following benefits: • Admission to evening events (please arrive early as passes do not guarantee entrance once venue capacity is reached); • Access to a shorter admission line at evening events; • Complimentary gear card.

FINAL BETA

Check the whiteboard at the Outdoor Gear Expo, in the San Juan Mountain Guides tent, for up-tothe-minute information about which clinics still have openings (or visit mtnguide.net). Clinics are $79. Backcountry Full Day Seminars are $149. Ouray Ice Park Members receive $10 off each clinic or seminar. The Info Booth has extra lists of the final comp order for the Elite Mixed Climbing Comp and Hari Berger Speed Comp, as well as up-to-date information about who’s winning. We’ll be live-tweeting and posting updates on Facebook throughout the weekend.

SPECTATING AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Two bridges (known simply as the Upper Bridge and the Lower Bridge) span the Uncompahgre Gorge in the central part of the Ouray Ice Park. Both bridges offer spectacular viewing and photography opportunities of the climbing action in the icy depths below. There are also several strategically placed spectator stands along the rim of the gorge. Direct sunlight into the gorge is limited to midday. If you are not equipped with proper climbing equipment (helmet, crampons, etc.), please stick to the roads, bridges, and viewing stands, as outcroppings over the gorge are slippery and perilous. Drones are not allowed in the Ouray Ice Park as they have the potential to be hazardous to climbers and spectators alike.

RECYCLING

Recycling at this year’s Fest and throughout the whole season is sponsored by Alpine Bank of Ouray. Help us reduce our eco-footprint through recycling and other forms of waste reduction. We hope that all festival participants will join in our mission to responsibly recreate! Look for recycling stations located at the Ice Park and the Ouray Community Center. While at the Festival, please sort your waste stream and get it into the right container. Extra points if you bring your own water bottle.

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>>> FOOD & DRINK

Food and drinks (both hot and cold) are available for purchase at vendor booths near the Ice Park entrance, featuring tasty fare from local restaurants and nonprofits. The food vendor area is a great place to take a break, sit down for a spell at a picnic table, or warm your hands over a campfire. Please note that alcohol and marijuana are not allowed in the Ice Park.

WIFI, CELL PHONE RECEPTION

Cell phone reception is available for major cell phone carriers throughout most of the Ice Park. In town, free WiFi can be found at the Ouray Community Center, Ouray Public Library, and other select locations including Mouse’s Chocolates. Insider’s tip: keep your cell phone in an inner pocket; it might not work if it gets too cold!

COMMEMORATIVE YETI RAMBLERS & LOWBALLS

Like to drink beer? For both Friday and Saturday nights at the Ouray Community Center, new Ice Fest sponsor Yeti will provide commemorative 24th Annual Ouray Ice Fest Yeti Ramblers and Lowballs to swill it from. We have 200 for each night. Get there early so you don’t miss out!

USEFUL CONTACT INFO Ouray Ice Park 970/325-4288 ourayicepark.com San Juan Mountain Guides 970/325-4925 mtnguide.net Ouray Chamber Resort Association 970/325-4746 ouraycolorado.com Avalanche info avalanche.state.co.us Road Conditions Call 511 (or 303/639-1111 if out of state) or visit cotrip.org Ice Conditions mtnguide.net/resources/ouray-ice-conditions ourayicepark.com/conditions-1 Western Slope Rides 970/626-5121 westernsloperides@gmail.com

Ouray Ice Park Rules and Regulations The Ouray Ice Park, Inc. staff or any Ouray Ice Park, Inc. board member can enforce the following rules with support from the Ouray County Sheriff’s Department and/or the Ouray Police Department if necessary. • Crampons are required for all persons (climbers or otherwise) in the established and posted “climber only” areas. Crampons and a helmet are required for all persons while climbing or in the bottom of the gorge. • All persons under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult in the Ouray Ice Park. • Dogs must be leashed and not left unattended. No dogs will be allowed below the top of the gorge. • No anchoring to man-made structures including the penstock unless clearly labeled by yellow wand or tag.

& Steakhouse

• All climbing in the “Schoolroom” area must be Homemade Donuts Daily! on fixed anchors established and defined by the Get a dozen TO GO!! Ouray Ice Park.

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•BREAKFAST: Ouray Ice Park hours7-llam are 7:30(Sundays a.m.-4 p.m. Daily 'tilon1pm) weekendsFridays and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekdays. DINNER: & Saturdays with HourIce from 5-7pm. •Happy Only OIP Farmers shall adjust, turn off, or otherwise handle any part of the watering system – including pipes, valves, showerheads 1700 Main or any other apparatus.St., Ouray

970-880-1446

Located inside Ouray RV Park and Cabins

Call ahead and place your order of "To-Go". • The maximum amount timeCatering a groupavailable. may Call for options. Gluten free and veggie options available.

occupy any one route is three hours.

HOMEMADE DONUTS DAILY! Fellin Park

Located inside Ouray RV Park and Cabins 1700 Main St., Ouray 970-880-1446

• A lead anchor must be established at the top of the climb before leading any route. • The Lead Only Area is for lead climbers and their followers only • There is no climbing on closed routes or in closed areas. • Kids have ultimate priority to routes on the Kids Wall. If any arrive and wish to climb, you must yield your route to their climbing party, immediately.

m) days ’til 1p 7-llam (Sun ly ai D om 5-7pm. : fr T S r BREAKFA appy Hou H h it w s urday idays & Sat DINNER: Fr

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ICE PARK ACTIVITIES OUTDOOR GEAR EXPO

FRIDAY, JAN. 25, 8 A.M.-3 P.M. SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 8 A.M.-3 P.M. SUNDAY, JAN. 27, 8 A.M.-2 P.M. NEAR THE LOWER BRIDGE AT THE OURAY ICE PARK

Every year, the outdoor gear and apparel manufacturers that sponsor the Ouray Ice Festival travel to the Fest to let participants demo their latest and greatest products. In the past, it was just boots, tools and crampons. But now, you can pretty much demo anything – including base layers. So if you’re in the market for a cozy new belay jacket, for example, a handful of sponsors may have a fleet of them for you to demo. The Outdoor Gear Expo is a hive of activity during Ice Festival weekend – a colorful tent village perched alongside the rim of the Uncompahgre Gorge, with hundreds of ice climbers and onlookers strolling around, checking out gear and just hangin’ out. The Outdoor Gear Expo is not a gear swap; you will find little for sale, but there’s plenty of swag, and the bacon-wrapped sausages in the Black Diamond Equipment tent are hard to miss! So go ahead, feel the sponsors’ love.

KIDS CLIMBING COLLEGE

SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 10 A.M.-3 P.M. SUNDAY, JAN. 27, 10 A.M.-3 P.M. AT THE KIDS WALL NEAR THE UPPER BRIDGE

Sponsored by San Juan Mountain Guides, the popular Kids Climbing College offers free ice climbing instruction to kids ages 7-17. The KCC is staged at the Kids Wall – a beginners climbing area located near the Upper Bridge and Memorial Kiosk, right off of County Road 361 (Camp Bird Road). Four to five ropes will be going full-time both days. Participants receive 15 minutes of instruction each, with a professional guide, on a first-come, first-served basis. It’s easy to sign up your kids, and San Juan Mountain Guides provides all the technical gear they’ll need. 32

FREE ADULT WALK-UP CLIMBING AT THE LA SPORTIVA ZONE

FRIDAY, JAN. 25, 10 A.M.-3 P.M. SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 10 A.M.-3 P.M. SUNDAY, JAN. 27, 10 A.M.-2 P.M.

Want to try ice climbing without committing to a half-day or full-day clinic? La Sportiva’s free adult walk-up mini-clinics are taught by high-level athletes, no registration required. All technical gear is provided. They will be set up right next to the Kids Climbing College at the Kids Wall, near the Upper Bridge and County Road 361. There’s never been a better time to grab some tools and give ice climbing a try!

INTERACTIVE CLINICS

FRIDAY, JAN. 25, 9:30 A.M. & 12:30 P.M. SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 9:30 A.M. & 12:30 P.M. SUNDAY, JAN. 27, 9:30 A.M. & 12:30 P.M.

Sign up online at mtnguide.net/ouray-iceclimbing/ouray-ice-festival-clinics/. Questions? Call 800-642-5389 or 970-946-3973, or email icefestclinics@mtnguide.net. The Ouray Ice Park is pleased to partner again with San Juan Mountain Guides to provide interactive climbing clinics and seminars during the 2019 Ouray Ice Festival. Throughout the weekend, dozens of unique, informative, cuttingedge ice and mixed climbing clinics and seminars will be offered. Most clinics take place inside the Ice Park. A great lineup of all-day backcountry ice climbing seminars are also available this year. Want to do a guided ascent of Stairway to Heaven, Skylight or Whorehouse Ice Hose? Here’s your chance! Clinics and seminars are taught by professional athletes and guides with the most knowledge and the best instructional techniques in their fields, with sponsors including Black Diamond, Outdoor Research, La Sportiva, The North Face, Patagonia, Mammut, Scarpa, Mountain Equipment and many more. Each clinic offers a unique opportunity to pair vendors and their sponsored athletes with a passionate audience of amateur climbers. Clinics are 2.5 hours long, and are offered twice a day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Schoolroom, Trestle, Kids Wall, Stump Wall, Fingers, and Scottish Gullies areas with offerings for beginner, intermediate and advanced ice climbers. Seminars are 5.5 hours long, and are offered on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the

South Park climbing area. All of these areas will be closed to the public for clinic use all day Friday and Saturday, and until 12 p.m. on Sunday. Clinics and seminars fill up fast – typically a couple of months before the Ice Fest even gets underway – but some slots always open up at the last minute due to cancellations. Check the white board near the San Juan Mountain Guides booth at the Outdoor Gear Expo for last-minute openings, or visit mtnguide.net/ouray-iceclimbing/ouray-ice-festival-clinics/. Half-day clinics cost $79 per person, full-day seminars cost $149 per person. Ice Park members enjoy a $10 discount when they register. $20 of your clinic registration fee is donated to the Ouray Ice Park Inc. and directly supports Ice Park operations and initiatives. How it works: Make sure you have all your gear together at least 15 minutes before the start of your clinic/seminar. To get a Festival gear card to demo gear from sponsors, go to the Festival Information Booth with your driver’s license and credit card – or better yet, order yours ahead of time at ourayicepark.com/passes/. Once you have your gear card, go to the different sponsors to

demo all of the required gear for the clinic you’ve signed up for. Bring your own gear as well if you have it, especially harness, helmet and crampons. Once you have all your gear together, go to the appropriate clinic sponsor tent. (For example, if you registered for “Clinic #3 Intermediate Ice. La Sportiva. Will Mayo. FRI 0900,” head to the La Sportiva tent at 8:45 a.m. with your gear, ready to sign a release form and head out into the Park with your fellow clinic participants and awesome instructor.)

REQUIRED PARTICIPANT EQUIPMENT LIST (for climbing, anchor, and other on-rope clinics):

• UIAA CERTIFIED CLIMBING HELMET • UIAA CERTIFIED CLIMBING HARNESS • 2 ICE TOOLS • CRAMPONS • ICE CLIMBING BOOTS • BELAY DEVICE

AND LOCKING CARABINER

Relax in our hot tubs and enjoy the complimentary continental breakfast!

Because adventure this good needs a good night’s sleep. 1400 MAIN STREET, OURAY HOTSPRINGSINN.COM 970.325.7277 – 800.706.7790 – STAY@HOTSPRINGSINN.COM

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THE COMPETITIONS ELITE MIXED CLIMBING COMP

SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 9 A.M.-3 P.M. OURAY ICE PARK, LOWER BRIDGE/ OUTDOOR GEAR EXPO AREA

There is something irresistible about cheering on the finest alpinists and sport climbers in the world as they pit themselves against a uniquely challenging route in the heart of the Ouray Ice Park. At the Ouray Ice Festival, men and women climb the same route, which changes every year, blending vertical rock and ice inside the Uncompahgre Gorge, and a 30-foot steel climbing tower with artificial features overhanging the gorge. The tower made its debut in 2013, with the aim of spicing up the competition and making it more spectator friendly. Now, it’s an Ice Fest tradition. Spectators can take in the action from the lower bridge, viewing platforms and bleachers along the rim of the Uncompahgre Gorge.

Competitors must complete their climb within a specific time limit that was yet to be determined at press time. Place is determined based upon the highest controlled point reached. If more than one climber sends, the one with the fastest time wins. The names of competitors are made available to the public by early January. Check OIPI’s website and social media at that time to get an up-to-date list of who’s climbing. As they ascend the cold, hard ice, climbers compete for cold, hard cash; $9,000 will be divvied among the top three male and female competitors in the Elite Mixed Climbing Competition this year. 2018 recap: The 2018 Ouray Ice Festival had the highest attendance of any Ouray Ice Festival to date. The comp route, which route setters Andres Marin and Vince Anderson christened “Russian Metaling”, was steeper, and faster, and scrappier, and more dynamic than other routes of recent years.

“A lactic acid bath,” as Anderson described it. The five competitors who successfully sent the route got to chug a celebratory shot of tequila at the top. Canadian alpinist Nathan Kutcher won the mixed competition for his second title at the Festival, swapping places with Ryan Vachon who topped the podium in 2017. Angelika Rainer took third overall and first among women competitors. Joining her on the women’s podium once more were silver medalist Sarah Hueniken and bronze medalist Katie Bono.

HARI BERGER SPEED COMP

SPONSORED BY LOWA SUNDAY, JAN. 27, STARTING AT 9 A.M. OURAY ICE PARK, LOWER BRIDGE/ OUTDOOR GEAR EXPO AREA

For the seventh year running, LOWA sponsors the Hari Berger Speed Climbing Competition at the Ouray Ice Festival to honor the legendary fallen athlete who won three Ice Climbing World Championships while wearing LOWA boots. Berger used to be a regular at the Ouray Ice Festival, known for his expansive smile and virtually effortless ascents of difficult comp routes. He died in 2006 at age 34 while ice climbing near his hometown of Salzburg, Austria. His girlfriend Kristen Buchman gave birth to their daughter, Zoe, the day after he died. Berger’s legacy lives on each year at the Ouray Ice Festival, when competitors race each other up twin pillars of ice in the depths of the Uncompahgre Gorge adjacent to the mixed finals route. Speed climbing is hugely popular on the World Cup scene in Europe and has become a hit here, too! The competition is fast and furious – an all-out vertical sprint using ice axes and crampons – with $5,000 in prize money up for grabs. Unlike the Elite Mixed Climbing Competition, this is an open comp; anyone can sign up to compete. The event attracts a nice mix of big names and local heroes pitted against each other. 2018 recap: Last year’s speed climbing contest took place amidst frigid temps and fretful winds. Beth Goralski took home gold for the women, followed by Angelika Rainer and Sarah Hueniken in second and third, respectively. Liam Foster topped the men’s podium, followed by Marcus Garcia (Foster’s coach!) and Sam Elias. Watch for a rematch between Foster and Garcia this year.

Announcer Q&A:

Monte Montepare

olding up the sharp end of the mic at this year’s Elite Mixed Climbing Comp will be standup comedian, storyteller and climbing guide Monte Montepare. Now based in Los Angeles, Montepare is a three-time Moth StorySLAM Winner and a Moth GrandSLAM Champion. You may remember him from last year’s Ice Fest, when he kept us in stitches as the keynote presenter on Saturday night. We caught up with him again in late November: What’s new in your world since last year’s Ice Fest? Spent most of the summer in Alaska, glaciering, packrafting, and getting rained on. Lately I’ve been touring the U.S. with The Moth. I have a story that’ll be featured on The Moth Radio Hour later this year, which is very exciting. I’ve been bouldering more than climbing this fall, and I can feel you judging me for it. I am going real climbing in Red Rock after the holidays and I’m really stoked to get to Colorado for some frozen snowy mountain time. How did things go for you as an Ice Fest presenter & announcer last year? It was a blast. Presenting an evening program at the Ouray Ice Fest was an honor and a highlight of both my climbing and comedy career. The whole weekend was great. I made new friends, reconnected with old ones and got to announce the speed comp in a blizzard with Timmy O’Neill and Ralph Tingey. No complaints. What will be your strategy as an announcer this year? I’m MC’ing both the mixed and speed comp, running the gear auction Saturday night and doing stand-up at The Wright Opera House on Sunday. With a schedule like that I’m going with a standard mountaineering strategy: save energy when you can, because when its game on you’re gonna need it. Any good new ice climbing jokes? I’m gonna save those too. You never know when you’re gonna need them either.

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COMP ROUTE 2019

Take the Leap of Faith BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT

JEFF LOWE hen Jeff Lowe created Dizzy With a Vision as CLIMBING DIZZY an exhibition route in the Ouray Ice Park back WITH A VISION BACK IN THE DAY. in the early days of the Ouray Ice Festival, it was right at the cutting edge of what competitive C O U RT E S Y P H OTO mixed climbers were capable of achieving. The pumpy, spicy WI5 M7+ route traces the Dizzy Prow, a feature in the Scottish Gullies portion of the Uncompahgre Gorge near the Lower Bridge. “It’s a classic Ouray mixed route,” said Will Gadd who has climbed it many times. “It’s a route that rewards precision and good technique more than raw power.” At this year’s Elite Mixed Climbing Competition, Lowe’s iconic route serves as the mere warm-up for a visionary new comp route that amps up the dizzy quotient in a big way. The route will unfold in three distinct chapters. After ascending Lowe’s classic route inside the Uncompahgre Gorge, competitors will claw their way up the steeply overhanging competition tower that has been the centerpiece of the Elite Mixed Climbing Competition for the past several years. And ROUTE SETTERS VINCE ANDERSON that’s where the real fun begins. AND ANDRES MARIN From the top of the tower, the route will progress along a cable stretched across the The route also draws inspiration from the canyon like a tight rope anchored to the opposite different climbing styles of Marin and his routeside. Climbers will traverse one or two cube-shaped setting partner-in-crime Vince Anderson, who have “volumes” hanging from this cable, before taking collaborated on comp route design for the past a final, high-flying leap of faith to a trapeze that three years. dangles above the gorge … or else they’ll take the “I tend to be a little bit more explosive, jumpy, whipper of their life. moving around,” Marin explained. “Then Vince is “It’s gonna be like Cirque de Soleil, pretty much,” taller, a little bit more cool, more methodical and said route setter and former competitive climber more delicate.” Andres Marin, who came up with the idea. “It will The name of this year’s comp route, “Leap of be so fun to watch.” Faith,” resonates for Marin on many levels. The route pays homage to Lowe’s vision, while “I think in daily life we have to make a leap of faith also tracing the evolution of the sport he spawned – in our jobs, with our families, with relationships,” – with old-school mixed climbing down inside the he said. “With climbing or running or skiing or gorge, artificial elements on the overhanging comp whatever. We have to make that leap. And because tower, and giddy, breath-taking, transcendental eye of people like Jeff Lowe who made that leap, I think candy at the end. climbing is what it is right now.”

PHOTO DA LE A PGA R

PHOTO F ERNAND O BRI ONE S

Athlete Profile

Ryan Vachon Doctorate of Ice BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT

here was Ryan Vachon, with his Ph.D. in stable isotope geochemistry, down in the pit of despair at the Ouray Ice Festival in 2016, surrounded by a field of great competitors. He was excited about competing in the Elite Mixed Climbing Competition, but he was also stressed out. His partner Susan Owen could see what was going on. “Do you remember why you are doing this?” she asked him. “Oh yeah,” Vachon remembered. “I’m suppose to enjoy it.” That moment of epiphany five minutes before the comp allowed Vachon to relax and think creatively. The route, which foiled the 32 other climbers that year, unlocked itself for Vachon, who was the only one to send the climb. “For the first time, I thought on my feet, thought of my options,” he recalled. “And in that case, I ended up winning.” Two months later, just for fun, he went out and made the second-ever ascent of

Saphira (M15-) in Vail’s Fang Amphitheater – a route considered to be the hardest mixed climb in the United States. The elite climber with a penchant for nearimpossible mixed routes went on to successfully defend his title at the Ouray Ice Festival in 2017. And he came just a whisker away from the top of the podium last year. Not bad, for a 40-something weekend warrior and self-proclaimed “nerd” from Boulder who works full-time as a climate researcher, Emmy-nominated filmmaker and podcaster specializing in science communications. Vachon’s current passion (besides climbing) is telling stories about human resilience in the face of climate change. Somehow, he also finds the time to remain deeply committed to his training regimen, which he approaches with the curiosity and discipline of a scientist. That’s half of his equation of success. The other half, he says, “is to trust in your knowledge or your experience and your ability to tease apart stuff on the fly.” Vachon has always had an affinity for ice – both as a way to learn about past climates through his study of ice core samples, and as a medium for vertical adventures. “It’s ephemeral. It comes back new. I’m not sure that there is ever such thing as a first ascent of ice,” he said. “It heals. It bonds. It holds these clandestine secrets about the physical world. And there is something about ice climbing that unlocks hidden secrets about the self and the world around us. I like uncovering these secrets.”

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special events KICK OFF PARTY

THURSDAY, JAN. 24, 7:30-9:30 P.M. DOORS OPEN AT 7 P.M. OURAY COMMUNITY CENTER (340 6TH AVE.) | $10

Join us at the Ouray Community Center for the Ouray Ice Festival Kick-off Party sponsored by the American Alpine Club and Rab. There will be beer from Upslope Brewing Company, food and prizes, and opportunities to hang with local and visiting climbing royalty and the ice farmers. Plus, live music by Rapidgrass, the high-energy five-piece Colorado bluegrass band that won the 2015 Rockygrass band competition! This party brings in a “Who’s Who” from the climbing world, highlighting the Ouray Ice Park’s unique, ongoing partnership with the AAC. This is a great, grassroots gathering that tends to attract a huge turnout. Let’s kick this party off right! Plus, beat the rush and pick up your gear demo card.

SILENT AUCTION + CHICKS CLIMBING & SKIING 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FRIDAY, JAN. 25, 7:30-9:30 P.M. DOORS OPEN AT 7 P.M. OURAY COMMUNITY CENTER (340 6TH AVE.) | $25

After you’ve had dinner in town, head up to the Ouray Community Center to bid on silent auction items donated by the Ice Fest’s corporate sponsors. All auction proceeds directly support the Ouray Ice Park, keeping it free and open for all of our enjoyment, so bid often and bid high! Plus, help Chicks Climbing and Skiing celebrate 20 years of empowering women through climbing and skiing. There will be a short film, a panel discussion with climbing greats, and music by Beyonce’s former lead guitar player Bibi McGill. (See P. 41 for more info.) The $25 cover charge includes a commemorative 24th Annual Ice Fest Yeti Lowball.

LIVE AUCTION + JEFF LOWE AWARD & SAVOYE AWARD + MARCUS GARCIA + NICK BULLOCK SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 6:30-9 P.M. DOORS OPEN AT 6 P.M. OURAY COMMUNITY CENTER (340 6TH AVE.) | $25

On Saturday night, dinner is on the town again. Ouray’s restaurants are poised to feed the masses and turn over tables quickly, so you can hustle back to the Ouray Community Center by 6:30 p.m. for the presentation of the 7th annual Jeff Lowe Award and the 3rd annual Savoye Award (see P. 39 for more info) and multimedia presentations by youth climbing mentor Marcus Garcia and British ball of energy Nick Bullock (see P. 42-44 for more info). The $25 cover charge includes a commemorative 24th Annual Ice Fest Yeti Lowball and a fantastic live auction with goods ranging from the latest climbing gear to signed photographs and ice axes once wielded by climbing greats.

PETZL PARTY – “STEAM PUNK”

SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 10 P.M.-1 A.M. OURAY COMMUNITY CENTER (340 6TH AVE.) | $20

The annual late-night Petzl party is a raucous affair, and definitely one of most heavily attended events of the whole Ice Festival weekend. Part rave, part costume party, it’s a racy evening that pulls in Ice Fest regulars and Petzl Party groupies from throughout the region. This year we are really excited to have Beyonce’s lead guitarist, BB McGill as our featured DJ to kick of the first half of the party! The party always has a theme; this year it’s “Steam Punk” so dig out your best Victorian/NeoFuturist attire! $20 cover charge includes beer.

ASOLO AWARD CEREMONY

SUNDAY, JAN. 27, 2 P.M. LOWER BRIDGE/OUTDOOR GEAR EXPO AREA AT THE ICE PARK

The Asolo Award Ceremony is like something right out of the Olympics as the winning athletes from the Elite Mixed Climbing Comp and Hari Berger Speed Comp take their places on a unique podium created by the Ouray High School students, to receive custom trophies made by Ouray glass artists Annie Quathamer and Andres Marin, and metal artist Jeff Skoloda. Before you point your camera toward the podium, take a look around you – there’s likely to be a “Who’s Who” of climbing royalty in the crowd.

ROB SAVOYE C OURTESY PHOTO

about the Special Recognition awards The Jeff Lowe Award Jeff Lowe called the 2013 Ouray Ice Festival his “big love fest.” He thought it would be his last. That’s the year the Jeff Lowe Award made its debut. The award was Jim Donini’s idea – a trophy of sorts that Ouray metal artist Jeff Skoloda fashioned out of an old-style crampon, embellished with a billowing ribbon of steel. It was to be given annually at the Ouray Ice Festival to someone whose volunteerism has been foundational to the Ouray Ice Park, someone who has gone above and beyond – both as a way of honoring that person, and to keep the memory of the award’s namesake alive each year, after his expected passing. The first annual Jeff Lowe Award was presented to the Ice Park’s co-founder, Bill Whitt. Lowe was there for the presentation. His electric wheelchair gave him a boost to help him stand upright as he joined Whitt and Donini in front of the cheering tribe at the Ouray Community Center. That year didn’t turn out to be Lowe’s last Ice Fest after all. He returned to Ouray a few more times before the slow-creeping degenerative disease he suffered from finally claimed his life in August 2018. Over that time, the Jeff Lowe Award has been given to several other essential members of the Ice Park tribe – Gary Wild, Bruce Franks, Eric Jacobson, Mike Gibbs. Lowe won’t be gracing us with his physical presence at the festival he founded anymore, but his spirit endures in the camaraderie and volunteerism that keep the Ouray Ice Park going, and in the award that bears his name.

The Savoye Award Technical ninja and old-school climbing wizard Rob Savoye has filled a lot of roles at the Ouray Ice Festival over the years. Radio tech. Route setter. Comp rigger. Belay slave. These days, he runs the timer for the climbing competitions, unspools countless extension cords to ensure power to where it needs to be on the Fest grounds, and stands by to help his climber friends get their laptops dialed in for their slideshows at the evening presentations. A few years ago, Savoye tried to retire from the Ice Fest, but the Ice Park board wouldn’t let him. Instead, they decided to create an Ice Festival Volunteer of the Year award, and named it after him. Savoye was its first recipient. Last year, the Savoye Award went to Marta Miles, the volunteer coordinator at the Kids Climbing College base camp – and her lovable, friendly, pink-tutu-clad St. Bernard named Sherpa, who keeps small humans company at the KCC as they get outfitted with boots and crampons and wait for their turn to climb. Stay tuned to find out who gets the Savoye Award this year! The one thing Savoye has learned after all his years of helping out at the Ice Fest is that everything is important – “even the stuff that no one is paying attention to and doing. That stuff is what makes the Ice Fest successful,” he said. “The Ice Fest is pretty dialed in. It’s the most ‘together’ fest of its kind.” Largely, thanks to its extraordinary volunteers.

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PRESENTATION

Chicks Climbing & Skiing 20th Anniversary Celebration BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT LIVE MUSIC, FILM & PANEL DISCUSSION FRIDAY, JAN. 25, 8:30-9:30 P.M. OURAY COMMUNITY CENTER SPONSORED BY BLACK DIAMOND

very winter since 1999, the infamous Girly Guides of Chicks with Picks (now Chicks Climbing & Skiing) have descended on the Ouray Ice Park to teach women how to climb with confidence. The series of women’s-only ice climbing clinics founded by Kim Reynolds has evolved over the past two decades to encompass other forms of outdoor adventure as well, in an ongoing mission to develop independent, confident women who can go outdoors and crush it. This year at the Ouray Ice Festival, the Chicks are calling in the flock for a 20th anniversary bash. The event will celebrate the accomplishments of female climbers past, present and future – from early mountaineering pioneers such as Annie Peck and Fanny Bullock Workman who hung “Votes for Women” banners on 21,000’ peaks in Peru and the Himalaya over a century ago, to the extraordinary female alpinists who continue to transcend barriers and raise issues greater than themselves today. The evening begins with a social half-hour and music by DJ Bibi McGill, followed by a short film by Colorado filmmaker Zach Wolfson called 20/20, featuring women who have made significant accomplishments in climbing and skiing. A panel discussion will follow, with four to six women from the film, moderated by Alison Osius of Rock & Ice Magazine. As of presstime, the panelist lineup is still a moving target, but will likely include:

PHOTO JAY SM ITH

KITTY CALHOUN ON FIRST ASCENT IN AK SU, KYRKYGZSTAN.

• Kitty Calhoun, a longtime guide and Chicks co-owner, who in 1990 led a small expedition and summited Makalu via the West Pillar, becoming the first female to climb an 8,000m peak by a technically difficult route. • Steph Davis, the first woman to solo 5.11 and the second woman to free-climb El Cap in a day. In addition, she is known for her BASE jumping and wing suit achievements. • Chantelle Astorga, who with Mayan Gobat Smith made the first all-female Half-Dome/El Cap link-up in 2012. This summer, she and Anne Gilbert Chase did the first all-female ascent of the Slovak route on Denali, earning a Piolet d’Or shout-out. • Caroline Gleich, an intrepid environmental activist who in 2017 skied all 90 lines in Andrew McLean’s guidebook to steep lines in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. • Hilaree Nelson, who in 2018 became the first earthling to ski from the summit of Lhotse and was recognized as National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. (She has also skied from the summit of Cho Oyu.) “It’s gonna be not so much about Chicks as recognizing women’s achievements and what we do with that from here,” explained Calhoun. “Women have been excelling, along with men, in the mountains since the late 1800s, and we would like to take this opportunity to celebrate their extraordinary achievements.”

MEET THE MUSICIANS PHOTO ER IK A EVE PLUM M ER

Bibi McGill

CHICKS 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FRIDAY, JAN. 25, 7:30 P.M. PETZL PARTY – SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 10 P.M OURAY COMMUNITY CENTER

Rapidgrass

KICKOFF PARTY THURSDAY, JAN. 24, 7:30 P.M. OURAY COMMUNITY CENTER

Homegrown Colorado bluegrass band Rapidgrass crafts songs and lyrics in celebration of mountains and whitewater rapids. The band mixes French gypsy swing influences with folk and bluegrass, pop and swing, writing songs that wax poetic about mountain beauty, how much it sucks to get stuck in Interstate 70 traffic, and the sweetness of going on a trail run and ending up at the ruins of an 1800s-era mine. Band members are active in the Colorado outdoor lifestyle – trail running, skiing, fly fishing. The group typically plays venues situated at the base of ski resorts or nestled among small mountain towns – locations that make balancing professional music careers with outdoor passions totally feasible. The lineup includes Mark Morris (guitar, lead vocals); Coleman Smith (violin); Carl Minorkey (upright bass); Alex Johnstone (mandolin, vocals); and Billy Cardine (dobro, recording producer). Rapidgrass is currently finishing its fourth studio album, “Gypsy Cattle Drive”, and first live album, both recorded in Chamonix, France in August 2018. The band has performed throughout Colorado, Alaska, the lower 48, Ireland, Hungary, Scotland, Poland and the European Alps, and is eager to share new music with you at the Ouray Ice Festival. Happy Trails!

Equal parts Beyoncé and Birkenstocks, on-stage ferocity and off-stage Zen, Denver native Bibi McGill stands out like a female Lenny Kravitz with her Afro and tattoos, rock star style and magnetic presence. A guitarist, yogini, producer and DJ, McGill is best known as the former lead guitarist and musical director of Beyoncé’s backing band, the Suga Mamas, as well as for her work with Pink, Paulina Rubio and Chilean rock group La Ley. McGill’s aggressive, funky and soulful rock style of guitar playing has been often compared to Jimi Hendrix and Randy Rhoads. In 2017, Guitar Player Magazine named her one of the 50 most sensational female guitarists of all time. In 2015, she made the cover of She Shreds, a magazine that celebrates female guitarists. McGill last toured with Beyoncé in 2014. Since then, she has been focusing on other things that she is passionate about – teaching yoga at Root Whole Body in Portland, Oregon, where she moved in 2007; hosting tea ceremonies; playing devotional Sanskrit music with Kirtan artists and launching a line of vegan, raw, organic snacks made out of dehydrated kale. McGill frequently performs DJ sets at various festivals. Chicks Climbing and Skiing co-owner Kitty Calhoun saw McGill perform at Outessa at Rumney last fall and slipped her a Chicks sticker with her phone number on the back. “She called me and agreed to come play at the Ouray Ice Fest!” Calhoun said. In between McGill’s sets at the beginning of the Chicks 20th Anniversary Celebration on Friday night and the Petzl Party on Saturday night, she looks forward to giving ice climbing a try.

PRESENTATION | FEATURE | SPONSORS & BUSINESS PARTNERS | MEMORIAM | SCHEDULE

Presenter Profile

Marcus Garcia

The Art of the Mentor BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 6:30 P.M. OURAY COMMUNITY CENTER SPONSORED BY LOWA, TRANGO AND ADIDAS

arcus Garcia has always had a gift for transforming his dreams into reality, and for inspiring others to do the same. Recently, the renowned climber from Durango, Colo. came across a quote in his old high school yearbook: “My dream is to be an Olympic athlete, and to have a gym of my own.” Garcia never did become an Olympic athlete. But today, he’s the owner of a busy climbing gym in Durango called the Rock Lounge, where he coaches a team of talented young climbers who may become the first U.S. Olympic ice climbers. Competitive ice climbing debuted as an exhibition sport at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014. The sport is currently being considered for full-scale Olympic inclusion in the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. Garcia’s goal is to make that happen, and to cultivate an American team to compete there. “To have an Olympic sport for the US, you have to have people growing into the sport to even stand a chance,” Garcia said. That was his impetus several years ago to create the first-ever USA Youth Ice Climbing Team – largely comprised of Durango youth climbers.

The team has been crushing it – from the UIAA Ice Climbing World Youth Championships in 2017 to the 2018 Lillehammer Junior Olympics where they participated in an exhibition to teach ice climbing to other youth athletes from around the world. The next big push is a World Cup competition in Denver, coming up in late February 2019. Garcia, the competition director, sees such events as opportunities to increase awareness and visibility of ice and mixed climbing in the U.S. He has Olympic-sized aspirations for the sport’s future, but acknowledges that first, “People need to understand what this sport is.” In addition to coaching youth and advancing the cause of ice climbing on the Olympic stage, Garcia is also a frequent competitor and instructor at the Ouray Ice Festival. He topped the podium in the LOWA Speed Climbing Competition in 2016 and 2017, and came in second place behind his protégé Liam Foster in 2018. At his first-ever Ice Fest presentation on Saturday night, Garcia plans to talk about the lost art of mentoring, with a special nod to his first mentor – his mother – who just passed away. “I love teaching and sharing my skills and dreams with others,” he said. “It is up to the more skilled climbers like myself, and the gym owners, to help educate others, and to share what climbing is about—the life adventures that climbing takes us on.” P HO T O B Y DAN CHE HAY L

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PH OTO AN DY H OU SEMAN

PH OTO PAU L RAMSD EN

Presenter Profile

Nick Bullock The Great Escape BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 6:30 P.M. OURAY COMMUNITY CENTER SPONSORED BY MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT

ick Bullock has been out there climbing full-time for the better half of his working life. The worse half was spent as a guard and physical education instructor inside a maximum-security jail with some of Britain’s most notorious criminals. One day, after one too many close encounters with the special breed of hatred and violence that pervaded those prison walls, Bullock finally realized that he was paying the ultimate price – with his own health and happiness – for the socalled security and stability of a regular paycheck and a “job for life”. So Bullock ditched his prison job, rented out his house, and set out in 2003 to live in a van and become a full-time climber and writer. With the rent income plus a bit of savings and some freelance writing assignments, Bullock thought he’d have enough money to make it a year or two before he’d have to go back to the real world and get a real job. Instead, a couple dozen expeditions and countless ascents on rock and ice later, Bullock has become one of Britain’s finest alpinists and rock climbers. Today, at 53, Bullock’s appetite for climbing is as fierce as ever. And his writing is as

bold and honest as his climbs; he is a prodigious blogger and has authored two critically acclaimed memoirs about climbing: “Echoes: One Climber’s Hard Road to Freedom” published in 2012, and “Tides, A Climber’s Voyage” which just came out last May. As many close shaves as Bullock’s had in the mountains, he readily admits it’s still “comfort and routine” that scare him the most. ”Perhaps being from a working class background made me want to suffer a bit in life,” he mused. “And a lot of the things going on in a prison made the things going on outside when I was out climbing seem not too bad, really.” Bullock has climbed in a lot of pretty places (including, most recently, an aborted attempt on the south face of Gonga Shan in Sichuan Province, China) but he has yet to swing an ice ax in Ouray – a situation he hopes to remedy when he travels here in January to give a keynote presentation at the 2019 Ouray Ice Festival. Bullock reckons he’ll talk about his addiction to winter climbing in Scotland, his ice climbing misadventures with Steve House in Chamonix… and maybe that time when he and Paul Ramsden won the Piolet D’Or for climbing the virgin north face of the 7,000-meter Nyainqentangla in Tibet. And, he promises he’ll talk about the bear. ( Just put Nick Bullock + Grizzly Bear into Google if you’re wondering.)

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OURAY ICE FESTIVAL 2019 SPONSORS TITLE AND FOOTWEAR

APPAREL AND EQUIPMENT

TITLE MEDIA

OFFICIAL

OFFICIAL ROPE SPONSOR

HARI BERGER SPEED COMP SPONSOR

OFFICIAL BEER SPONSOR

SUPPORTING

CONTRIBUTING

GEAR SPONSORS STIO JULBO PROTOGEAR HEAT FACTORY DR. BRONNERS SUMMIT ASCENTS INTERNATIONAL 46

CLIMBING ADVOCACY PARTNERS ACCESS FUND AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB BIG CITY MOUNTAINEERS CHICKS CLIMBING & SKIING US FOREST SERVICE PARADOX SPORTS WESTERN COLORADO ALLIANCE

CITY OF OURAY OURAY HYDROELECTRIC COLORADO OUTDOOR RECREATION INDUSTRY OFFICE TAP-IN COLORADO SOMETHING INDEPENDENT

LOCAL BUSINESS PARTNERS CLIMBING ICON

FIRST ASCENSIONIST

The Wiesbaden Hot Springs Spa & Lodging

ROUTE SETTER KJ WOOD DISTILLERS HOT SPRINGS INN OURAY GLASSWORKS AND GIFTS

OURAY HOT SPRINGS POOL AND FITNESS CENTER OURAY LIQUORS

WHITTWORKS PAINTING MOUSE’S CHOCOLATE GOLDBELT BAR AND GRILL

LEAD CLIMBER ALPLILY INN CITIZENS STATE BANK TIMBERLINE DELI ARTISAN BAKERY OURAY HARDWARE AND MERCANTILE MR. GRUMPY PANTS BREWING COMPANY OURAY HOSTEL CANYONING COLORADO

OURAY REAL ESTATE COMPANY HOTEL OURAY THAI CHILI OURAY RIDWAY ADVENTURE SPORTS THE PURPLE PEACOCK TWIN PEAKS LODGE AND HOTSPRINGS WESTERN SLOPE RIDES

BELAYERS OURAY BROKERS OURAY MEAT & CHEESE ELEVATE WELLNESS SPA OUTLAW RESTAURANT

SALON MONTI KRISTOPHER’S CULINAIRE HIGH COUNTRY LEATHERS MOUNTAIN FEVER SHIRTS AND GIFTS

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P H OTO OURAY ICE PARK

BEYOND THE ICE FEST Kids Climbing College

P H OTO R H YS R O B E RT S

Demo Days Ice Fest weekend is awesome, but why let the fun stop there? If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve caught the ice-climbing bug, check out our Demo Days throughout the ice climbing season! Ouray Ice Park Demo Days feature top brands in the outdoor industry, offering participants the opportunity to test-drive some great gear. Stop by the Ice Park on Feb. 16-18, 2019, for Black Diamond Demo Days. Try out their new Reactor ice tools, or their ultralight ice screws for the day. More Demo Days from other top brands are in the planning stages. Stay tuned to ourayicepark.com and the Ouray Ice Park Facebook page for updated information. 48

Held at the Ouray Ice Park several times throughout the winter season, the Kids Climbing College (KCC) is a super fun, free way for children ages 7-17 to give ice climbing a try. As always, KCC will be set up during the 2019 Ouray Ice Festival on Jan. 26 and 27 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. daily, with additional dates on first Saturdays in January, February and March (Jan. 5, Feb. 2 and March 2) from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The action happens at the Kids Wall, a specially developed 40-foot high, 140-foot wide slab of ice located along the road near the Ice Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s upper bridge, with easy walk-up access. It features a dozen different routes with various levels of difficulty for beginners to more experienced climbers. The KCC is free, on a first-come, first-served basis. San Juan Mountain Guides provides all of the technical gear, including harnesses, helmets, boots, crampons and ice tools. Participants should bring: an adult to sign paperwork, warm clothes, gloves, winter boots and a warm hat. (Ski clothes work well.) Participants and their families should park in the designated Ice Park parking areas and walk up the road to the Kids Wall. For more information please visit San Juan Mountain Guides at mtnguide.net.

IN MEMORIAM Jeff Lowe Artist. Climber extraordinaire. Humanist. Dear friend. Influential and beloved mountaineer. Jeff Lowe was many things to many people. Around Ouray, he was known as the Godfather of the Ouray Ice Festival. In those early years when Lowe ran the show, it was called the Arctic Wolf Ouray Ice Festival after Lowe’s company of the time. Lowe’s well-publicized climbing feats and rock star good looks had made him a living legend by then, and the festival he started rapidly evolved into one of the most successful climbing rendezvous in the world. Lowe bequeathed the Ouray Ice Festival to the nonprofit Ouray Ice Park, Inc. in 2002 – about the time that his health started to deteriorate from a mysterious motor neuron disease that was never adequately diagnosed, and which ultimately took

Pat O’Donnell The very first president of Ouray Ice Park, Inc. passed away peacefully in Phoenix, Ariz. on Friday Nov. 9, 2018. Patrick (Pat) O’Donnell lived a lively life and was successful in all his endeavors. In his early years he was a tireless supporter of the Boy Scouts of America and won its highest award, the Silver Beaver Award, for distinguished work with youth. Later in life he was a highly sought-after manufacturing specialist and senior manager for General Motors, Martin Marietta’s space shuttle

his life. He returned to the Ice Fest as often as he could throughout his illness, even after he became wheelchair-bound and had to communicate with the aid of a talking iPad. Lowe loved the Fest, loved the Tribe, loved how they grew organically together over the years – with a lot of positive energy, and no sharp delineation between the old guard and the new. As Lowe’s body fell apart, he remained infinitely curious about what his final adventure into the unknown might have store. He found out on Aug. 24, 2018, when he departed this material plane at age 67, sending ripples across the universe of climbers whose lives he illuminated. As one of his old students and friends said: “He opened a huge world to so many of us.” On Facebook, Lowe’s daughter Sonja described his last few days as “a beautiful whirlwind of laughter, tears, sadness and new friendships... We laughed, cried and honored his life and the many climbs and many lessons he experienced, and had a three-day celebratory party with him as the guest of honor and the one bringing us all together.” Just as he has brought us all together, here in Ouray, for yet another Gathering of the Tribe.

program and MX missile project. But O’Donnell can be best remembered for his later years in Ouray, where he lived a quiet, simple life as a high mountain Jeep tour guide and local historian along with being the first president of the Ouray Ice Park board. O’Donnell was integrally involved in the formation of OIPI and was a tireless volunteer during those early years as the Ice Park began to take shape. He brought a wealth of business and organizational skills to the team, and was a trusted representative in the community. O’Donnell will be remembered for the fatherly presence he brought to the community of Ouray, and the Ouray Ice Park in particular. His laughter filled up the room and he will be sorely missed by all that had the pleasure to know him.

PRESENTATION | FEATURE | SPONSORS & BUSINESS PARTNERS | MEMORIAM | SCHEDULE

FULL DAY SEMINARS # TIME

SPONSOR

JANUARY 24, 2019 THURSDAY T1 0730-1530 SJ MTN GUIDES T2 0730-1530 SJ MTN GUIDES T3 0730-1530 SJ MTN GUIDES T4 0730-1530 SJ MTN GUIDES T5 0730-1530 SJ MTN GUIDES T6 0730-1530 SJ MTN GUIDES T7 0730-1530 SJ MTN GUIDES T8 0730-1530 SJ MTN GUIDES JANUARY 25, 2019 FRIDAY A 0930-1500 STERLING ROPE B 0930-1500 LOWA C 0930-1500 AMGA D 0930-1500 MAMMUT E 0930-1500 OUTDOOR RESEARCH F 0800-1500 LA SPORTIVA G 0800-1500 CAMP H 0930-1500 CAMP I 0930-1500 ADIDAS JANUARY 26, 2019 SATURDAY J 0930-1500 BLUE WATER ROPES K 0930-1500 GRIVEL L 0930-1500 STERLING ROPE M 0930-1500 OUTDOOR RESEARCH N 0800-1500 OSPREY O 0800-1500 ADIDAS P 0930-1500 GRIVEL Q 0930-1500 CAMP JANUARY 27, 2019 SUNDAY Q 0930-1500 CAMP

ATHLETE

SEMINAR

ELIAS MARTOS SHELDON KERR MICAH LEWKOWITZ CHAD PEELE MARCUS GARCIA ANDRES MARIN CLINT COOK STEVE JOHNSON

GUIDED ASCENT: WHOREHOUSE ICE HOSE GUIDED ASCENT: SKYLIGHT AREA PERFECTING ICE MOVEMENT SKILLS INTRODUCTION TO ICE CLIMBING INTRO TO MIXED CLIMBING LEARN TO LEAD ICE GUIDED ASCENT: STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN INTERMEDIATE ICE CLIMBING

JIM SHIMBERG JESS ROSSKELLY ANGELA HAWSE DOUG SHEPHERD JEWELL LUND KARSTEN DELAP NATE SMITH RYAN VACHON DEVO DERBY

INTERMEDIATE ICE NOVICE ICE INTERMEDIATE ICE LEARN TO LEAD ICE LEARN TO LEAD ICE: WOMEN’S SPECIFIC BACKCOUNTRY ICE CLIMBING: SKYLIGHT AREA BACKCOUNTRY ICE CLIMBING: OURAY AREA MIXED CLIMBING: PUSH YOUR GRADES INTRO TO ICE CLIMBING

KARSTEN DELAP NIKKI SMITH JIM SHIMBERG MARGOT TALBOT ELIAS MARTOS JAYSON SIMON-JONES SHINGO OHKAWA NATE SMITH

INTRO TO ICE CLIMBING NOVICE ICE INTERMEDIATE ICE LEARN TO LEAD ICE BACKCOUNTRY ICE CLIMBING: SKYLIGHT AREA BACKCOUNTRY ICE CLIMBING: OURAY AREA INTERMEDIATE ICE FAST N’ LIGHT ALPINISM

NATE SMITH

FAST N’ LIGHT ALPINISM

FOR CLINIC DETAILS VISIT MTNGUIDE.NET/OURAY-ICE-CLIMBING/OURAY-ICE-FESTIVAL-CLINICS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 25 # SPONSOR

ATHLETE

AM HALF DAY CLINICS 0900 – 1130 1 PATAGONIA KITTY CALHOUN 2 GRIVEL AARON MULKEY 3 GRIVEL ALAN ROUSSEAU 4 ASOLO REBECCA LEWIS 5 GRIVEL SHINGO OHKAWA 6 BLACK DIAMOND TBD 7 VINCE ANDERSON VINCE ANDERSON 8 SCARPA ANDRES MARIN 9 PETZL ANNA PFAFF 10 RAB TBD 11 LOWA MARCUS GARCIA 12 THE NORTH FACE SAM ELIAS 13 OUTDOOR RESEARCH DAWN GLANC 14 ADIDAS JAYSON SIMONS-JONES 15 OUTDOOR RESEARCH SARAH HUENIKEN 16 LA SPORTIVA DALE REMSBERG 17 ARCTERYX WILL GADD PM HALF DAY CLINICS 1230 – 1500 18 OSPREY MARCUS GARCIA 19 SCARPA KITTY CALHOUN 20 ASOLO NATHAN KUTCHER 21 GRIVEL SHINGO OHKAWA 22 RAB AARON MULKEY 23 PETZL PATRICK ORMOND 24 LOWA ROBERT JASPER 25 THE NORTH FACE ANDRES MARIN 26 ADIDAS JASON SIMONS-JONES 27 OUTDOOR RESEARCH MARGO TALBOT 28 MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT CHANTAL ASTORGA 29 SCARPA WILL GADD 30 OUTDOOR RESEARCH GRAHAM ZIMMERMAN 31 THE NORTH FACE ANNA PFAFF 32 GRIVEL ALAN ROUSSEAU 33 PATAGONIA VINCE ANDERSON 34 BLUE WATER ROPES DAWN GLANC 35 STERLING ROPE DALE REMSBERG 36 BLUE WATER ROPES CHAD JUKES 37 OUTDOOR RESEARCH SARAH HUENIKEN

CLINICS

CLINIC

INTERMEDIATE ICE STEEP ICE INTERMEDIATE ICE NOVICE ICE: WOMEN SPECIFIC INTRO TO ICE INTERMEDIATE ICE STEEP ICE TECHNIQUES MODERATE MIXED INTRO TO ICE INTRO TO ICE INTRO TO ICE - EFFICIENCY OF MOVEMENT INTRO TO LEADING ICE NOVICE ICE: FOCUS ON YOUR FOOTWORK INTRO TO ICE INTRO TO MIXED CLIMBING INTERMEDIATE ICE: FOOTWORK FUNDAMENTALS ADVANCED ICE INTERMEDIATE ICE: FOCUS ON FOOTWORK WOMEN’S SPECIFIC: FOCUS ON FOOTWORK STEEP ICE TECHNIQUES NOVICE ICE: FOCUS ON FOOTWORK SKILLS FOR THE ICE LEADER INTERMEDIATE ICE HARD ICE MODERATE MIXED NOVICE ICE INTRO TO ICE FOR WOMEN INTRO TO ICE NOVICE ICE ADVANCED ICE INTRO TO MIXED CLIMBING ICE ANCHORS INTERMEDIATE ICE BELAYS & TRANSITIONS FOR MULTI-PITCH ICE INTRO TO ICE LEADING ADAPTIVE ICE CLIMBING - PARADOX SPORTS INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED TECHNIQUES: WOMEN

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 26

CLINICS

CLINIC

SPONSOR

ATHLETE

AM HALF DAY CLINICS 0900 – 1130 38 OUTDOOR RESEARCH DAWN GLANC 39 HYPERLITE JANETTE HEUNG 40 STERLING ROPE ANGELA HAWSE 41 ADIDAS MARCUS GARCIA 42 BLACK DIAMOND CLINT COOK 43 LOWA JESS ROSKELLEY 44 PETZL DALE REMSBERG 45 THE NORTH FACE DAVID ALLFREY 46 MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT CHANTAL ASTORGA 47 GRIVEL ALAN ROUSSEAU 48 OUTDOOR RESEARCH GRAHAM ZIMMERMAN 49 RAB AARON MULKEY 50 BLUEWATER ROPES CHAD JUKES 51 SCARPA KITTY CALHOUN 52 MAMMUT DOUG SHEPHERD PM HALF DAY CLINICS 1230 – 1500 53 THE NORTH FACE ANNA PFAFF 54 ADIDAS MARCUS GARCIA 55 BLACK DIAMOND CLINT COOK 56 TRANGO ARI NOVAK 57 OUTDOOR RESEARCH INTERMEDIATE ICE 58 MAMMUT DOUG SHEPHERD 59 PETZL DALE REMSBERG 60 PATAGONIA KITTY CALHOUN 61 LOWA ROBERT JASPER 62 OUTDOOR RESEARCH GRAHAM ZIMMERMAN 63 ADIDAS WADE SPINER 64 GRIVEL ALAN ROUSSEAU 65 SCARPA ANGELA HAWSE 66 BLUEWATER ROPES CHAD JUKES 67 MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT CHANTAL ASTORGA

INTERMEDIATE ICE USING YOUR HIPS FOR MAX BALANCE AND SECURITY WOMEN’S SPECIFIC: FOCUS ON YOUR FOOTWORK NOVICE ICE ADVANCED ICE INTERMEDIATE ICE STEEP ICE TECHNIQUES INTRO TO ICE LEADING NOVICE ICE: WOMEN’S SPECIFIC MODERATE MIXED INTRO TO ICE LEADING SKILLS FOR THE ICE LEADER NOVICE ICE ICE SCREW PLACEMENTS & ANCHORS BELAYS & TRANSITIONS FOR MULTI-PITCH ICE STEEP ICE TECHNIQUES INTERMEDIATE ICE INTERMEDIATE ICE: BALANCE & EFFICIENCY NOVICE ICE: FOCUS ON YOUR FOOTWORK INTERMEDIATE ICE ADVANCED ICE LEADING STEEP ICE MODERATE MIXED FOR WOMEN INTRO TO ICE LEADING ADVANCED ICE NOVICE ICE INTERMEDIATE ICE – LEASHLESS CLIMBING TECHNIQUES BELAYS & TRANSITIONS FOR MULTI-PITCH ICE ADAPTIVE ICE CLIMBING – PARADOX SPORTS NOVICE TO INTERMEDIATE: WOMEN’S SPECIFIC

FOR CLINIC DETAILS VISIT MTNGUIDE.NET/OURAY-ICE-CLIMBING/OURAY-ICE-FESTIVAL-CLINICS

SUNDAY, JANUARY 27 # SPONSOR

ATHLETE

AM HALF DAY CLINICS 0900 – 1130 68 THE NORTH FACE SAM ELIAS 69 ADIDAS WADE SPINER 70 GRIVEL AARON MULKEY 71 PETZL ANDRES MARIN 72 BLUE WATER ROPES CHAD JUKES 73 LOWA JESS ROSSKELLY 74 LA SPORTIVA ANNA PFAFF 75 CAMP RYAN VACHON 76 PETZL PATRICK ORMOND 77 OSPREY MARCUS GARCIA 78 SCARPA VINCE ANDERSON 79 ASOLO REBECCA LEWIS 80 OUTDOOR RESEARCH SARAH HUENIKEN 81 ASOLO NATHAN KUTCHER 82 GRIVEL ALAN ROUSSEAU 83 ADIDAS JAYSON SIMONS-JONES 84 OUTDOOR RESEARCH CLINT COOK 85 OUTDOOR RESEARCH GRAHAM ZIMMERMAN 86 LA SPORTIVA ARI NOVAK 87 BLUE WATER ROPES DAWN GLANC

CLINICS

CLINIC

INTERMEDIATE ICE INTERMEDIATE ICE: MOVING WITH EFFICIENCY INTERMEDIATE ICE: FOOTWORK FUNDAMENTALS NOVICE ICE INTRO TO ICE CLIMBING INTERMEDIATE ICE STEEP ICE TECHNIQUES LEASHLESS CLIMBING FOR TOOL TECHNIQUES RESCUE CLINIC: THE SECOND INTERMEDIATE MIXED CLIMBING ADVANCED ICE INTRO TO ICE CLIMBING STEEP ICE TECHNIQUES INTRO TO MIXED CLIMBING INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED ICE BELAYS & TRANSITIONS FOR MULTI-PITCH ICE SKILLS FOR THE ICE LEADER INTRO/INTERMEDIATE MIXED CLIMBING NOVICE ICE LEARN TO LEAD ICE

FOR CLINIC DETAILS VISIT MTNGUIDE.NET/OURAY-ICE-CLIMBING/OURAY-ICE-FESTIVAL-CLINICS

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THE 24TH ANNUAL OURAY ICE FESTIVAL THURSDAY, JAN. 24

SCHEDULE

KICK-OFF PARTY

SPONSORED BY RAB AND THE AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB MUSIC BY RAPIDGRASS, SILENT AUCTION, BEER PROVIDED BY UPSLOPE BREWING COMPANY LOCATION: OURAY COMMUNITY CENTER TIME: 7:30 P.M.-9:30 P.M., DOORS OPEN AT 7 P.M. PRICE: $10

FRIDAY, JAN. 25 OUTDOOR GEAR EXPO LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK TIME: 8 A.M.-3 P.M.

OURAY ICE FESTIVAL CLINICS LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK TIME: 9:30 A.M. & 12:30 P.M.

FREE ADULT WALK-UP CLIMBING LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK (NEAR THE UPPER BRIDGE) TIME: 10 A.M.-3 P.M.

CHICKS CLIMBING AND SKIING 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

FREE KIDS CLIMBING COLLEGE LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK (NEAR THE UPPER BRIDGE)

TIME: 10 A.M.-3 P.M.

LIVE AUCTION JEFF LOWE AWARD & SAVOYE AWARD MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATIONS BEER PROVIDED BY UPSLOPE BREWING COMPANY LOCATION: OURAY COMMUNITY CENTER TIME: 6:30 P.M.-9 P.M., DOORS OPEN AT 6 P.M. PRICE: $25 PRESENTATION 1: MARCUS GARCIA PRESENTATION 2: NICK BULLOCK

PETZL PARTY

MUSIC BY DJ BIBI MCGILL, BEER PROVIDED BY UPSLOPE BREWING COMPANY LOCATION: OURAY COMMUNITY CENTER (340 6TH AVE) THEME: STEAM PUNK TIME: 10 P.M. - 1 A.M. PRICE: $20

SUNDAY, JAN. 27 OUTDOOR GEAR EXPO LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK

TIME: 8 A.M.-2 P.M.

SHORT FILM & PANEL DISCUSSION, DJ BIBI MCGILL DANCE PARTY, SILENT AUCTION AND BEER PROVIDED BY UPSLOPE BREWING COMPANY LOCATION: OURAY COMMUNITY CENTER TIME: 7:30 P.M.-9:30 P.M., DOORS OPEN AT 7 P.M. PRICE: $25

OURAY ICE FESTIVAL CLINICS

SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 2019

FREE KIDS CLIMBING COLLEGE

OURAY ICE FESTIVAL ELITE MIXED CLIMBING COMPETITION LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK TIME: 9 A.M.-3 P.M.

OUTDOOR GEAR EXPO

LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK TIME: 9:30 A.M. & 12:30 P.M.

FREE ADULT WALK-UP CLIMBING LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK (NEAR THE UPPER BRIDGE) LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK (NEAR THE UPPER BRIDGE)

TIME: 10 A.M.-2 P.M.

TIME: 10 A.M.-3 P.M.

HARI BERGER SPEED COMPETITION SPONSORED BY LOWA LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK

TIME: 9 A.M.

LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK TIME: 8 A.M.-3 P.M.

ASOLO AWARDS CEREMONY

OURAY ICE FESTIVAL CLINICS

TIME: 1 P.M.

FREE ADULT WALK-UP CLIMBING

MEMORIAL GATHERING IN CELEBRATION OF JEFF LOWE, PAT Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;DONNELL, CHARLOTTE FOX AND OTHERS

LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK TIME: 9:30 A.M. & 12:30 P.M. LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK (NEAR THE UPPER BRIDGE) TIME: 10 A.M.-3 P.M.

LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK, LOWER BRIDGE

LOCATION: OURAY ICE PARK (NEAR THE UPPER BRIDGE)

TIME: 2 P.M.

ALL FUNDS RAISED AT OURAY ICE FESTIVAL EVENTS ARE USED TO MAINTAIN AND OPERATE THE OURAY ICE PARK 54

Summit Sealants wishes you a great Ice Festival! www.summitsealants.com

The Summit Sealants crew takes a little work vacation to climb a pile of desert icicles in Western Colorado. Grant Kleeves leads while belayed by Stephen Berwanger. Photo: Jason Nelson 55

Ouray Chalet Inn

centrally located in downtown Ouray

great rooms warm hospitality short walk to Ice Park

ouraychaletinn.com

1-800-924-2538 or 1-970-325-4331

THE LOCAL EXPERTS ICE . SKI . ALPINE . AVY

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970. 325. 4925