Ouray ice Festival 2014

THE OFFICIAL

2014

OURAY

ICE FESTIVAL

GUIDE JAN 9 - 12

Kristen KELLIHER YOUNGEST FEMALE HIGHPOINTER

Adrian BALLINGER MOTHER OF ALL MUSHROOMS

Kyle DEMPSTER THE ROAD FROM KARAKOL

Ueli STECK

THE SWISS MACHINE

Aaron MULKEY

U P D AT E D

ICE Farmers

I N S I D E

THE PATRIARCH OF CODY ICE

OURAY ICE PARK MAP

LIVING THE DREAM!

OURAYICEPARK.COM

Published by The Watch

The Comfort Inn速 Hotel is ideally located in the heart of the national historic district of the Little Switzerland of America. Nearby attractions include the Ouray Ice Park ice climbing facility, the Cascade Falls Park, Ridgway State Park, the San Juan Skyway scenic byway, Ouray Hot Springs Pool and Park and the Ouray County Museum. Stay includes Full Hot Breakfast.

20% DISCOUNT

(on phone reservations only)

WITH ICE PARK MEMBERSHIP

Phone: (970) 325-7203 Fax: (970) 325-4389 191 5th Ave., Ouray, CO, 81427

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www.OurayComfortInn.net

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|

Eiger |

FIRST ASCENT: July 24, 1938 CLIMBERS: Andrel Heckmair, Ludwig Vörg, Fritz Kasparek, Heinrich Harrer

VISIT ASOLO AT THE OURAY ICE FESTIVAL FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW LINE OF ALPINE PRODUCTS.

Eiger GV Carbon + Kevlar Frame SuperFabric Gaiter Gore-Tex ® Duratherm Lining

www.asolo-usa.com Attend the Ouray Ice Festival January 9-13

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Enjoy a Magical Evening in Ouray

- Ultra Clean Nicely Appointed Rooms - On Site Natural Hot Spring Tubs C o m e S o a k - S t a y - E n j o y O u r a y ’s

Great D ining and Shopping

w w w.B ox C anyon O u r ay. c om 8 0 0 .3 2 7 .5 0 8 0 | 9 7 0 . 3 2 5 . 4 9 8 1 3 4 5 T h i rd Ave nu e | P. O. B ox 4 3 9 4

CONTENTS | WELCOME | ABOUT US | HOW TO | SCHEDULE | MAP | COMPETITIONS

CONTENTS

7 THE GENESIS OF THE OURAY ICE PARK 8 THE OURAY ICE PARK TODAY 10 ABOUT OURAY 12 HOW TO ICE FEST 14 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE 18 CLINIC SCHEDULES 19-21 MAP 24 WELCOME

28 ONGOING ACTIVITIES 30 SPECIAL EVENTS 32 FEATURED SPEAKERS 35 & PRESENTATIONS THE COMPETITIONS

42 TECH TALK 44 ICE FARMING 101 46 IN MEMORIAM 50 DEMO DAYS & FEM FEST

PUBLISHERS Seth Cagin, Marta Tarbell; The Watch (970) 728-4496 | EDITOR Samantha Tisdel Wright ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Heather Zeilman | ADVERTISING SALES Zackery Slaughter, WRITERS Samuel Adams, Peter Shelton, Marta Tarbell, Samantha Tisdel Wright, Leslie Vreeland ART DIRECTOR Barbara Kondracki | AD DESIGNER Nate Moore | COVER ARTIST Stormy Pyeatte; www.stormypyeatte.com

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Ice FestIval

specIals $8 Ice screw sharpening 10% Off climbing Gear Ice tools – Ice screws crampons – Harnesses Ice climbing Boots – Ropes carabiners & Hardware valid through Monday Januar y 14th, 2013

O pen e veryday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

—

732 Main Street, Ouray

(970)325-4284

ch n u L , h c n u r B , st fa k a re B • New Orleans Fare

7a m - 2p

nd @ 63 0 M ai n St re et m • Hi dd en be lo w Gr ou

, Ou ra y • 97 0-32 5-20 42

cavallosrest@gmail.com www.cavallosrestaurant.com

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Welcome to the 19th Annual

OURAY ICE FESTIVAL When I moved to Ouray over a decade ago, I didn’t know the difference between an ice axe and a hammer. Why go hang out on an icicle with so much great skiing around? But late one winter season, on a run through the Ice Park, I caught a sense of something. I can’t really explain it – just a group of climbers experiencing the magic of this unique place and the camaraderie that comes with it. I had to try it!

At the beginning of the next season, San Juan Mountain Guides was offering “Learn to Ice Climb” clinics on opening day. Perfect for a gumby like me! I pulled on my ski pants, borrowed some ice tools, and stumbled and bumbled my way to the bottom of the School Room with a handful of other Elite Mixed Climbing Comp hopefuls.

After a little while spent practicing swinging and kicking exercises that must have made us look like a group of 8-year-olds on the first night of karate class, it was finally time to climb. Once my turn came around I tied in, approached the bottom of the climb, looked up and reached back with my ice tool.

At that instant my life was split into two epochs: before I was an ice climber and after.

On behalf of my fellow volunteer board members, welcome to the 19th annual Ouray Ice Festival. This eclectic gathering of ice climbers, gear manufacturers and ice climbing enthusiasts was

started by the great Jeff Lowe in 1996, and is now widely recognized as the premier event of its kind.

Each year familiar faces return to climb, socialize, test out the latest equipment and watch the pros power their way up the latest competition route. Thank you for supporting the Ouray Ice Park, enjoy the Fest and keep ’em swinging!

Mike MacLeod, President Board of Directors Ouray Ice Park, Inc.

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ICE

ICE BABY

The Genesis of the Ouray Ice Park

BY PETER SHELTON

Back in the early 1980s, Ouray in winter was essentially Rip Van Winkleville. Driving through town on our way to skiing the backcountry, some mornings there wasn’t a single car on Main Street, no human form stirring in the frosty air.

Then a remarkable and unlikely thing happened. People started coming to Ouray to climb manmade frozen waterfalls.

The genesis story of the Ouray Ice Park may be apocryphal, but I like it. It involves an old friend Bobo, née James Burwick, a jack-of-all-trades mountaineer come to the San Juans in the early 80s. One day, legend has it, he peered into the dark slit of the Uncompahgre River gorge upstream of the Camp Bird Road bridge and saw an 80-foot icicle dripping out of a leaky water pipe.

The old penstock (a hydroelectric pipeline) wound down the gorge from a dam a couple of miles upstream. And everywhere it leaked, there was another icicle. Bobo and friends rappelled down the cliffs and spidered back up the undulating ice. They wore 12-point crampons on their clunky mountaineering boots, wool pants and boiled-wool Dachstein mittens. When they reached the top – oops – their big, clumsy ice axes sometimes accidentally punched new holes in the metal pipe. Well, darned if a new climb didn’t 8

materialize after a few days or weeks.

Of course, Bobo wasn’t the first to climb ice around here. In 1974, ice pioneers Jeff Lowe and Mike Weiss climbed Telluride’s Bridal Veil Falls, the highest one-stage drop in Colorado, at 365 ft. ABC’s Wide World of Sports very publicly broadcast the attempt. The notoriety horrified the Idarado Mining Company, which owned the land. Lowe had to sneak past Idarado guards for subsequent climbs, as no landowner in those days would condone such death-defying craziness.

But Lowe wasn’t crazy; he was on the cutting edge. The sport evolved and grew (as did the infrastructure at what came to be known as the Ouray Ice Park), and in 1995, Lowe used his star power to bring climbing friends to Ouray for the first Arctic Wolf Ouray Ice Festival. Now the festival and its not-forprofit, free-to-everyone Ouray Ice Park, with its sophisticated plumbing and hundreds of manmade climbs, are world-renowned.

Ouray is famous again. Maybe even as famous as it was in the 1890s, when Camp Bird Mine owner Tom Walsh struck it rich and became a wealthy man, enabling his daughter, years later, to purchase the most famous jewel in the world: the ice-blue, 45.52-carat Hope Diamond.

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SERVING

LUNCH DINNER

15 YEARS OF EVOLUTION

AND

FROM 11 A.M. SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

HAPPY HOUR every day from 4 - 6 p.m.

Presented by

2014 ICE CLIMBING WOMEN’S

726 Main Street • 970-325-4386

www.ObriensPubOuray.com

CLINICS

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BILLOWING

BEAUTY

Ouray Ice Park Today

BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT

Two decades after it was founded, the Ouray Ice Park of today upholds the maverick, grassroots spirit of its founders, providing a mind-boggling variety of accessible, open and free ice-climbing terrain.

Every winter, from mid-December to late March, shaded 70-to-100 foot cliff faces, a plentiful municipal water supply, subzero overnight temperatures and an intrepid gang of “ice farmers” (yep, that’s their moniker) conspire to create exquisite frothy ribbons of steep blue ice that spill down into the Uncompahgre Gorge, drawing ice climbers and spectators from around the globe to hone their skills in the unique park, just a few minutes’ walk from downtown Ouray. (It’s not uncommon for people to run to town for a latte and be back on their climb a half-hour later.)

Jointly owned and managed by the City of Ouray, the nonprofit Ouray Ice Park, Inc., and a mix of other private and public landowners, the park has grown to span more than one mile of the Uncompahgre Gorge and offers more than three vertical miles of ice and mixed terrain 10

in about 200 identified routes equipped with dozens of fixed anchors and access points. It’s an awesome training ground for those who want to learn the sport.

In 2012 the City of Ouray purchased a significant portion of the land containing the Ouray Ice Park, ensuring the Park will continue in perpetuity. Continued development and management of the Park relies completely on donor support.

The Ice Park’s innovative gravity-fed plumbing system has improved considerably since the 1990s, when locals cobbled together a system of hoses, valves, shower heads and timed sprayers along the length of the old hydroelectric pipeline on the rim of the Uncompahgre Gorge.

Today, using more than 7,500 feet of pipe and 150 spray nozzles, over 150,000 gallons of highly pressurized spring water are sprayed on the canyon walls on a typical winter’s night.

The billowing blue beauty of the place, with its crystalline draperies and drippy frozen chandeliers, echoes with the sound of myriad languages and accents, and countless picks

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ABOUT OIPI WHO WE ARE

Ouray Ice Park, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation formed in 1997 to provide formal organization to what previously had been a loose grassroots effort to maintain and promote the Ouray Ice Park.

FUNDING STRUCTURE

OIPI relies solely on memberships, sponsorships, and donations to operate one of the premier ice climbing venues in the world. Approximately 70 percent of the funds needed to maintain the Ouray Ice Park are raised through the annual Ouray Ice Festival. The remaining operating budget comes from individual memberships and local business sponsorships.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP

Please consider becoming a member to help us maintain and operate the Ouray Ice Park. For more information about the benefits of becoming a Ouray Ice Park member please see page 48. To become a member, visit ourayicepark.com/about/membership/.

PRESERVING ACCESS

swinging into ice, for three-and-a-half magical months each winter.

San Juan Mountain Guides, a local outfitting company, holds the guiding concession in the Ouray Ice Park and allocates service days to other guides. Despite the high cost of its maintenance, the Park remains free and open for public use. In 20 years of operation, it has become one of the premier ice-climbing venues in the world.

Deep within its depths, you would never guess that a highway snakes past just over the lip of the canyon, and that a busy little town is just a few minutes’ walk away.

There’s no other place like this 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.

Every great climbing venue probably has a fascinating access story behind it. The Ouray Ice Park is no different. Unbeknownst to many climbers, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission-regulated hydroelectric facility runs right through the middle of it.

The facility belongs to Eric Jacobson, owner and operator of the Ouray Hydroelectric Plant. The plant itself is located in downtown Ouray, but its infrastructure includes a dam at the south end of the Ouray Ice Park and a 6,130-foot-long pressure pipeline, or penstock, with an accompanying easement that stretches right through the core of the Ice Park.

Jacobson is among the rare breed of benevolent private property owners sympathetic to climbers and their desire to climb on his property. He leases the use of his land in the Ouray Ice Park to the City of Ouray for recreational purposes for $1.00 a year. In return, the City provides Jacobson with liability protection.

This protection is strengthened through the Colorado Recreational Use Statute which provides that if an owner of land allows members of the general public to use the land for recreational purposes without charge, the owner is not liable for injury suffered by a recreational user.

This ongoing arrangement with Jacobson has been a critical ingredient for laying the foundation of the Ouray Ice Park.

“The truth is that without Eric’s early willingness to grant access, and his continued willingness to sign a lease with the City of Ouray, the Ouray Ice Park wouldn’t be what it is today,” said OIPI Board President Mike MacLeod.

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ABOUT OURAY Ouray is a quintessential mountain town. Often called “The Switzerland of America,” it nestles like a little jewel within a bracket of breathtaking peaks, with world-class outdoor recreation opportunities beckoning in all directions.

Ouray and the surrounding San Juan mountain range in southwestern Colorado are home to one of the greatest concentrations of

water ice climbs in North America. The range’s steep relief and deep gorges provide a superb venue for ice climbing. Roads carved into the sides of mountains – a legacy of Ouray’s rich mining history – provide stunning access to that terrain today.

In addition to being a premier ice-climbing venue, the mountains around Ouray provide

WHERE TO SOAK

Orvis Hot Springs – This small, clothing-optional facility just south of Ridgway offers private hot tubs and a natural outdoor hot springs pool where geothermal spring water bubbles up from a meadow under the shadow of 14,150 ft. Mt. Sneffels. Overnight guests have 24-hour access to the pools. Regular guests must leave at 10 p.m.

(1585 County Road 3, Ridgway; 970/626-5324; orvishotsprings.com)

Ouray Hot Springs Pool – On a chilly winter night, there is no place like the Ouray Hot Springs Pool for soaking away the thrills and spills of the day. This huge municipal outdoor pool filled with geothermal spring water is divided into areas that feature different temperatures for various activities and comfort levels, including a hot-soak section with water temperatures ranging between 104 to 106 degrees – very popular with the iceclimbing crowd! Winter hours are 12-9 p.m.

Monday to Friday, and 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. All Ouray Ice Park members enjoy half-price admission. Present your membership card at the door. (1230 Main St., Ouray; 970/3257073; on Facebook)

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Wiesbaden Hot Springs Spa – The Historic Wiesbaden Hot Springs Spa and Lodgings sits directly over the emanation points of several natural hot springs in the heart of downtown Ouray, with temperatures ranging from 78-128 degrees. Enter the spa’s vapor cave and soaking pool for a dark, steamy underworld soaking experience. Outside, enjoy a small hot springs swimming pool with untreated water so pure you could drink it, and the “Lorelei,” a secluded outdoor spa with its own tranquil soaking pool. A full range of spa treatments are offered. (625 5th St, Ouray; 970/325-4347; wiesbadenhotsprings.com)

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some of the best backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering terrain in the Rocky Mountain region. The Telluride ski area is a roughly onehour drive from downtown Ouray, and we also boast two groomed nordic ski areas. The Ouray area has you covered for any winter outdoor adventure – complete with local hot springs to relax in, when you are done.

Ouray is also a place of living history – settled by miners in the 1870s and named for the Ute leader Chief Ouray who once lived near here, and whose people frequented the area’s “sacred healing waters.” With its preponderance of lovely old historic buildings, the entire town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

WHERE TO PLAY

Backcountry Skiing – The most accessible stuff in Ouray County is found at the top of Red Mountain Pass. For a lift-served taste of extreme backcountry bliss, head on over the pass to Silverton Mountain.

Backcountry Ice Climbing – Ouray’s backcountry climbing scene begins at the Skylight area near the Camp Bird Mine up County Road 361. Quite a few other classics are within walking distance of town, or a short drive up the road – climbs like the Dexter Slab, Bear Creek Falls, Horsetail Falls, Skyrocket and Cascade Falls. Ice farmed in the shadows of the Uncompahgre Gorge tends to stay consistently good, but that’s not always the case with climbs out in the wilds, where conditions change from year to year, and sometimes day to day.

Nordic Skiing – Try Ironton Park on Red Mountain Pass, maintained by the Ouray County Nordic Council, and Top of the Pines, near Ridgway, with spectacular vistas of the Sneffels Range and eight kilometers of winter trails groomed for nordic skating and classic flat-track skiing. topofthepines.org, ouraytrails.org

San Juan Hut System – Five backcountry huts dot the northern flanks of the visually stunning 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. Hit one hut at a time, or travel from one to the next in a tour that can cover between four and 11 miles per day. sanjuanhuts.com Alpine & Heli Skiing – About an hour’s drive from Ouray, 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 with a vertical drop of 4,000 ft. Revelation Bowl offers lift-served backcountry skiing, while the Surge Air Garden is a snowboarder’s playground of berms, banks, tabletops, pyramids, and a competitionsized halfpipe. Telluride Helitrax provides heliskiing and heli-boarding adventures.

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HOW TO ICE FEST WELCOME TO THE OURAY ICE FESTIVAL

– an annual gathering of the tribe that has become the premier event of its kind for people who love the sport of ice climbing, or want to learn more about it.

The Fest can be roughly divided into two categories. By day, the action is at the Ouray Ice Park, with exciting climbing competitions, an Outdoor Gear Expo, Kids Climbing College and adult walkup climbing, Interactive Climbing Clinics and more.

In the evening, the action shifts to town. There’s lots going on, with everything from slideshows and multimedia presentations with big-name climbers to late night parties, a fundraising dinner and both live and silent auctions.

Avenue and Main Street, and the bottom of Third Avenue. Or just flag the shuttle down when you see it coming, and it will stop for you. 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 will operate continuously from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday through Sunday.

NEW THIS YEAR

There will be expanded opportunities for free adult walkup climbing this year at the La Sportiva Zone.

This is a great opportunity for never-evers to give the sport a try.

PARKING

INFO BOOTH

The parking lot across the highway from the Ouray Ice Park entrance is generally reserved for sponsors and festival staff only during Ice Fest weekend. There is no parking permitted along U.S. Highway 550 this year. So unless you are getting dropped off, it’s best to leave your car in town and walk, or take the shuttle, up to the Ice Park.

Please note that overnight parking is prohibited on Main Street in Ouray. Vehicles left there overnight will receive a citation, and may even be towed.

Got questions? An info booth in the Outdoor Gear Expo area near the Lower Bridge will be staffed with friendly and helpful volunteers throughout Ice Fest weekend. It’s also the pickup point for gear cards, maps, programs, schedules, and comp orders. Check out its Ouray Ice Festival memorabilia, as well as the custom-made trophies that will be awarded to comp winners at the ASOLO Award Ceremony on Sunday.

GETTING THERE

From town, there are two ways to get to the Ouray Ice Park: on foot or on one of the free shuttles. If you choose to walk, start at the southern terminus of Main Street and simply walk up U.S. Highway 550 for about one-fourth mile until you get to the Ice Park entrance, just around the corner from the first switchback.

Alternatively, again starting at the southern terminus of Main Street, turn right (west) on Third Avenue, and walk down the road toward the Box Canyon Lodge and Victorian Inn. When you get to the bottom of the hill, veer left at the exit to Box Canyon Falls, and follow the road up the hill. After a brief hike, you’ll emerge on a path on the west side of the Uncompahgre Gorge leading straight to the heart of the Ouray Ice Park and Festival Headquarters.

And you can always catch a ride up to the Ice Park on one of the free shuttles running continuously along Main Street throughout Ice Fest weekend. Shuttles will be marked with magnetic Ouray Ice Park logos. Designated pickup spots include Citizens State Bank at the corner of Sixth 14

GEAR CARDS

Want to demo the newest, greatest ice climbing gear, or even a new down puffy? Pick up your gear card at the Info Booth and use it to demo the gear that Ice Fest sponsors have brought to the Outdoor Gear Expo. The gear card works like a library card; provide your credit card number as collateral, then check out gear for free and return it at the end of the weekend.

FINAL BETA

Check the white-board at the Outdoor Gear Expo, or the San Juan Mountain Guides’ tent, for up-tothe-minute information about which clinics still have openings. Clinics cost $59-$159 with some full-day backcountry options available. 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.

SPECTATING AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Two bridges (known to Ice Park aficionados 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

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viewing and photography opportunities of the climbing action in the icy depths of the gorge. 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, please stick to the roads, bridges, and viewing stands, as outcroppings over the gorge are slippery and perilous.

RECYCLING

Again for the 2014 Ouray Ice Festival, we plan to greatly 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.

FOOD & DRINK

Food and drinks (both hot and cold) are available for purchase at vendor booths near the Ice Park entrance, featuring a nice mix of fare from local restaurants and nonprofits. The food vendor area is a great place to take a break from all the action. Sit down for a spell at a picnic table, or warm your hands over the fire ring. New Ice Fest sponsor Camp Chef will be on hand this year with donated grills and outdoor ovens, stepping up the quality of concessions that can be offered. Artisan pizza, anyone?

WIFI, CELL PHONE RECEPTION

Cell phone reception is available for major cell phone carriers in Ouray and 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. Insider’s tip: keep your cell phone in an inner pocket; it might not work if it gets too cold!

COMMEMORATIVE PINT GLASSES

You loved them last year, so we’re bringing back the commemorative pint glasses, with four unique designs commemorating the evening presentations on Friday and Saturday nights. You have to show up to get one!

PARK RULES

1. Crampons and a helmet are required for all persons in “Climber Only” areas.

2. You must clearly occupy a top anchor prior to climbing any route in the Ouray Ice Park.

3. No rope and/or anchor shall remain established for more than three hours.

4. Do not anchor to any manmade structure without a clearly labeled anchor tag or yellow wand.

5. Dogs must be leashed at all times and not left unattended.

6. Absolutely no dogs allowed below the top of the gorge.

7. Please read all “Area Specific Rules” prior to entering a given area.

8. Be courteous and respect your fellow climbers.

9. Per Section 13-7-K of Chapter 13 of the Code of the City of Ouray, Colorado: “It shall be unlawful for any person to commit the following acts within the Ice Park: a. To enter the Uncompahgre Gorge or be climbing without wearing crampons and a helmet or be in an area designated as “climber only” without wearing crampons. b. For an individual under the age of 18 to enter the Park without a supervising adult. c. For any owner or custodian of any animal to fail to have the animal under effective and immediate control of the owner or custodian by leash, cord, chain or other restraining device at all times that such animal is within the Ice Park. No animals, except service animals, are permitted at the bottom of the Uncompahgre Gorge. d. To attach climbing anchors to any manmade structures within the Park, except for established fixed anchors such as chain and bolt anchors.

Anchors may not be placed on or impede with the ice producing system. e. For any unauthorized individual to enter or remain within the Ice Park after 5 p.m. or before 7:30 a.m. from Dec. 1 through March 31 for the purposes of climbing. f. To leave top-line ropes unattended or unused. g. For non-commercial groups of eight or more persons to occupy more than two climbing routes, as designated, in a specific area, or occupy any one route for more than three hours. h. To conduct any commercial activities or uses within the Ice Park subject to Section 13-22 of the Ouray City Code without permission from the City.

USEFUL NUMBERS & WEBSITES

Ouray Ice Park: 970/325-4288; ourayicepark.com Ouray Chamber Resort Association: 970/3254746, ouraycolorado.com Avalanche info: geosurvey.state.co.us/avalanche/ Road Conditions: 877/315-7623, cotrip.org

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NOMIC Strike the perfect balance between power and precision

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SCHEDULE

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 11

8:00am-3:00pm | OUTDOOR GEAR EXPO Free gear demos, ask info booth about gear card!

OURAY FESTIVAL

9:00am-3:00pm ELITE MIXED ICE CLIMBING COMPETITION AT T H E I C E PA R K

ICE

9:00am & 12:30pm | INTERACTIVE CLINICS Sign up online.

10:00am-3:00pm | Ages 18+ FREE WALK-UP CLIMBING AT THE LA SPORTIVA ZONE It’s your turn to climb!

7:00pm-9:00pm | $15 PRESENTATION BY UELI STECK/LIVE AUCTION Ouray Community Center (340 6th Ave) Sponsored by Petzl, Beer by Ouray Brewery.

Free commemorative pint glass! Exciting climbing gear, artwork, and collectibles!

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9

6:30pm-9:00pm | $15 PRESENTATION BY KRISTEN KELLIHER Main Street Theater (630 Main Street) Beer provided by the Colorado Boy Brewery

9:00pm-10:30pm | $15 MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION BY AARON MULKEY Wright Opera House (472 Main Street) Beer provided by Two Rascals Brewery, free commemorative pint glass!

9:00pm-11:30pm | FREE OURAY ICE FESTIVAL KICK-OFF PARTY Beaumont Grill (505 Main Street) | Hosted by the American Alpine Club, beer, food, and prizes.

10:30pm-1:00am | $10 PETZL “SATURDAY NIGHT FREEZER” PARTY Ouray Community Center (340 6th Ave) Beer provided by Ouray Brewery.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10

8:00am-3:00pm | OUTDOOR GEAR EXPO Free gear demos, ask info booth about gear card!

9:00am & 12:30pm | INTERACTIVE CLINICS Sign up online.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 12

10:00am-3:00pmAges 18+ | FREE WALK-UP CLIMBING AT THE LA SPORTIVA ZONE It’s your turn to climb!

9:00am.

OURAY ICE FESTIVAL HARI BERGER SPEED COMP Sponsored by Lowa

5:00pm-8:30pm | $20 DINNER /INDOOR GEAR EXPO/SILENT AUCTION Ouray Community Center (340 6th Ave) | Beer provided by the Ouray Brewery. Check out the latest climbing gear! Mingle with the athletes. Bid on great gear!

9:00am | INTERACTIVE CLINICS Sign up online.

8:30pm-10:00pm | $15 PRESENTATION BY ADRIAN BALLINGER Main Street Theater (630 Main Street) | Beer provided

by Ourayle House Brewery, free commemorative pint glass!

8:00am-2:00pm | OUTDOOR GEAR EXPO Free gear demos, ask info booth about gear card!

AT T H E I C E PA R K

AT T H E I C E PA R K

10:00am-3:00pm | Ages 8-17 FREE KID’S CLIMBING COLLEGE sponsored by Mosaic Community Project and the Woman’s Club of Ouray

9:00pm-11:00pm | $15 THE ROAD FROM KARAKOL, PRESENTED BY KYLE DEMPSTER Wright Opera House (472 Main Street) | Beer provided by Rascals Brewery, free commemorative | WELCOME | ABOUT pint US glass! | HOW TO 18TwoCONTENTS

10:00am-2:00pm | Ages 8-17 FREE KID’S CLIMBING COLLEGE sponsored by Mosaic Community Project and the Woman’s Club of Ouray 10:00am-2:00pm | Ages 18+ FREE WALK-UP CLIMBING AT THE LA SPORTIVA ZONE It’s your turn to climb!

1:00pm | ASOLO AWARDS CEREMONY the Outdoor| Gear |At SCHEDULE MAPExpo. | COMPETITIONS

CLINIC SCHEDULE FRIDAY, JANUARY 10

TERRAIN TIME SPONSOR ATHLETE THEME DIFFICULTY LOCATION CLINICS 0900-1130 EDELWEISS ROPES 0900-1130 GRIVEL 0900-1130 LA SPORTIVA

KYLE DEMPSTER AARON MULKEY JIM SHIMBERG

INTERMEDIATE ICE STEEP ICE INTERMEDIATE ICE

WI 3-4 WI 3-4 WI 3-4

SCHOOL ROOM 1 - 3 FINGERS SCHOOL ROOM 6, 7

0900-1130 SCARPA SAM ELIAS 0900-1130 ARC’TERYX ROGER STRONG 0900-1130 OUTDOOR RESEARCH EMILIE DRINKWATER 0900-1130 MAMMUT DOUG SHEPHERD 0900-1130 LA SPORTIVA JEN OLSON 0900-1130 LOWA CARLOS BUHLER 0900-1130 PETZL ANDRES MARIN 0900-1130 MAMMUT ANREA CHAREST 0900-1130 GRIVEL SCOTT ADAMSON 0900-1130 NORTH FACE CONRAD ANKER 0900-1130 BLACK DIAMOND HAYDEN KENNEDY 0900-1130 ASOLO MARK MILLER

1230-1500 MAMMUT ANDREA CHAREST 1230-1500 MARMOT KIM REYNOLDS

1230-1500 LOWA CARLOS BUHLER 1230-1500 ASOLO MARK MILLER

1230-1500 ARC’TERYX ROGER STRONG

1230-1500 NORTH FACE HEIDI WIRTZ 1230-1500 GRIVEL AARON MULKEY 1230-1500 LA SPORTIVA WILL MAYO 1230-1500 BLACK DIAMOND HAYDEN KENNEDY 1230-1500 OUTDOOR RESEARCH MARGO TALBOT

1230-1500 MILLET ANDRES MARIN 1230-1500 LA SPORTIVA KEITH GARVEY 1230-1500 SCARPA SAM ELIAS 1230-1500 PATAGONIA VINCE ANDERSON

1230-1500 MOUNTAIN DAWN GLANC

HARDWEAR

NOVICE ICE WI 3 INTRO TO ICE WI 2-3 INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-4 STEEP ICE TECHNIQUES WI 4-5 MODERATE MIXED M 4-7 WI4+ INTRO TO LEADING ICE WI 3 INTRO TO ICE WI 2-3 INTRO TO ICE WI 2-3 INTRO TO ICE WI 2-3 ADVANCED ICE WI 4-5 INTRO TO ICE WI 2-3 INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-4 FOOTWORK FUNDAMENTALS INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-4 INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-4 FOR WOMEN STEEP ICE WI 3-4 NOVICE ICE WI 3 FOCUS ON YOUR FOOTWORK SKILLS FOR THE WI 2-3 ICE LEADER INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-4 HARD ICE WI 4-5 MODERATE MIXED M 4-7 WI4+ NOVICE ICE WI 3 INTRO TO ICE WI 2-3 FOR WOMEN INTRO TO ICE WI 2-3 INTRO TO ICE WI 2-3 ADVANCED ICE WI 4-5 BELAYS & TRANSITIONS NA FOR MULTI-PITCH ANCHORS WI 2-3

SCHOOL ROOM 8, 9 SCHOOL ROOM 10 - 12 TRESTLE RIGHT POPSICLE - SLUSHY SCOTTISH GULLIES RIGHT SCOTTISH GULLIES SLAB HAPPY TRESTLE LEFT KIDS WALL KIDS WALL FLAMENCO - JESUS RIGHT KIDS WALL FINGERS

1230-1500 LA SPORTIVA SEMINARS 0930-1500 RAB 0930-1500 LA SPORTIVA 0930-1500 OUTDOOR RESEARCH 0930-1500 GORE TEX/AMGA 0930-1500 OUTDOOR RESEARCH

0930-1500 GORE TEX/AMGA 0930-1500 SJMG? BD??

STEVE HOUSE

CUSTOM CLINIC

KIDS WALL

ELI HELMUTH KEITH GARVEY SHINGO OHKAWA ANGELA HAWSE MARK ALLEN/ SHELDON KERR DALE REMSBERG GARY FALK

INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-4 NOVICE ICE WI 3-4 INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-5 LEARNING TO LEAD BC SKI INTRO

SOUTHPARK - CARTMAN’S RIGHT SOUTHPARK - CHEF’S SLABS SH!THOUSE WALL SOUTH PARK - CARTMAN’S LEFT RED MOUNTAIN PASS

BC ICE INTRO SELF-RESCUE ICE

SKYLIGHT AREA SOUTH PARK

WI 3-4

WI 4 N/A

SCHOOL ROOM 1 - 3 SCHOOL ROOM 4, 5 FINGERS SCHOOL ROOM 8, 9 SCHOOL ROOM 10 - 12 TRESTLE RIGHT POPSICLE - SLUSHY SCOTTISH GULLIES RIGHT SCOTTISH GULLIES SLAB HAPPY KIDS WALL KIDS WALL TRESTLE LEFT FLAMENCO - JESUS RIGHT OMR BARN HEN HOUSE

ACTIVITIES | EVENTS | PRESENTATION | FEATURE | SPONSORS | BUSINESS PARTNERS

19

CLINIC SCHEDULE SATURDAY, JANUARY 11

TERRAIN TIME SPONSOR ATHLETE THEME DIFFICULTY LOCATION CLINICS 0900-1130 GORE TEX/AMGA DALE REMSBERG 0900-1130 NORTH FACE HEIDI WIRTZ

0900-1130 ASOLO KAREN BOCKEL

0900-1130 OUTDOOR RESEARCH SHINGO OHKAWA 0900-1130 LA SPORTIVA WILLIE BENEGAS 0900-1130 MOUNTAIN JANET WILKINSON

HARDWEAR 0900-1130 GRIVEL STEVE HOUSE 0900-1130 ARC’TERYX ROGER STRONG 0900-1130 OSPREY MAJKA BURHARDT 0900-1130 MAMMUT WHIT MAGRO 0900-1130 PATAGONIA KITTY CALHOUN

0900-1130 RAB ELI HELMUTH

0900-1130 SILVERTON AVY TBD

SCHOOL 0900-1130 PRANA OLIVIA HSU 0900-1130 GORE TEX/AMGA ANGELA HAWSE

1230-1500 MARMOT ANGELA HAWSE

1230-1500 LA SPORTIVA WILLIE BENEGAS 1230-1500 PATAGONIA STEVE HOUSE

1230-1500 ASOLO KAREN BOCKEL

1230-1500 OUTDOOR RESEARCH EMILIE DRINKWATER 1230-1500 LA SPORTIVA JIM SHIMBERG 1230-1500 GORE TEX/AMGA DALE REMSBERG 1230-1500 MAMMUT ANDREA CHAREST

1230-1500 NORTH FACE HEIDI WIRTZ

1230-1500 MAMMUT DOUG SHEPHERD 1230-1500 GRIVEL SHINGO OHKAWA 1230-1500 RAB ELI HELMUTH

1230-1500 SJMG TBD

20

INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-4 SCHOOL ROOM 1 - 3 HOW TO USE YOUR HIPS WI 3-4 SCHOOL ROOM 4, 5 FOR MAXIMUM BALANCE AND SECURITY ON ICE WOMEN’S FOCUS ON WI 3-4 SCHOOL ROOM 6, 7 YOUR FOOTWORK NOVICE ICE WI 3-4 SCHOOL ROOM 8-9 ADVANCED ICE WI 4-5 FINGERS INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-4 TRESTLE RIGHT STEEP ICE TECHNIQUES WI 4-5 INTRO TO LEADING ICE WI 2-3 NOVICE ICE WI 3 MODERATE MIXED M 4-7 WI4+ LEARNING TO LEAD WI 2-3 FOR WOMEN SKILLS FOR THE WI 4-5 ICE LEADER AVY AWARENESS FOR CLIMBERS

POPSICLE - SLUSHY SCHOOL ROOM 10-12 TRESTLE LEFT SCOTTISH GULLIES RIGHT KIDS WALL

YOGA FOR CLIMBERS NA BELAYS & TRANSITIONS NA FOR MULTI-PITCH ICE ICE SCREWS AND WI 3-4 ANCHORS CLINIC INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-4 INTERMEDIATE ICE - WI 3-4 BALANCE & EFFICIENCY LEASHLESS CLIMBING WI 3 FOR THE CHICKENHEARTED INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-4 ADVANCED ICE WI 4-5 LEADING STEEP ICE WI 4-5 MODERATE MIXED M 4-7 WI4+ FOR WOMEN INTRO TO LEADING WI 3-4 WATER ICE ADVANCED ICE WI 4-5 NOVICE ICE WI 2-3

TBD HEN HOUSE

FLAMENCO - JESUS RIGHT NA TBD

SCHOOL ROOM 1 - 3 SCHOOL ROOM 4, 5 SCHOOL ROOM 6, 7 SCHOOL ROOM 8, 9 TRESTLE LEFT FINGERS POPSICLE - SLUSHY SCOTTISH GULLIES RIGHT SCHOOL ROOM 10-12 FLAMENCO - JESUS RIGHT FINGERS

BELAYS & TRANSITIONS NA HEN HOUSE FOR MULTI-PITCH ICE GEAR FOR ICE NA TBD CLIMBING: OUTFIITTING YOURSELF FROM HEAD TO TOE

CONTENTS | WELCOME | ABOUT US | HOW TO | SCHEDULE | MAP | COMPETITIONS

TIME SPONSOR ATHLETE THEME SEMINARS 0930-1500 PETZL MATT WADE FULL DAY - INTRO TO ICE 0930-1500 MILLET ELLIOT BATES FULL DAY - NOVICE ICE 0930-1500 SCARPA MARKUS BECK 0930-1500 OUTDOOR RESEARCH MARGO TALBOT 0930-1500 OSPREY BEN CLARK/

PETE KEANE 0930-1500 LA SPORTIVA MARK ALLEN

0930-1500 FIRST ASCENT CHAD PEELE

0930-1500 LOWA CARLOS BUHLER 0930-1500 SJMG? PAT ORMOND

TERRAIN DIFFICULTY LOCATION WI 2-3 WI 3-4

SOUTHPARK - LEO’S LOUNGE SOUTHPARK - CHEF’S SLABS

INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-5 SH!THOUSE WALL LEARNING TO LEAD SOUTH PARK - CARTMAN’S BC SKIING - RED MOUNTAIN PASS INTRO CLINIC BC SKIING - RED MOUNTAIN PASS POWDER CHASERS BACKCOUNTRY SKYLIGHT ICE CLINIC BACKCOUNTRY ICE CLINIC SILVERTON/EUREKA FULL DAY - SELF RESCUE ICE SOUTH PARK

CLINIC SCHEDULE SUNDAY, JANUARY 12

TERRAIN TIME SPONSOR ATHLETE THEME DIFFICULTY LOCATION CLINICS 0900-1130 ARC’TERYX ROGER STRONG INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-4 SCHOOL ROOM 1 - 3 0900-1130 SCARPA ANGELA HAWSE INTERMEDIATE ICE - WI 3-4 SCHOOL ROOM 4, 5

MOVING WITH EFFICIENTY 0900-1130 ASOLO MARK MILLER ICE FOOTWORK WI 3-4 SCHOOL ROOM 6, 7

FUNDAMENTALS 0900-1130 RAB AARON MULKEY NOVICE ICE WI 3 SCHOOL ROOM 8, 9 0900-1130 MAMMUT DOUG SHEPHERD INTRO TO ICE WI 2-3 SCHOOL ROOM 10 - 12 0900-1130 NORTH FACE SAM ELIAS INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-4 TRESTLE RIGHT 0900-1130 PETZL PETZL ATHLETE STEEP ICE WI 4-5 POPSICLE - SLUSHY 0900-1130 LA SPORTIVA JEN OLSON LEASHLESS CLIMBING WI 3 TRESTLE LEFT

TECHNIQUES 0900-1130 MOUNTAIN DAWN GLANC BELAYS AND WI 2-3 HEN HOUSE

HARDWEAR TRANSITIONS FORMULTI-PITCH CLIMBING 0900-1130 OUTDOOR RESEARCH KYLE DEMPSTER INTERMEDIATE M 4-7 WI4+ SCOTTISH GULLIES RIGHT

MIXED CLIMBING 0900-1130 GRIVEL SCOTT ADAMSON INTRO TO MIXED M 4 - 6 FLAMENCO - JESUS RIGHT

CLIMBING 0900-1130 SCARPA MARKUS BECK INTRO TO ICE WI 2-3 KIDS WALL 0900-1130 LA SPORTIVA DALE REMSBERG STEEP ICE SKILLS WI 4-5 FINGERS 0900-1130 MILLET ANDRES MARIN INTRO TO MIXED WI 4-5 STUMP WALL

CLIMBING 0900-1130 BLACK DIAMOND HAYDEN KENNEDY INTERMEDIATE ICE WI 3-4 ONLY IF WE CAN FIT IT,

LAST MINUTE ADD BY STERLING 0900-1130 GRIVEL STEVE HOUSE TRAINING FOR THE NEW ALPINISM N/A OMR BARN

ACTIVITIES | EVENTS | PRESENTATION | FEATURE | SPONSORS | BUSINESS PARTNERS

21

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CONTENTS | WELCOME | ABOUT US | HOW TO | SCHEDULE | MAP | COMPETITIONS

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ACTIVITIES | EVENTS | PRESENTATION | FEATURE | SPONSORS | BUSINESS PARTNERS

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ACTIVITIES | EVENTS | PRESENTATION | FEATURE | SPONSORS | BUSINESS PARTNERS

27

THE COMPETITIONS ELITE MIXED CLIMBING COMP

Saturday, Jan. 11, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Ouray Ice Park, Lower Bridge/ Outdoor Gear Expo area For many fans, the Elite Mixed Climbing Competition is the highlight of the whole Ice Fest weekend.

The competition showcases 25 of the world’s finest alpinists and sport climbers exhibiting jawdropping, head-scratching feats of strength and flexibility as they pit themselves against a uniquely challenging route in the Ouray Ice Park.

Last year’s Elite Mixed Climbing Comp was a European sweep, with French alpinists Simon Duverney and Jeff Mercier topping the podium in the Men’s Division, and the German and Dutch climbers Ines Papert and Marianne Van Der Steen coming in 1st and 2nd place among women.

This year, competitors will be tackling another devious route from route-setter Vince Anderson that blends natural and artificial features, including vertical rock and ice inside the Uncompahgre Gorge and a new 25-foot steel climbing tower overhanging the gorge. The tower made its debut last year, with the goal of spicing up the competition and making it more spectator-friendly. The athletes loved it, and the crowds were thrilled – finally, they could watch the action without jostling for space on the bridges and viewing platforms and peering down into the gorge.

Competitors have a set amount of time to complete their climb; the final score is determined by the highest controlled point reached. If more than one climber makes the full pull, the one with the fastest time wins.

Applications for the Elite Mixed Climbing Competition are due Dec. 15, and competitors are notified by Dec. 20 whether they got in. The names of competitors will be announced in early January, shortly before the Ice Fest gets underway. Stay tuned at www.ourayicepark.com and our Facebook page for updated information.

As they ascend the cold, hard ice, climbers will be competing for plenty of cold, hard cash; a $9,000 purse will be divvied among the top three male and female competitors in the Elite Mixed Climbing Competition this year.

28

HARI BERGER SPEED COMP SPONSORED BY LOWA

Sunday, Jan. 12, starting at 9 a.m.

Ouray Ice Park, Lower Bridge/ Outdoor Gear Expo area The Hari Berger Speed Competition sponsored by Lowa is back by popular demand!

The concept is simple. Competitors race against the clock on side-by-side columns of ice, with $7,000 in prize money up for grabs.

Competition will be fast and furious at our most spectator friendly venue ever.

Speed climbing is hugely popular on the World Cup scene in Europe. Judging from its reception at the Ouray Ice Fest last year, it’s a hit here, too!

Unlike the Elite Mixed Climbing Competition, this is an open comp; anyone can apply to compete, but you must do so on the Ouray Ice Park website by January 8, 2014.

It should attract a nice mix of big names and local favorites. The action takes place in the same vicinity as the Elite Mixed Climbing Competition, but the route will consist solely of ice.

The Hari Berger Speed Comp memorializes fallen Austrian climber Hari Berger, who died in 2006 at age 34 near his home town of Salzburg when an ice pillar he was climbing collapsed, crushing him. The three-time ice climbing world champion’s girlfriend, Kristen Buchman, gave birth to their daughter, Zoe, the day after Berger died.

Berger was a regular at the Ouray Ice Festival, known for his expansive smile and virtually effortless ascents of difficult comp routes.

“The wheel of living and dying turns with such savage cruelty sometimes,” wrote climber Will Gadd of Berger’s death. “Hari was a good man – a good climber, a moral human and, as he often demonstrated while staying at our house, a good cook. I’m sure he would have been a fantastic father to his new daughter.”

CONTENTS | WELCOME | ABOUT US | HOW TO | SCHEDULE | MAP | COMPETITIONS

H A RI BER GE R P HO T O CO URT E S Y O F ROCK & ICE MAGAZINE

ACTIVITIES | EVENTS | PRESENTATION | FEATURE | SPONSORS | BUSINESS PARTNERS

29

ICE FEST ACTIVITIES KIDS CLIMBING COLLEGE

Saturday, Jan. 11, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 12, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

At the Kids Wall near the Upper Bridge Sponsored by San Juan Mountain Guides and the Woman’s Club of Ouray County, the popular Kids Climbing College offers free ice climbing instruction to kids ages 8-17. 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. Just make sure they are dressed warmly, and wearing snow boots, not sneakers.

OUTDOOR GEAR EXPO

FREE ADULT WALK-UP CLIMBING

Friday, Jan. 10, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 11, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 12, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Near the Lower Bridge at the Ouray Ice Park

Friday, Jan. 10, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 11, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 12, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

At the La Sportiva Zone

Every year, the outdoor gear manufacturers that sponsor the Ouray Ice Festival travel to the Fest to let participants demo their latest and greatest products. For years, it was just boots, tools and crampons. But now, you can pretty much demo anything but base layers. So if you’re in the market for a new puffy belay jacket, for example, a handful of sponsors 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 on a bench alongside the rim of the Uncompahgre Gorge, with hundreds of ice climbers and onlookers strolling around, trying on gear and just hangin’ out. The Gore-Tex tent provides couches, heaters and a live video feed of action down in the gorge during the competitions. It’s a great place to warm up and get out of the weather.

The Outdoor Gear Expo is not a gear swap; you will find little for sale, but there’s plenty of swag. So go ahead, feel the sponsors’ love.

Kids aren’t the only ones who want to give ice climbing a try. Last year, La Sportiva sponsored free adult walk-up climbing for the first time. It was a huge hit, and the psych is so high, they’re bringing it back this year.

Free Adult Walk-Up Climbing takes place next door to the Kids Climbing College at the Kids Wall, near the Upper Bridge and County Road 361.

We’ve made huge modifications to the Kids Wall over the off-season this year, including scooping dirt off its base so the rock face comes all the way down to road level, making for a better climbing venue for kids and adults alike. La Sportiva takes it up a notch, offering free walk-up clinics taught by high-level athletes, no registration required. There’s never been a better time to grab some tools and give it a try.

30

CONTENTS | WELCOME | ABOUT US | HOW TO | SCHEDULE | MAP | COMPETITIONS

INTERACTIVE CLINICS

Friday, Jan. 10, 9 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 11, 9 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 12, 9 a.m.

Sign up online at mtnguide.net/ouray-iceclimbing/ouray-ice-festival-clinics/ The Ouray Ice Park is pleased again to partner with San Juan Mountain Guides providing interactive climbing clinics and seminars for the 2014 Ouray Ice Festival.

A total of 90 unique, informative, cuttingedge ice and mixed climbing clinics and seminars are offered this year. Most clinics take place inside the Ice Park, but a handful of backcountry skiing and climbing options are also available.

Professional athletes and guides with the most knowledge and the best instruction in their fields will teach these clinics and seminars, sponsored by Black Diamond, Outdoor Research, La Sportiva, The North Face, Patagonia, Mammut, Scarpa, Gore-Tex, and many more. Each clinic offers a unique opportunity to pair vendors and their sponsored athletes with a passionate audience of

amateur climbers.

Clinics take place in the morning and afternoon of Friday, Jan. 10-Sunday, Jan. 12, with equal-part offerings for beginner, intermediate and advanced ice climbers.

These clinics are the heart and soul of the Ouray Ice Festival; few climbing events and festivals offer attendees so many opportunities to get out and climb and to learn from the pros, as well, about how to improve technique in a convivial, supportive atmosphere.

Clinics fill up fast – typically, months before the Ice Fest even gets underway – but some slots 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-ice-climbing/ ouray-ice-festival-clinics/.

The clinics and seminars are a screaming deal.

Half-day clinics $59 cost per person, full-day seminars $109 per person and backcountry ice/ ski seminars $159 per person. Ice Park members enjoy modest discounts when they register.

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31

SPECIAL EVENTS SPAGHETTI DINNER INDOOR GEAR EXPO SILENT AUCTION

Friday, Jan. 10, 5-8:30 p.m.

Ouray Community Center (340 6th Ave.) The annual Friday Night Spaghetti Dinner, served up by the Ouray Volunteer Fire Department, is a Ouray Ice Festival tradition that attracts a boisterous crowd hungry for plates of pasta and opportunities to mingle with the sponsored athletes.

Admission is $20, for a menu featuring the secret family recipe of Chief Trevor’s grandmother, with beer provided by the Ouray Brewery. A portion of the cover charge goes to support the OVFD, which has provided critical volunteer support to the Ice Fest over the years. After dinner, check out the latest climbing gear at the Indoor Gear Expo and bid on silent auction items donated by the Ice Fest’s corporate sponsors. All auction proceeds go directly to support the Ouray Ice Park, keeping it free and open for all of our enjoyment, so bid high, folks!

LIVE AUCTION + UELI STECK

Saturday, Jan. 11, 7-9 p.m.

Ouray Community Center, 340 6th Ave. KICK OFF PARTY

Thursday, Jan. 9, 9-11:30 p.m.

Beaumont Grill (505 Main Street) Join us at the Beaumont Hotel for the Ouray Ice Festival Kick-off Party, hosted by the American Alpine Club. There will be beer, food and prizes, and opportunities to hang with local and visiting climbing royalty. The party brings in a “Who’s Who” from the climbing world, highlighting the Ouray Ice Park’s unique partnership with the AAC. This is a great, grassroots gathering in a beautiful historic venue that tends to attract a huge turnout. It’s shoulder-to- shoulder inside, and there are just as many folks out on the patio, hanging out around the fire pit.

32

On Saturday night, dinner is on the town.

Ouray’s restaurants are ready to feed the masses and turn over tables quickly, so you can get back to the Ouray Community Center by 7 p.m. for this year’s biggest attraction – a presentation by climbing legend Ueli Steck (see page 39 for more info). The $15 cover charge includes beer from the Ouray Brewery, served in a commemorative pint glass. The evening also includes a fantastic live auction, with goods ranging from the latest climbing gear to signed photographs and ice axes once wielded by climbing greats.

CONTENTS | WELCOME | ABOUT US | HOW TO | SCHEDULE | MAP | COMPETITIONS

PETZL ‘SATURDAY NIGHT FREEZER’ PARTY

SLIDESHOWS & FILM PRESENTATIONS

Saturday, Jan. 11, 10:30 p.m.-1 a.m.

Ouray Community Center, 340 6th Ave.

Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights Various venues

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. The party always has a theme; this year’s theme is “Saturday Night Freezer,” so break out your leisure suits, hot pants and platform shoes, and get ready to boogie under the strobe lights and mirror balls.

We’ve got a stellar lineup of presenters this year. Budding alpinist Kristen Kelliher (Thursday night, Main Street Theater, 6:30-9 p.m.), the youngest female to summit the 50 high points of the U.S., is brought to the Ice Fest by title sponsor Asolo. While in town, Kelliher will also be presenting to students at the Ouray and Ridgway schools. Friday night presenters include Marmot athlete and guide Adrian Ballinger, freshly returned from Ama Dablam, at the Main Street Theater (8:30-10 p.m.) and “It Guy” Kyle Dempster at the Wright Opera House, doing an enhanced presentation of his film The Road from Karakol on the Wright’s rockin’ multimedia system (9-11 p.m.). Saturday’s headliner Ueli Steck (Ouray Community Center, 7-9 p.m.) needs no introduction in the climbing world; Aaron Mulkey (aka “Mr. Cody”) wraps things up with a multimedia presentation at the Wright Opera House from 9-10:30 p.m. We hope he’ll have some stories to tell about his recent Rab-sponsored “Project Strata” in Norway. For more info on these presenters, see Pages 36-40.

ASOLO AWARDS CEREMONY

Sunday, Jan. 12, 1 p.m.

Outdoor Gear Expo area at the Ice Park For years, the ASOLO Awards Ceremony was held indoors on Sunday evening. For the first time last year, somebody came up with the great idea of having the ceremony up at the Ice Park, instead.

It seems 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 podium carved from ice to receive custom trophies made by Ouray glass and metal artists Sam Rushing and 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 the climbing elite in the crowd.

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33

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CONTENTS | WELCOME | ABOUT US | HOW TO | SCHEDULE | MAP | COMPETITIONS

PRESENTATIONS

Kristen 36 Kristen KELLIHER KELLIHER Adrian 37 Adrian BALLINGER BALLINGER Kyle 38 Kyle DEMPSTER DEMPSTER Ueli Ueli 39 STECK STECK Aaron 40 Aaron MULKEY MULKEY 35

Kristen Kelliher MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION

sponsored by

Thursday, Jan. 9, 6:30-9 p.m.

Main Street Theater, 630 Main Street

BY MARTA TARBELL

For Kristen Kelliher, who secured the record as the youngest female to summit the top peak in each of the United States’ 50 states after her May 2012 ascent of 20,320’ Mount McKinley, being a presenter at the 2014 Ouray Ice Fest is just one in a quiver of firsts.

“I don’t think I’m good enough,” demurred the 19-year-old sophomore at Bates College, in Maine, who has just declared her major (Environmental Chemistry), when asked if she plans to compete in either the Ouray Ice Fest’s Elite Mixed Climbing Competition or the Speed Competition.

“But I’m hoping to go out for some of the clinics,” she said.

With ascents of New Hampshire’s Cinema Gulley, Amphitheater and Stream Bed, and Maine’s Little Hill, under her belt, Kelliher, a high school all-state field hockey goalie (who also competed in basketball, crew and downhill skiing) is no stranger to ice climbing.

She loves what is, for her, a relatively new sport.

“I love wearing crampons,” she said. “I love the sound of ice climbing. I find it easier than rock-climbing.”

Kelliher will remain in the highpointer record books for a good long while. It’s a label she began working on back in 2002, when, as a second grader, on a cross-country driving trip with her family, she summited South Dakota’s 7,242’ Harney Peak, in the Black Hills Forest.

“That was my first” highpoint, she said. At the time, “We didn’t realize it was a highpoint I would later need” in what would become her subsequent quest to reach all 50 U.S. highpoints, she went on to explain; nor was summiting New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington, just a few months later. But after Mt. Washington, her stepfather (and highpointing

36

compatriot Bill Bender) observed, “Well, there’s only 48 left.”

Kelliher won national acclaim after ascending all 48 peaks in the continental U.S., she said, but dropped off the radar after her ascent of Mount McKinley a year ago.

“I dropped back after Mount McKinley,” she said, a tough ascent that left her with “a lot of frostbite, on my left hand and on my face.

“It was pretty emotionally challenging for me, so I didn’t really talk to that many people about it, afterwards. It took me six weeks to wrap my head around it, and once it got older, the story was a little bit less exciting.

“I didn’t get as much attention for the 50th as I did for the 48th,” she reflected.

And now, even acclaim for her summit of Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America, will fade, as Kelliher tackles Aconcagua, her second of the Seven Summits. At 22,837’, in the Andes, Aconcagua is the highest peak in the Western and Southern hemispheres.

“We’ve budgeted 21 days for our ascent,” Kelliher said, prior to the trip she’s taking with her stepfather and two buddies from school, “including six or seven extra days for weather or whatever else may arise.

“We should hopefully summit right around New Year’s.”

After that milestone, she catches a flight to Ouray. “I’ve done a couple of multi-pitch climbs,” she said, of her ice-climbing career so far, “but it’s mostly single-pitch.”

In other words, the Ouray Ice Fest presents even more new territory for this young athlete who thrives on challenges that keep upping the ante.

CONTENTS | WELCOME | ABOUT US | HOW TO | SCHEDULE | MAP | COMPETITIONS

Adrian Ballinger MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION

sponsored by

Friday, Jan. 10, 8:30-10 p.m.

Main Street Theater, 630 Main Street

BY LESLIE VREELAND

Chalk up another year of firsts for talented alpinist Adrian Ballinger. Late last year, when most other guides were hanging up their slings of camming widgets and thinking about sharpening their crampons for the coming winter, Ballinger guided a team of climbers to the summit of Nepal’s 22,493’ Ama Dablam.

The mountain had remained unclimbed all year, deemed too dangerous due to an inability to fix ropes beyond the so-called Mushroom Ridge, an arête above Camp Two named for the gargoyleesque formations of snow hanging over both sides.

In previous seasons, the precipitous Mushroom had proved passable; this year, it was laden with extra snow from a big late-season storm. “It’s not technically difficult,” says Ridgway mountain guide Brad Johnson, “but it’s a really wild ridge.” Johnson, author of Classic Climbs of the Cordillera Blanca Peru, has summited Mount Everest, and both guided, and summited, Ama Dablam. “In a good year, when the ropes are fixed and the snow’s been packed down, you are literally walking on a section of ridge top only a foot wide, using your ice axe for balance,” he said. “There are a few short sections where you can’t even use your axe – you have to stand up and walk, and use your own momentum to stay upright. You feel like you’re on a tight rope, with 3,000-4,000 feet of air on both sides. I can imagine it being very scary with the extra snow.”

Ballinger and his Sherpa called this year’s ridge The Mother of All Mushrooms. His sponsor, Marmot, says he “is one of the few elite guides

on Everest and other 8,000-meter peaks who can physically hold his own while climbing with the indigenous Sherpa, who are physiologically adapted to climbing in the rarified altitudes of the greater Himalaya.” In September, he fixed all of the ropes above Camp 2 on 26,906’ Cho Oyo with Lhakpa Rita Sherpa, a friend from another guide service. Then he skied off the top with his Russian ski partner, Sergey Baranov. It was the first summit of the mountain in the post-monsoon season.

Ballinger’s close relationship with the Sherpa – he says he is the only non-Sherpa chosen to have fixed rope with them to the summit of Everest the past two out of three years – gives him a unique perspective on last year’s most painfully contentious climbing controversy.

In April, a fight broke out between Westerners and Sherpa on Everest’s Lhotse Face and in Camp 2, after three professional climbers including Ueli Steck (see page 42) struck out above a group of Sherpa who remained below them, fixing ropes.

Ballinger was a lead guide on Everest at the time, as he had been for the past five years.

The constant pressure on the world’s highest mountain to summit, to break records, to climb new routes, “to be the strongest,” can lead to disagreements, he pointed out in a dispatch to adventurejournal.com. But disagreements shouldn’t be allowed to lead to violence, “or to breaking the essential bonds that tie climbers to each other, and that normally can be counted on to surpass all competition when someone needs help in the big mountains.”

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37

Kyle Dempster FILM TOUR: THE ROAD FROM KARAKOL

P HO T O B Y AN DR E W B UR R

sponsored by

Friday, Jan. 10, 9-11 p.m.

Wright Opera House

BY SAMUEL ADAMS

When Kyle Dempster isn’t working at Higher Ground, the coffee shop he co-owns in Salt Lake City, he spends his vacations climbing the world’s most unforgiving and dangerous mountains. At 30, Dempster has already achieved amazing feats in his climbing career and has earned a reputation as one of the world’s leading alpinists.

“Kyle Dempster is definitely on the cutting edge of the world alpine climbing scene,” said Ouray Ice Park, Inc. Board President Mike MacLeod.

In 2012, Dempster completed a new route on the 23,901-foot Baintha Brakk (commonly known as Ogre I) in Pakistan with fellow professional climbers Hayden Kennedy and Josh Wharton – marking its third ascent in history. He also recently conquered the previously unclimbed and craggy east face of Pakistan’s K7, a 22,750-feet ascent, through grueling and perilous conditions.

In 2008, Dempster spent more than a month solo climbing the 21,820-foot Tahu Ratum in Pakistan, but didn’t summit the enormous peak, choosing instead to descend, barely surviving his trek back to civilization. This harrowing journey claimed a third of Dempster’s ring finger due to frostbite. He lost nearly 40 pounds during the trek.

Needless to say, Dempster is a diehard climber and a professional in his field. This

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young alpinist has already conquered many of the world’s toughest peaks, winning a Piolet d’Or in 2010 for his ascent of the north face of the 21,070-foot Xuelian West in the Chinese Tien Shan, on the boarder of Kyrgyzstan. Dempster recently won his second Piolet d’Or for his, Kennedy’s and Wharton’s climb of the 23,901foot Ogre I in 2012.

Dempster continued his life’s epic journey in The Road from Karakol. Armed with a barebones assortment of climbing gear and a bike, he embarked on a 750-mile cycling tour across crumbling and abandoned Soviet-era roads that snake through the impoverished Kyrgyz countryside, climbing the region’s most dangerous – and beautiful – peaks along the way.

Dempster shot the The Road from Karakol himself. The 25-minute film about exploring the largely unexplored mountains of the Kyrgyz countryside reveals the story of an unusual adventure and the human will to persevere in the face of utmost adversity.

Join Dempster at the Wright Opera House on Friday for a presentation of this epic film, and hear firsthand his stories from the making of it – like how he filmed himself making hairraising river crossings while holding his bike and climbing gear.

CONTENTS | WELCOME | ABOUT US | HOW TO | SCHEDULE | MAP | COMPETITIONS

Ueli Steck MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION

P HO T O B Y FR E DDIE WILK IN S O N

sponsored by

Saturday, Jan. 11, 7-9 p.m.

Ouray Community Center, 340 6th Ave.

BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT

In the world of alpine climbing where amazing feats are being accomplished on a regular basis, Ueli Steck is in a league of his own.

He is widely acknowledged as the most versatile, extreme alpinist in Europe. Sport climbs, big climbs, speed climbs, solo climbs – he can do it all, with the precise efficiency of a good Swiss watch – and the mental and physical training of an Olympic athlete.

“I really like fanatical training,” he said in the 2010 short film, The Swiss Machine, produced by Mountain Hardwear. “I’m not really better than anyone else; I just like training like hell. My vision is taking the fast, light alpine style to big, really technical alpine faces of the world.”

Steck has won the Piolet d’Or, the Eiger and Karl Unterkircher awards. He holds numerous speed and free solo records, including the fastest ascent of the formidable north face of Eiger in 2008.

His 2005 “Khumbu-Express Expedition” earned him the title of one of the three best alpinists in Europe from the magazine Climb.

And his recent solo climb of the South Face of Annapurna was nothing short of otherworldly.

Steck summited the treacherous 8,091 meter Himalayan peak, the 10th highest peak in the

world and one of the most difficult to climb, without ropes and oxygen in October 2013, completing the round trip from advanced base camp to summit and back in just 28 hours.

As PlanetMountain.com put it, the feat “stunned” the mountaineering world.

It also helped quell a media frenzy over Steck’s well-publicized brawl with a group of Sherpa on an Everest expedition in late April 2013. The issue highlighted the tension roiling for years between commercial and independent climbing on Mt. Everest, and the complicated, often strained relationships between westerners and Nepalis on the iconic, dangerous mountain.

“I cannot erase what happened on Everest,” Steck said in an interview with Redbull.com after his recent Annapurna conquest. “It will always be in my mind. But with this ascent of Annapurna I feel I can now move on. The fire inside me is back!”

Having Steck attend the Ouray Ice Festival is a “coup of epic proportions,” said Ouray Ice Park, Inc. Board President Mike MacLeod. In addition to his Saturday night presentation, Steck will also be teaching a clinic or two, and competing in the Hari Berger Speed Comp.

Blink, and you’ll miss him.

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39

Aaron Mulkey MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION

P HO T O B Y B E N WIN S T O N

sponsored by

Saturday, Jan. 11, 9-10:30 p.m.

Wright Opera House, 472 Main Street

BY SAMUEL ADAMS

The Wyoming hardman, who has made a name for himself as the “Patriarch of Cody Ice,” is a frequent Ouray Ice Festival competitor who recently returned from a Rab-sponsored iceclimbing trip through central Norway dubbed “Project Strata,” lured by rumors of 500-meter icefalls and thousands of unclimbed lines.

Through patience and tips from local guides, Mulkey, Stephen Berwanger and Kevin Craig completed the first ascent of the 1,500-foot Sons of Anarchy near Hemsedal, Norway – a mixed route frequently attempted, but never completed by local climbers.

Mulkey is as dedicated as they come – always committing himself to maintaining peak physical condition between climbing and kayaking trips across the world where he earns his reputation for breaking new ground and discovering unexplored ice and rapids in remote locations.

“I like to think of myself as a nomad of today exploring mountains for frozen treasures,” he recently told Alpinist magazine. “I have established many new lines, but it has come at a price of numerous days of hiking and no climbing...

Although not every trip is successful, I have found it’s the chase that I enjoy more than anything.”

Mulkey left the University of Colorado in 1999 to seek out untapped lines in Wyoming, and

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has completed nearly 60 first ascents across the American West, including Pole Position (WI4, 35m), Booby Trap (WI4+, 60m), Regulators (WI5+, 60m), Aaron’s Gift (WI5 M6, 60m), Cosmic Aphrodite (WI4, 60m) and Power of Athena (WI5+, 30m) – all near his home in Cody.

When the ice melts, Mulkey swaps his climbing gear for a kayak and paddle and explores gorges tucked deep in the Rocky Mountains. Ice climbing and kayaking aren’t a typical pairing, but in the warm months, Mulkey pummels his way down untouched rapids and willingly plunges over waterfalls in death-defying attempts to conquer the odds.

Regardless of Mulkey’s commitment to his ice and river adventures, he sometimes returns emptyhanded. “As everyone knows, there’s nothing more that I love than a good adventure,” said Mulkey in his video Storm Chasers, where he ventured into Montana’s Beartooth Mountains with fellow climber Doug Shepard. After five days of constant snowfall and suboptimal climbing conditions, the crew bailed on its mission to find new ice.

But Mulkey found a silver lining. “Sometimes those adventures go the way you want them to, and sometimes they don’t,” he shrugged. “It seems like the ones that don’t last forever in your mind and create the best memories.”

CONTENTS | WELCOME | ABOUT US | HOW TO | SCHEDULE | MAP | COMPETITIONS

Jan. 11, 2014 Ouray Community Center 340, 6th Ave.

10P.M.–1A.M. $10 cash only Proceeds go to the Ouray Ice Park

brought to you by:

First 100 people get a free beanie

BEYOND THE ICE FEST DEMO DAYS

FEM FEST

Ice Fest weekend is awesome, but why let the fun stop there? If you’ve caught the ice climbing bug, come back for Demo Days throughout the ice-climbing season!

Fems who loved Ice Fest are invited back to the Ouray Ice Park Feb. 21-23 for Fem Fest, presented by the Ouray Ice Park and Ouray Mountain Sports.

Interested in ice climbing? Interested in checking the latest in new ice climbing gear? Either way the Ouray Ice Park is the place to be this season, which will host weekend Demo Days throughout the season.

Ouray Ice Park Demo Days feature top brands in the outdoor industry, offering participants the not-to-be-missed opportunity to test-drive great gear.

The first Demo Days event at the Ouray Ice Park takes place Saturday, Dec. 28, with Asolo boots. Look for Asolo near the Kids Wall, with ice climbing boots on-hand for trying out in the Park.

For more Demo Days, visit www.ourayicepark. com and the Ouray Ice Park Facebook page for information throughout the season, from top brands including Millet, La Sportiva, Lowa Boots, Osprey Packs, and more.

Friday, Feb. 21 Climbing-and-skiing slide show by Janelle Smiley

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Saturday, Feb. 22 The Fem Fest Famous Fashion Show and Makeover Stay tuned for info on how to enter (and win!) the Makeover!

Ouray Fem Fest is for women ice climbers of all ages and abilities to come together to share the ice and mentor one another. There are no organized clinics or competitions. There are no signups. Bring a friend, or come alone. Either way, come and climb, Feb. 21-23. Last year, ladies used social media to organize climbing partners, carpools and room sharing (there are plenty of places to stay). Town is only one square mile, so everything is close to the Ice Park. Ladies, we hope you can make it out to the Fest.

CONTENTS | WELCOME | ABOUT US | HOW TO | SCHEDULE | MAP | COMPETITIONS

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43

TECH TALK Transitioning from High-Friction to Auto-Lock

BY OURAY ICE PARK, INC.

At the Ouray Ice Park, it is common practice for climbers to be lowered into the gorge while the belayer remains at the anchor. It happens hundreds of times a week without incident.

But with the increased popularity of such auto-locking belay devices as Petzl’s Reverso and Black Diamond’s ATC Guide, there has been a disturbing trend of belayers lowering climbers with devices configured in the auto-locking, or “guide,” mode. Below, read about the limitations of this practice and offer a potentially safer alternative.

The Reverso and ATC Guide can be configured in any of several modes that determine the amount of friction produced by the device and, consequently, the effort required by the belayer to control the climbing rope. This article 44

presumes that the belayer is familiar with each of these configurations.

In “guide” mode, the device aggressively brakes the climbing rope when, subjected to the weight of a climber. If the climber has fallen from overhanging terrain, or is otherwise unable to re-establish himself on the climb, the belayer must “break” the auto-lock mode in order to lower the fallen climber. Manufacturers have specific techniques for doing this, and it is important that anyone using these devices in auto-lock mode be familiar with the recommended techniques.

But there is a serious limitation when breaking these devices out of their locked mode. Think of it as a hair-trigger: the friction tends to be all ON or all OFF. The sudden transfer of weight from the anchor to the belayer can catch even the

CONTENTS | WELCOME | ABOUT US | HOW TO | SCHEDULE | MAP | COMPETITIONS

most experienced belayer by surprise, risking a loss of control of the climbing rope. This loss of control has contributed to at least one ground fall in Ouray Ice Park’s recent history. Consequently, use of these devices in “guide” mode as a standard technique for lowering a climber is not recommended.

But it’s easy to rig an alternative that allows the belayer to lower the climber in the high-friction, or “lowering” mode and transition the belay device to “guide” mode as the climber begins his or her ascent while maintaining complete control over the belay.

The first step is to create a basket hitch by passing a double length (120cm) runner through the focal point of your anchor. Pull the two ends of the runner away from the anchor and clip a locking carabiner to them. Next, tie an overhand knot at the midpoint of the doubled runner. Clip a second locking carabiner above this overhand.

Finally, clip a third locking carabiner directly to the anchor’s focal point.

After the climber ties into the rope, rig the rope through your belay device in “lowering” mode and attach it to the carabiner hanging from the end of the doubled runner (again, make sure that you understand the correct use of your particular device). Finally, redirect the running end of the rope through the carabiner clipped to the focal point of the anchor.

You are now ready to lower the climber until you hear “Stop.” After lowering, tie an overhand on a bight in the running end of the rope. This serves as both a “catastrophe” knot and a reference when lowering subsequent climbers.

At this point, you should still have a free locking carabiner clipped above the overhand at the mid-point of the doubled runner. As the climber makes the first moves, the belayer passes a free hand through the bight of the overhand in the running end of the rope and grasps the free carabiner. This carabiner is clipped to the belay device in “guide” mode.

Voila! You’ve transitioned from lowering mode to “guide” mode and can continue capturing progress as the climber ascends. If desired, some simple communication such as “ready to climb” and “climb” can be used to indicate the transition is complete. But the key here is that the belayer always remains in control of the belay. There is no risk of on/off control such as occurs when lowering in guide mode.

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45

Ouray Ice Farmers Grow One Cool Crop

BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT

Natural classics in the Uncompahgre Gorge like Stone Free and Tangled Up In Blue have been climbed since the 1970s, but most of the ice in the Ouray Ice Park doesn’t grow there by accident. We farm it.

All farms need an irrigation system. The Ouray Ice Park’s is utterly unique, and a constant work in progress. As Ouray Ice Park Operations Manager Kevin Koprek put it, “There is no manual.”

Here’s how the system works.

Starting from its source – the City of Ouray’s municipal water tank about a quarter-mile up the road – a 6” stainless steel line delivers water downhill to a vault in the central portion of the Ice Park, where the line splits into a “T” to form north end and south end systems.

All climbs in the Ice Park downstream from the Trestle and Mixed Alcove climbing area are part of the north end system. Everything else is in the south end.

The entire system is gravity-fed. At the source, the water pressure starts out at a powerful 125 psi.

By the time it reaches the far end of South Park, it has diminished to 25 psi – not much, but enough to keep things moving, and a lot better than it used to be in more primitive versions of the system, in which frozen pipelines were an all-too frequent occurrence.

To make each climbing route in the Ice Park, water flows from 2” and 4” Yelomine PVC pipes into 1/2” galvanized pipes fitted with perforated nozzles, or showerheads, that spray water out over the rim of the gorge and onto the canyon walls where it freezes to form routes of climbable ice.

Two valves supply and drain each showerhead, and control how much water is hitting each specific climbing area.

The key to the whole system is to keep the water moving. Standing water equals frozen water, 46

and frozen water (in the pipes) is a big problem.

Meticulous care must be taken to properly drain the pipes (by opening the showerhead valves) when the system is shut down at the beginning of each day.

There are 235 showerheads in all. That makes just shy of 500 valves that must be opened and closed, twice a day.

“It’s pretty crazy,” admitted Koprek.

Dan Chehayl is the lead ice farmer this year.

Helping him out are Steven VanSickle and Beth Goralski.

Ice farming is a crepuscular occupation. In the quiet chill of dawn, Chehayl, Van Sickle and Goralski work together as a team to shut down the irrigation system that has been spraying water on the canyon walls all night. One of them reports to the far south end of the Ice Park, and another to the system’s vault where the big valves are. They communicate with each other via cell phone, confirming at a set time that they are all in place.

The person at the vault turns off the water to the south end system. The south end person then moves efficiently toward the vault (near the Kids Wall), and opens every single valve along the way to let the system drain for the day.

Once the south system is taken care of, they repeat the same process for the north end of the park.

At the end of the day, as twilight casts blue shadows across the Uncompahgre Gorge and the temperature begins to plummet, the ice farmers return once more, activating the showerheads to let water spray – and freeze – on the walls of the gorge all night.

The ice farmers work closely with the City of Ouray public works crew, checking the municipal tank’s water level every night before they fire up their system and every morning before they shut ’er down, making sure water levels are at a healthy level.

Timing is all-important. “We do a lot of practice runs in November, before it gets cold, when we have lower consequences,” said Koprek, who supervises the ice farmers’ efforts.

In the early days of ice farming, water was sprayed uniformly from each showerhead throughout the Ice Park. Now, Koprek and his team approach the job more like scientists, or artists – carefully gauging the droplet size and air to water ratio at each shower head to create different effects for the more than 200 beginning to advanced routes that Ice Park enthusiasts enjoy.

It all adds up to a delicious variety of easily accessible ice and mixed climbing terrain, and a one-of-a-kind, world-class climbing venue.

CONTENTS | WELCOME | ABOUT US | HOW TO | SCHEDULE | MAP | COMPETITIONS

THE OURAY ICE PARK WOULD LIKE TO THANK ITS 2014 OURAY ICE FESTIVAL SPONSORS

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47

ourayicepark.com

GET YOUR AXE IN GEAR! The Ouray Ice Park is free to use but not free to operate.

Park operations are 100% donor funded and we need your help. Please join us by becoming a Ouray Ice Park member today! Besides the satisfaction of helping support one of the greatest ice climbing venues in the world, Ouray Ice Park members also enjoy the following benefits: • Discounts on clinics at the 2014 Ouray Ice festival • 50% off a 1-year subscription to Rock & Ice magazine • 20% off all on-line orders from Brooks-Range Mountaineering Equipment • Discounts at participating local businesses • A tremendous amount of good climbing karma!

Email: info@ourayicepark.com | Phone: 970.325.4288 | Mailing & Shipping: po box 1058 ouray, co 81427

For more information please visit: http://ourayicepark.com/about/membership/

THE OURAY ICE PARK WOULD LIKE TO THANK ITS 2013/2014 LOCAL BUSINESS PARTNERS

OURAY COMFORT INN

BOX CANYON LODGE AND HOT SPRINGS

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49

Gary Hansen March 16, 1947 – July 5, 2013 Ouray Mayor Pro Tem Gary Hansen, who died last summer after a heroic battle with cancer, acted as the Ouray City Council’s liaison to Ouray Ice Park, Inc. for much of his term in office.

In his life before Ouray, Hansen assembled command modules for the Apollo program, sending strands of his own hair into space. He participated in a Guinness World Record-breaking skydive formation, and logged over 24 hours of freefall. He served as the president of Ring 60, the Austin, Tex., chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

In Ouray, he participated in the single-jack competition at the Highgraders’ Holidays in 2011 and 2012, volunteered for the Ouray Ice Festival, and frequently set up his telescope so that community members could observe astronomical wonders like the Transit of Venus in 2012.

Hansen loved the close-knit Ouray community and its spectacular scenery, including the Ouray Ice Park. He enjoyed exploring his mountainous backyard with friends and family, and was an active member of the Ouray Trail Group.

His sense of curiosity and adventure continue to inspire all who knew him.

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Bring in this ad and get 20% off a one nights stay. offer not valid with another discounts

www.DaysInnMontrose.com

1417 East Main Street • Montrose, CO 81401 • (970) 249-4507 51

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 San Juan’s Local, Family Owned Guide Service for over 25 years world class guides - adventures worldwide

SJMG

ice alpine ski avy photo by Jeremiah Watt

800.642.5389 www.mtnguide.net