Jun 10
Chad Picks Favorites At Ouray Ice Park

April 4, 2009
Ouray Ice Park, Colorado

By Chad Peele

Chad Peele, a member of the First Ascent guide team, is based in Ouray, Colorado. He spent a day in the world-renowned Ouray Ice Park with climbing partner Althea Rodgers. Here are Chad’s accounts of the three climbs they did.

1-PIC OF THE VIC
Althea and I agreed to meet at the Ice Park first thing in the morning. We planned to start the day with one of the classic climbs, Pic of the Vic. After gearing up, we rappelled into the gorge and stopped on a small snow bridge underneath the climb. No matter how many times I go into the depths of the gorge, those looming walls of ice never fail to impress. And intimidate. Once you rappel over the edge, there’s only one way out-climbing. You’ve got to be ready. And able. Althea and I threw fingers for first lead. Throwing paper, I happily racked up screws and quickdraws while Althea stacked the ropes. I started up, finding a rhythm that was punctuated by the sweet “thunk” of ax against ice. Moving quickly, I reached the top after placing several screws. I then lowered back in so that Althea could lead. There’s nothing like being on the lead’s “sharp end” on such a beautiful route.

2-ABRIDGEMENT
We next jumped to a sweet line inside the park’s Lead Only Zone. This area was created to preserve the steeper terrain of the ice park by keeping it in a more natural state. The park’s ice is actually “farmed,” (created artificially by irrigating the cliffs with running water) and it receives a high volume of visitors, which speaks to the growing popularity of ice climbing and the quality of the park’s cliffs. But that popularity also means that some of the routes get pretty chewed up. The Lead Only Zone helps protect against that. Althea and I again dropped back into the shady depths of the gorge, this time to the base of Abridgement. As we descended, the middle and top of the climb looked fairly mellow. But at the base, we could see that the start was something else. Steep. Overhanging bulges. Chandeliers of dripping ice. Again I felt that moment of intimidation. But I took my time and carefully thought through my ax and crampon placements. Once I started climbing, I found that the steepness was actually friendly and enjoyable. After several ice screw placements, I arrived at the middle of the route and found a restful stance. Resting is as important an action as climbing. Since ice climbing is usually done in cold weather and our hands are constantly above our head, it’s common to get cold and “pumped.” That’s a feeling that generally leads to a weak grip on your tools and, if ignored, can lead to a far worse condition, “the screaming barfies.” They’re caused when a climber finally lowers his or her hands below the heart and the body’s warm blood rushes back into the hands. Painful. I’ve seen grown men cry while experiencing this horrible but sometimes unavoidable sensation!

3-BRASS TACKS
The day was coming to an end, so we quickly headed over to the area between the park’s bridges and just north of the climb known as Brass Tacks. Here Althea and I rappelled down and situated ourselves inside a small ice cave. The cave wall was a little thin so I down-climbed out of the mouth, then swung and kicked my way up to what I thought was a thicker section. As I swung my tools into the ice, the entire wall vibrated and murmured a long, dull “Om” sound. In some situations, this would be considered a peaceful and encouraging sound. But on an ice wall, not so much. It caused both Althea and me to pucker up. The idea of riding a falling slab of ice to the bottom of the canyon didn’t have quite the appeal of climbing to the top. We quickly finished the climb and wrapped up for the day.

OURAY ICE PARK
The Ouray Ice Park (OIP) is a ten-minute walk from town. It’s a little over a mile long and hosts numerous climbs for every level of ice climber, from beginner to world-class athlete. By tapping into the city’s water reservoir, the OIP has been able to “farm” ice climbs by diverting the reservoir water through PVC piping and spraying the water through some 300-odd showerheads over the cliffs of the Uncompagre Gorge. In 1997, the Ouray Ice Park, Inc. (OIPI) was formed and brought a legal structure that allowed the park to grow and expand to its current size and state. The lease is held by the City of Ouray and I liken it to one big city park that is open and free to all climbers. For more than 10 years, the Ouray Ice Festival has been attracting ice climbers from all over the world and has grown into the largest yearly gathering of ice climbers in the United States. During America’s biggest ice festival, held every January, climbers can enjoy exploring the park, soak in hot springs at night, see demos of the industry’s latest and greatest gear, and take part in clinics led by many of the world’s best athletes. And some pretty serious partying goes on during the evening slide shows and banquets. The Ouray Ice Festival is also the site of the only international ice and mixed-climbing competition held in the U.S. Professional climbers from all over the world come to compete.

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Author: - Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
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  1. T-Dawg
    June 10, 2009 at 8:37 pm

    Awesome video and photos, Chad! How long have you been ice climbing? Also, how much training does a beginner have to do to qualify to do ice fall climbing heights that you and Althea were attempting?


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