Climbers come to Cody for multitude of frozen waterfalls
RUFFIN PREVOST Gazette Wyoming Bureau | Posted: Thursday, February 14, 2008 12:00 am
CODY, Wyo. - A relatively wet fall and cold winter have yielded the best ice climbing conditions in a decade in the South Fork Valley, making this weekend an ideal time for the 10th Annual Waterfall Ice Festival.
"Some people call it thunker ice, some people call it fat and juicy. I call it big, blue and bubbly. It's user-friendly, enjoyable ice that is easy to swing your ice ax into," said festival organizer Don Foote, Jr.
This year's event, with more than 150 climbers expected, is shaping up to be the biggest yet, Foote said, adding that the festival has grown each year since it began.
"When it first started, it was me and nine buddies, and we just camped out and ate ramen noodles and mac and cheese. We woke up and saw grizzly tracks around our tent," he said.
This year, climbers will enjoy catered dinners and a wide array of free and paid clinics where they can learn about safety, equipment and techniques, he said.
With many waterfalls in the Shoshone National Forest close to private ranches, climbers will also learn how to access sites without trespassing, as well as how to avoid stressing bighorn sheep, Foote said.
Though the festival has attracted national sponsors and vendors, and is becoming well-known among climbers, it remains a labor of love operated on a nonprofit basis, Foote said.
Support from the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce and Park County Travel Council has helped attract climbers ranging in age from 14 to 64, including dozens of visitors coming to the area for the first time to sample the climbing, he said.
"Ice climbing in Cody is a full-on, epic experience. It's unlike any other place. All the waterfalls are natural, and this event gives climbers the full spectrum of what this sport is all about," Foote said.
Kenny Gasch, an ice climber and instructor with Jackson Hole Mountain Guides, said Cody boasts the best ice climbing in the American Rockies.
Many of the festival's paid clinics he is leading are already sold out, Gasch said, proving the need for commercial climbing guides.
Also an owner of a Cody hostel that caters to climbers, Gasch said he has hosted more visitors this year than ever before.
"Conditions are as good as I've seen them in 10 years, and Cody is finally getting on the map the way it should be for ice climbing. I'm tickled to be a part of the festival," he said.
Aaron Mulkey is an ice climber who owns Core Mountain Sports, an outdoor equipment store in Cody.
"We're doing something new this year as part of the festival to try and educate people who might be interested in the sport. We're offering a free bus tour to the climbing spots" along the South Fork Road, he said.
The four-hour tour will let novice climbers or spectators learn the history of the sport, handle ice climbing gear and view frozen waterfalls and climbers, all from the comfort of a bus, with no climbing required, he said.
Mulkey will also present a separate program for festival attendees about South Fork Valley climbing spots, including "The Testament," a newly discovered, 180-foot column of ice attached to the ground only at its top and bottom.