The Ouray Ice Fest Returns After Two Years of Cancellation. It Was Their Best Yet
This January, the Colorado ice climbing community was able to reunite for the first time in two years.
Ever since the Ouray Ice Festival was founded in 1996 by climbing legend Jeff Lowe, the event has been a cornerstone of both the state and national ice climbing scene. Needless to say, the community felt the blow when public health guidelines forced the fest to go virtual last year. While the fest's annual Ouray Elite Mixed Climbing Competition still happened, the in-person clinics, parties, and events the fest has become known for were all put on hold.
This year, in the absence of gathering restrictions from the county health department, the fest was allowed to come roaring back.
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"The one word that comes to mind is heartwarming," says Ice Park Executive Director Peter O'Neil. "I'm filled with gratitude that the whole community--both the community of ice climbers and the community of Ouray--was able to come together and make this happen."
The relief and joy were palpable both within the Park's ice-lined gorge and at evening events, where smiles plastered the faces of attendees and dancing lasted well into the night.
"The town of Ouray felt so alive," says Tyler Kempney, a longtime Ouray competitor and the owner of Boulder ice climbing gym The Ice Coop. "It was amazing seeing new faces looking for a sense of adventure. And seeing those I can count on to come back every year--it felt like I was home again."
Adding to that sense of relief: The fact that the park almost didn't have enough ice to host the event. The Thursday before Christmas, it rained in Ouray, delaminating about a third of the routes that the park's crew of full-time ice farmers had been able to develop. It wasn't until the last few weeks before the fest that the park started seeing consistently low nighttime temperatures. The conditions allowed the ice farmers to quickly build up and open nearly all the park's traditional climbing areas, as well as nine new lead-only routes.
O'Neil estimates that about 2,000 climbers and spectators visited Ouray for the festival weekend.
"Clinics were sold out. All the lodging in Ouray was sold out," he says.
The crowd's presence was especially noticeable during the Ouray Elite Ice Climbing Competition, which has long been a focal point of festival weekend. Last year, athletes performed for the livestream in relative silence. This year, the bridge and canyon rim were both packed with spectators. Athletes took every advantage, waving at the crowds, gesturing for louder cheers, and shaking their heads mid-climb to acknowledge the announcers's heckles.
"The spectators' energy helped carry the competitors up the wall," says Kempney, who took gold in the men's division after landing a spectacular dyno, one of several heart-stopping moves that made this year's competition routes some of the most theatrical yet. (Credit goes to setting duo Marcus Garcia and Liam Foster, both longtime Ouray competitors.)
Kempney's win added to the drama. Last year, he was the only male competitor to top the route, but was disqualified at the last minute when judges decided that a tool strayed out of bounds. It was a controversial call that roused an uproar among his fellow competitors. But this year, he took the title from 2021 champion Keenan Griscom, who placed second. Coloradan Wes Fowler came in third.
"Redemption is sweet, isn't it?" said competition organizer Lance Sullins as Kempney stepped onto the podium. Cheers erupted from the gathered athletes and spectators.
On the women's side, Catalina Shirley of Durango, Colorado, took home gold after executing a fabulous figure-four sequence in finals that left spectators stunned. Last year's champion Corey Buhay took silver, and Aneta Louzecka, a competitor visiting from the Czech Republic, placed third.
Many of the same athletes will be returning to Ouray February 3-5 for the UIAA North American Championship, the first time the U.S. has held a big international competition since the Ice Climbing World Cup Finals in Denver in 2019. (The event will be livestreamed; keep an eye on ourayicepark.com for viewing details.)
Results
Women's Lead
Catalina Shirley
Corey Buhay
Aneta Louzecka
Lauren Shartell
Lindsey Hamm
Lindsay Levine
Jessica Perez
April Mayhew
Men's Lead
Tyler Kempney
Keenan Griscom
Wesley Fowler
Kevin Lindlau
Logan Tyler
Andrew Lamb
Jedrzej Jablonski
Adam Colby Rickard
Noah Rowley
Tavish Hansen
Tyler Howe
Grant Kleeves
Ian Wedow
Christian Junkar
Erik Gomez
Jack Ziegler
Jonathan Zaugg
Dan Koepke
Micah Day
Daniel Plinksa
Dominic Gonzalez-Padron
Luke Ross
Aaron Livingston
Scott Reed
Samuel Serra
Joe Kinner
Keith Weeks
Zachary Runyan
Milo Corbus
Rob Cotter
Eric Illick
Will Williams
Soren Stauersbol
Amos Murray
Women's Speed
Aneta Louzecka
Catalina Shirley
Lauren Shartell
Corey Buhay
Sarah Haubert
Men's Speed
Liam Foster
Keenan Griscom
Kevin Lindlau
Andrew Lamb
Wesley Fowler
Marcus Garcia
Jonathan Zaugg
Erik Gomez
Noah Rowley
Grant Kleeves
Christian Junkar
Lance Sullins
Ian Wedow
Samuel Serra
Dan Koepke
Scott Reed
Will Williams
Jack Ziegler
Soren Stauersbol
