Last year we introduced a new contest at Ice Fest.  We’ve been seeing participants post some amazing photos over the years, so we decided to reward your creativity.  We launched our photo contest and couldn’t have been more impressed with the results.  Hundreds of incredible images of people climbing, hiking and partying during Ice Fest weekend. So, how could we not do it again?

So without further hesitation, here are the rules for the #MichiganIceFest2016 Photo Contest!

We are really excited!  Ice fest 2016 is shaping up to be our best ever and it’s looking like it’s going to be the climbing event of the year for the midwest.

There’s really nothing we like more after a long day of climbing than to relax with our friends and enjoy a beer. Even better if it’s a good beer, and even better than that if it’s a good local beer!  This year we connected with the Ore Dock Brewing Company from just up the road in Marquette.  They love the U.P. as much as we do and were really excited to get involved with Ice Fest.

We put our thinking (drinking?) caps on and came up with three special, Ice Fest only, beers to give away at our climber’s after parties.  We loved it so much we had some stickers made to celebrate.

Make sure you grab a brew, a sticker, and say hello and thank you to the guys from the Ore Dock!

Safety is always our primary concern at Michigan Ice Fest. If you’re safe when you’re climbing you get to go home and climb again tomorrow, and that’s what really matters.

So when we saw the new Connect Adjust from Petzl we were really excited. At it’s simplest, it’s a personal anchor system, but infinite adjustability and simple ease of use make it one of the best we’ve seen.

One end is girth hitched to the harness and locking carabiner is fit through the rope adjuster at the other end. A rubber ring keeps the carabiner from turning in the adjuster and facilitates easy clipping.

The Adjust rope adjuster makes for quick, easy and accurate changes to the anchors length anywhere between 15-95cm (6-37in). The rope is dynamic allowing the Connect Adjust to reduce the shock of a very short fall but it does not have an energy absorber and is not meant to take a fall from above the anchor.

Perfect for both ice and rock climbing, the Connect Adjust from Petzl works great in every situation where a personal anchor is needed.  It adds a bit of ease to your safety routine and helps to get you home at the end of the day so you can get back out tomorrow.  We’ll have the Connect Adjust available during Ice Fest and, to keep your pocket book as safe as your climbing, we’ll have them at 20% off!

 

After the last two years of brutal cold climbing, Ice Fest friend and Down Wind Sports employee Bryan LaRue decided to upgrade to a warmer climbing boot and got a pair of Verto S6K Extreme from The North Face.

He took a few minutes to give us his thoughts on his new boots.  Here’s his review:

This is a full featured double boot that is light and warm. The boot features an inner boot with Primaloft insulation and aerotherm technology. The aerotherm maintains its R value when compressed and has very high thermal performance. The inner boot has laces with a quick pull closure to speed time up putting the boots on. The outer boot contains laces by the forefoot and a Velcro closure around the ankle for added support. The outer shell has an integrated gaiter to keep out the snow and has a YKK waterproof zipper. It has a Vibram sole with plastic toe and heel welts for crampon compatibility. The lasting board under the inner boot is made of carbon fiber to give the boot its stiffness but keep the weight down.

On initial inspection the boot felt like it was made with a lot of detail, you can tell the boot will last for a long time. The outer stitching has taped seams for added waterproof. It felt light for its size and warmth. The boot fitted to my BD Cyborgs quick and felt very secure. The inner boot is removable for use inside of a tent or quicker drying after long days. The laces on the inner boots have different colors for the different feet so you can easily tell the left from right.

After a couple trips out on the early season ice I am pretty pleased with the boot. It is very light and warm. The hikes in and out are very comfortable but the carbon lasting board keeps it stiff while climbing. I really got to see how well the boot performed on thin technical foot work as that was most of the climbing that was in. You can definitely tell it is a double boot as it is pretty wide and almost the sole length of my ski boots but the boot is still sensitive.

I had to add some lube to the waterproof zipper on the outside as it was very stiff and hard to pull but now it works great. The outer boot laces could go higher and ankle support could rely less on the Velcro to add ankle stability but this is certainly not a deal breaker. 

It is definitely warm, I wore my boots during the Nordic ski, snowshoe and fat bike demo this past weekend and stood outside in the sub 10-degree weather for over 6 hours and my toes were no where near the point of getting cold. 

Overall I am happy with this boot. It is light enough that having the double boot warmth is not a hindrance on climbing technical ice. I know it will shine when the wind chill picks up while climbing along the lake shore of Superior.

The North Face is bringing boots to demo at this year’s Ice Fest so make sure you check out their latest offerings.

Sometimes it’s nice to have a piece of gear that just does it all. The newly redesigned Viper Ice Tool from Black Diamond is just that that piece of gear. Cruiser WI 2 routes like Sunny Day? Got it. Hard, steep ice like HMR? Done.  Pictured Rocks? No problem. Long climbs in the mountains? Of course!

The viper is a one tool quiver that is durable and easy to swing.  The full length hyrdoformed shaft is rigid and responsive without being heavy and the included Titan Pick makes it a rugged tool when you’re enjoying some rock with your ice.  You can easily switch between a hammer and adze if the need arises thanks to a modular head. One of the coolest new features is the easy to adjust, flick lock upper pommel.  It allows you move your upper hand position along the shaft to suit your climbing, lending to the versatility of the viper.

We’ll have them available for demo and purchase at the festival this year so make sure you give them a try.

We’re excited to have long time Ice Fest supporter Scarpa sending Scott Bennett to this year’s festival.  Scott is a Michigan native and it will be his first time at Ice Fest.

You can read his bio on Scarpa’s webisite here:
https://www.scarpa.com/scott-bennett

Scott will be teaching classes throughout the weekend and giving a presentation on Thursday evening at the Mather Auditorium.

Here’s what his presentation will be on:

In the summer of 2015, Scott made his first trip to the Pakistani Karakoram, having no idea what to expect. With two strong and experienced partners, the team made two big first ascents: Changi Tower (6500m) and the Southwest Ridge of K6 West (7040m). Scott willshare the story of the trip, what he saw and learned, and hope to inspire all of you to make that leap into the unknown!

 

We’ve heard from Aaron Peterson of Clear & Cold Cinema and the Michigan Ice Film is coming together nicely!  Aaron is heading up this collaboration and has been spending every minute (at least when he’s not skiing, snow biking and doing other cool winter stuff) working on getting the film edited and ready for it’s debut.

 

The film premieres
Saturday, February 13^th @ 8PM
at the historic Mather Auditorium in Munising

Even if you aren’t planning on attending this year’s Ice Fest (why you wouldn’t is beyond us!) you can still come see the film premier and join us for the afterparty.  Tickets will be on sale at the door for $10.  This is an event not to miss!

 

the Michigan Ice film // teaser from Clear & Cold Cinema on Vimeo.

the Michigan Ice film//Hungry for Ice from Clear & Cold Cinema on Vimeo.

the Michigan Ice film//Dairyland from Clear & Cold Cinema on Vimeo.
Conrad Kicks Stuff \\ BTS of the Michigan Ice film from Clear & Cold Cinema on Vimeo.