MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT- PRESENTER CHANGES!

January 13, 2015January 13, 2015 Bill

Due to some unforeseen circumstances Kyle Dempster and Doug Robinson will not be able to attend the 2015 Michigan Ice Fest. While we are disappointed that the guys won’t be able to make it this year we will most certainly see them in Michigan next year! Thanks to some scrambling and hard work by Jon Jugenheimer of Black Diamond, and Brett Merlin of CAMP USA, we are very excited to announce that Raphael Slawinski and Anna Pfaff will be joining us as instructors/presentors!

Raphael Slawinski

I got into climbing late, in my mid-twenties. And maybe it was for the best, as I’m still excited about it more than twenty years later. It was moving away from the Canadian Rockies to the flatlands of Chicago, where I went to grad school, which got me into climbing. There were no mountains to scramble, so I started rock and ice climbing on small Midwestern cliffs. These days I’m comfortably settled back in Calgary, on the doorstep of the Rockies. Fortunately my job as a physics professor leaves me lots (but never enough!) time to play in my favorite mountain range.

It’s a good thing I like winter, because it’s really, really long here. There’s so much you can do: ice, mixed, ski … and sometimes, when the motivation’s high and avy hazard low, even winter alpine. Don’t get me wrong though, I love our summers too. High in the shadows of a big limestone north face, looking down on sunlit glaciers and forests far below, is one of the best places I can imagine being.

Ten years ago I discovered the great peaks of the Pakistani Karakoram. There’s something among those giant pyramids of granite and ice, rising above arid, brown valleys, that I haven’t found anywhere else. Whatever it is, it’s drawn me back time and again.

You can check out all things Raphael at his blog by clicking here!

Raphael is being sent to Michigan Ice by our Gold Sponsor Black Diamond!

Anna Pfaff

Anna grew up in Ohio and started climbing when she moved out west in hery early twenties. Some of her earliest memories of climbing include routes like the Emmons – Winthrop on Mount Rainier, Washington, the Salathe on El Capitan, Yosemite with Jean Readle, the Beckey-Chouinard in The Bugaboos, Canada. She has also climbed and ice-climbed in some of the most spectacular locations on earth. From Patagonia, Kyrgyzstan, Tibet, Pakistan, the Himalaya’s. More info on Anna to come but in the meantime check out her blog here!

Anna is being sent to Michigan Ice by our Gold Sponsor CAMP USA!

UPDATE PRESENTATION SCHEDULE

Thursday

TBA

Friday

Ben Erdmann

Raphael Slawinski

Saturday

Will Mayo

Barry Blanchard

Gold Level Sponsor Black Diamond To Send Kyle Dempster!

November 24, 2014 Bill

For years Gold Level Sponsor Black Diamond has sent amazing athletes to our event ensuring that we get the highest quality instructors, and are entertained in the evening with inspiring stories of climbing around the world. This year BD has graciously agreed to send Kyle Dempster!

Kyle Dempster who hails from the climbing mecca of Salt Lake City, owns a coffee shop, Higher Ground, and wins golden ice axes (known as the Piolet d’Or) for his ascents around the world, and to top it off, is a Black Diamond sponsored athlete. Kyle, excited to be at this year’s Ice Fest, eat a pasty for possibly his first time in his life, and experience the Big Lake in winter. Kyle began climbing with his cousin, Drew in 1994 at the age of 12 and partook on his first international expedition to Canada’s Baffin Island in 2005 at the age of 21 again with Drew. This trip, a turning point in his life in which he nearly gave up climbing, with Drew’s passing brought Kyle back to Baffin Island again to make peace with his memory. Since then, he has been traveling the world from Pakistan to China climbing high altitude walls with many ascents around home in the Western US climbing ice and rock.

One of Kyle’s latest trips was a bike tour across Kyrgyzstan, inspired by his father who is a long time cyclist from Salt lake City. He spent two months solo biking across the country, climbing many peaks along the way. He learned a lot about the bike, himself and how much food he could carry at once with the goal of biking into a mountain range, climbing a peak and having a large enough food reserve for bad weather and biking back out to resupply. It was a grand adventure and his hope is that the trip can be inspirational to other climbers seeking alternative modes of climbing transportation.

So stoked to have Kyle joining the ranks of athletes who have presented/instructed at the Michigan Ice Fest! Thanks again to our Gold Sponsor Black Diamond for making it possible for Kyle to be at this years Michigan Ice Fest!

Michigan Ice Fest Recap 2014

February 5, 2014 Bill

The 2014 Michigan Ice Fest is in the books and 411 participants ascended on Munising Michigan for what has been the best ice conditions we have seen in decades! Climbers from ten different states, and two different countries were represented this year with participants coming to enjoy the camaraderie of Midwest climbers and the chance to climb the beautiful ice formations at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Grand Island!

THURSDAY

For the second year, the festival got underway on Thursday with an Introduction to Ice Course, and a Top Rope Anchor Course where participants spent the day learning the tricks of the trade out at The Curtains. Many folks new to the Fest were excited to get out on the ice and a chance to climb the vertical pillars that are so common in the park. Other early arrivers jumped at the chance to get out on Grand Island and take advantage of the lake ice that was formed enabling access to some seldom climbed formations. An all day snow and somewhat mild temperatures made for an enjoyable day of cragging!

Thursday night with a cold brew in hand, climbers were treated to a collection of slides submitted by Ice Fest participants and set to music, during the second annual “Participants Slide Show: Beers with Bill II”. After the show many hung around Sydney’s hatching plans for an early morning departure and dreams of climbing the big routes along Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

FRIDAY

Waking up early Friday morning with temps hovering around 11 degrees and a stiff wind blowing snow across Lake Superior, climbers hit the trails in search of ice. Several groups headed out the Lakeshore Trail, and others walking, skiing or snowmobiling out to Grand Island The fest also saw an increase in demos as many took advantage to check out gear and climb in small groups throughout the park. Three more courses, an Introduction to Ice Course, a Top Rope Anchor Course as well as a Rigging and Rescue course taught by Ben Erdmann were filled and went out for a day of instruction and climbing.

Friday evenings festivities started off with a climbing social and free beer sponsored by the American Alpine Club, La Sportiva and Montane. The first presenter was Ben Erdmann originally from Marquette, and now a proud climbing bum. When not working on the pipelines, he is putting up new routes in the mountains of Alaska, running up big walls in Yosemite, and pioneering first ascents in Patagoina. We are so proud of Ben and what he has accomplished in his climbing career!

We are so glad that Gold Sponsor Black Diamond sent Sam Elias out this year to instruct and present. This is Sam’s second appearance to the festival and rounded out a night of “Michiganders” as Sam originally hails from the Detroit area. Sam thrilled the crowd with shots and video from his amazing expedition climbing Mount Everest!

The rest of the evening you could find people browsing the booths of Mountaineer Bob, The Access Fund /American Alpine Club, socializing with other climbers from around the country, introducing themselves to the athletes and reps, and heading over to the Down Wind Sports booth looking to score a few deals!

SATURDAY

As usual we got the ball rolling early with equipment hand out for Ice Fest Courses. One of the unique aspects of the Ice Fest is the opportunity of taking a course from one the most accomplished climbers in the country. Sent to the festival from one of our Gold Level sponsors, these athletes work with our participants to give them the tools to be successful. Talented, patient, funny and some of the nicest guys in the industry- these climbers are what make Michigan Ice Fest so darn fun! Two Intro to Ice, Lead climbing, Women’s Intro to Ice and the Kids courses all filled up fast and participants were treated to instruction provided by Will Mayo, Mark Wilford, Ben Erdmann, Kelly Cordes, and Sam Elias.

DEMOS

Year after year the leading manufactures of ice climbing gear and clothing step up to the plate and send loads of demo gear to our festival for participants to “try before buying”. We really appreciate the effort and the amount of gear these companies send to help ensure that the demo is a success and that we are able to outfit many first time climbers. Again this year, our Gold Sponsor Fits Socks hooked up demo participants with brand new socks to keep their feet warm at the demo! Thanks Fits for joining us this year! Besides our long time sponsors of the demo- Sterling Ropes, Black Diamond, Petzl, Scarpa, Salewa, Grivel Liberty Mountain, Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, Hopp Outdoors, and the Ridge Roamers, this year we saw new sponsors Asolo, Trango and Camp USA joining us!

After getting the courses set and on their way it was time to hook up demo participants with demo gear. This year the line to pick up gear was shorter then usual and everyone was able to get outfitted and get out on the ice!

Gold Level sponsor Black Diamond graciously supplied their Stance Belay Parkas to the Michigan Ice Fest staff to keep the belayers warm and happy during the hundreds of belays throughout the weekend. The Stance is filled with two independent layers of lightweight, highly compressible PrimaLoft insulation that provide sleeping-bag level warmth, even when wet. The two-way center front zip lets you wear the jacket over your harness while belaying, (check out Matt belaying above) and oversized hand, chest and internal drop pockets accommodate gloves, and other essentials like snicker bars!

The Demo area at The Curtains saw lots of first time ice climbers learning the basics on some of the many routes that were set up. Cold temperatures and added a bit of a challenge for the participants but determination and grit got most climbers to top out on their first climbs. Hundreds of climbers were challenged throughout the day with a variety of difficult climbs set up, and excitement filled the air as climbers celebrated their success.

After a long day of climbing, everyone converged upon Sydney’s for the Saturday evening social and free beer provided by La Sportiva and Montane and the American Alpine Club. Before the shows we introduced Olivia and Ava as the 2014 Sue Nott Scholarship winners. Down Wind Sports has created the Sue Nott Scholarship with the purpose to promote, inspire, and introduce young females to the sport of ice climbing. The girls had to submit a letter of why they wanted to participate, a letter of recommendation from someone other then their parents, and their report card. Ava and Olivia were selected from the largest group of girls ever to submit applications and were provided with free entry into the fest and the Women’s Intro To Ice Course. It is always one of our favorite parts of the whole weekend- way to go girls!

With a standing room only crowd, our first presentation of the evening was from Will Mayo. A huge thank you goes out to our Title Sponsor La Sportiva for hooking us up with a class act like Will. A plethora of amazing ice and mixed routes filled the screen as Will described various routes he has established and climbed over the years.

Our final presentation of the night was from Ice Fest favorite Kelly Cordes. With his third time returning to the fest, Kelly is a fantastic story teller, keeping the crowd entertained with his exploites, adventures, and accidents over the years. An amazing show, if you ever get a chance to see a Kelly Cordes presentation- don’t miss it!

As usual the evening concluded with the Michigan Ice Fest raffle where we gave out over $4000.00 of gear and clothing to some very excited climbers. Soft shells, belay parkas, Petzl ropes, Cassin crampons Mountain Hardwear Packs, Patagonia Footwear and fleece, Salewa shoes and La Sportiva Nepal Evo ice boots were only a few of the items raffled off! A big shout out to Patagonia, La Sportiva, Mountain Hardwear, Sterling, Black Diamond, Petzl and Osprey, Montane, Dry Ice Tools, Prana, Osprey, Marmot, MSR, Outdoor Research, Skhoop, Cassin, Julbo, Sherpa, Alpinist, Red Bull, Black Rocks Brewery, ThermaCell, Fits Socks for providing such killer raffle prizes!

SUNDAY

More cold temps greeted our Intro to Ice and Intro to Leading participants which made for challenging classes all day long. The effects of climbing hard all day Saturday and a late night of socializing must have took it toll on climbers as the demo area was a very laid back all day Sunday allowing climbers their choice of routes for most of the day.

All in all it was another great Michigan Ice Festival and we appreciate all of the patronage we get from Midwest climbers. We are proud to say that over the weekend we were able to sign up 42 new members to the American Alpine Club, and the Access Fund and exposed hundreds of first time climbers to the sport of ice climbing.

As you look back on your Ice Fest experience we ask you to think about the companies and organizations that you saw this weekend- and if you liked what you saw or tried during the weekend we encourage you to buy local. Buying local in the Midwest supports the Reps that came, and in turn helps to keep the Michigan Ice Fest alive and healthy. Having remorse for not buying those mountain boots? Down Wind Sports is still offering the Ice Fest discount for the next week. Give them a call at 906-226-7112 or use promo code icefest at their online shop.

We also want to thank all those who volunteered their time, energy, and hard work throughout the weekend. Without these folks Ice Fest would simply not happen. A big shout out to Edith Nelson, Maddog Lynch, Mario Molin, Linda Wappner, Bryan DeAgustine, Rob Harwood, Neil Poglese, the Schneiderhan’s and Megan Ostrowski.

The reason our event is so successful is because of the assistance behind the scene from all of our sponsors. If you were at the event and had fun, enjoyed the presenters, or loved the killer raffle prizes please drop the following sponsors a note to tell them that you appreciate them supporting the Michigan Ice Fest!

Patagonia dixiemarree@patagonia.com Jimmy.Hopper@patagonia.com

La Sportiva iachey@sportiva.com

Black Diamond Holly.Merriman@bdel.com bodhiagency.jon@gmail.com

Scarpa shunnie@scarpa.com mark@scarpa.com

Petzl james@figure8sales.com codette@petzl.com

Grivel peterm@libertymountain.com

Sterling Rope marketing@sterlingrope.com

FITS Socks help@fitssock.com

Mountain Hardwear BPittam@mountainhardwear.com JPedersen@mountainhardwear.com

Salewa info@salewa.us nrgsales1@gmail.com

Montane matthuff@sport-hansa.com

Asolo cbf106@asolo-usa.com

Camp USA glen@camp-usa.com

Trango CKlinke@gthi.com

Thank you so much for being part of the Michigan Ice Fest this year! Be sure to keep up with what is happening with the Michigan Ice Fest through our blog at michiganicefest.com or on our facebook page!

SAVE THE DATES!

ICE FEST 2015 February 5-8th

Black Diamond Stinger Crampon

January 11, 2014 Bill

It’s always exciting to check out the gear being offered at the Michigan Ice Fest demo and again this year we are super pyched to have the Black Diamond Stinger Crampon available for participants to try out!

Designed to tackle serious ice and mixed lines on winter crags and alpine faces the world over, the Black Diamond Stinger is the lightweight stainless steel crampon offered by Black Diamond, with a replaceable monopoint. An asymmetrical design fits the contours of modern mountain boots, and thin, low-profile heel and toe wires offer a precise fit for less weight.

Asymmetrical stainless steel design is lightweight, won’t rust and fits the contours of modern boots
Mono frontpoint is replaceable at low cost and can be changed quickly and easily in the field
Hooded frontpoint and aggressive secondary points are optimized for precise, secure placements
Low-profile micro-adjust heel level offers precision fit
Thin, low-profile toe bail and thinner, shorter heel wire for improved fit with modern boots
Includes front and rear dual-density ABS

From the Black Diamond Web Site, the following interview took place with Climbing Hardgoods Category Director Bill Belcourt to talk about the BD Stinger crampon, a highly technical monopoint crampon designed for high-end mixed and ice climbing.

What was the design goal in creating the Stinger?

We wanted a crampon that climbed ice like a sticky rubber rock shoe climbs rock. This meant a monopoint crampon that was as stable as a dual, and had traction no matter where you stepped on it.

What kinds of climbing is the Stinger designed for? Why the monopoint?

Hard ice climbing and mixed climbing of all kinds. The Stinger has been developed and tested by our global climbing team on serious new routes all over the world, including a first ascent on Hispar Sar in Pakistan. Mono points allow you to follow your tool placements with your front points (tracking). Monos are also lighter and better for climbing rock because they fit in cracks and on small holds.

What are the main features that set the Stinger apart from other monopoint crampons on the market?

Using stainless steel is the biggest thing; it wears better, sheds snow better, and doesn’t rust when compared with CrMo steels typically used in crampons. The stainless steel we use is also 3 times more expensive, but it is worth it. The Stinger has a front point that easy to replace and inexpensive, and this is a big advantage considering how quickly the front point wears compared with the rest of the crampon. We also positioned the secondary points closer to the front points providing much more stability, and we added a massive amount of point serrations giving traction in all sorts of situations where a normally configured crampon would leave you slipping.

What design features have been incorporated to accommodate modern mountain boots?

A new, narrower toe and heel bail have been designed with modern boots specifically in mind. We will still stock our older wide bails for those with older boots that still have plenty of life left in them.

Were there any unique challenges encountered by the design team when building the Stinger?

The biggest thing is the spectrum of boot models and boot sizes that crampons need to fit today are as broad as ever and it just gets bigger every year. It is a real challenge. The second is creating a light and strong crampon with a full ABS system that does not compromise on climbing performance. It is too easy these days to sacrifice real performance to save a little weight and we don’t want to fall into that trap; performance has to be king.

Like what you see? Give the Stinger a ride at Ice Fest this year and don’t forget- for the first time ever during the 2014 Michigan Ice Fest participants can score a HUGE deal! We are excited to announce that all clothing will be discounted 30% off, all hardgoods will be 20% off!

Black Diamond Stance Belay Parka- Be Cold No More!

December 26, 2013 Bill

If you have ever climbed along the southern shore of Lake Superior in February you know that temperatures can be brutal. The north winds screaming across the lake can make even the saltiest of climbers whimper in their boots- this sure ain’t no sunny Colorado climbing! To endure these temperatures the smart climbers invest in the best gear….and that just might be the new belay parka from Black Diamond. The Stance Parka is a warm synthetic parka designed to withstand the cold temperatures encountered at a snowy frozen belay stance. It’s designed long and baggy, so there is really no need to size up. The unique hand pockets are sewn in between the two layers of PrimaLoft so your hands stay toasty warm, a great feature that your climbing partners will love while leading Twin Towers.

BLACK DIAMOMND

Designed to endure bail-worthy belay conditions on single-pitch ice routes and massive alpine objectives alike, the Black Diamond Stance Belay Parka lets you hunker down while your partner battles it out on the sharp end. Our warmest insulated jacket, the Stance is filled with two independent layers of lightweight, highly compressible PrimaLoft Synergy^®insulation that provide sleeping-bag level warmth, even when wet. A two-way center front zip lets you wear the jacket over your harness while belaying, and oversized hand, chest and internal drop pockets accommodate gloves, water bottles and other essentials.

Adjustable, climbing helmet-compatible hood
Two zippered chest pockets, two zippered hand pockets, two internal drop pockets, internal stretch media pocket
Stretch gusset cuffs
Two-way front zipper
Drawcord hem

Don’t forget you can check out all the brand new Black Diamond apparel at this years Michigan Ice Fest!

Black Diamond- Gold Level Sponsor Returns For Another Michigan Ice Fest

January 25, 2013January 25, 2013 Bill

For years Black Diamond has been very generous by sending double the amount of demo gear that other festivals receive, so that all of our participants can test out the latest and greatest ice climbing gear. BD, like our other Gold Sponsors, has sent amazing athletes to our event ensuring that we get the highest quality instructors, and are entertained in the evening with inspiring stories of climbing around the world. This year BD has teamed up with Arc’Teryx and has graciously agreed to send Will Gadd.

Will Gadd

I grew up in a family that hiked, climbed and went into the mountains whenever they could. Some of my earliest memories are of long backpacking trips, wind-blown summits and surviving winter skip trips. The first sport I really got into on my was caving. When I was 14 I started kayaking. At 16 I bought my first climbing rope, and did my first new rock route. At 25 I first flew a paraglider. At 41 my daughter came into the world. She’s already doing all the stuff I did as a kid, and she’s an athlete too. Some of Will’s exploits include:

-Establishing the hardest mixed ice climbing lines in the world.

-Setting the world distance record for paragliding. Twice. 423 km (263 miles) the second time.

-Kayaking down dozens of first ascents across North America.

-Winning the Canadian National Sport-Climbing Championships. Four times.

-Winning three gold medals at the X Games. And the Ice Climbing World Cup.

-Winning the US and Canadian Paragliding Nationals.

-Flying my paraglider over the Grand Canyon.

-Climbing icebergs off the coast of Labrador with Ben Firth.

-Flying my paramotor across the USA with Jim Grossman.

-Using supplemental oxygen to explore high carbon-dioxide caves in Thailand.

-Ice climbing in underground mines in Sweden.

-First one-day ascent of the tallest mountain in the Canadian Rockies, Mt. Robson. Solo.

-Climbing big new rock, ice and alpine routes all over the world.

-Surviving.

Gold Sponsor Black Diamond Bucks Up- Increases Demo Kit and Sends Bubba!

February 6, 2012 Bill

For years Black Diamond has been very generous by sending huge amounts of demo gear so that participants can test out the latest and greatest ice climbing gear. BD, like our other Gold Sponsors, has sent amazing athletes to our event ensuring that we get the highest quality instructors, and are entertained in the evening with inspiring stories of climbing around the world. This year BD graciously sent Barry “Bubba” Blanchard.

Barry Blanchard is known world wide as the modern father of Canadian alpine mountaineering and hard ice climbs. Recent additions to his backyard are M16 on Howse Peak and his long awaited ascent of Infinite Patience on the Emperor face of Mt. Robson.

Barry has traveled around the world in search of Alpine adventure, these travels have include new routes on the North face of the Droites, in Chamonix, and two successful Everest expeditions. Most impressive was his bold Alpine style attempt of the massive Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat; the team came very close to summiting before having to turn around due to stormy weather. An epic descent followed including the accidental throwing away of the ropes and the lucky discovery of some new ones! Barry is an internationally certified UIAGM guide and frequently works as a safety coordinator for Hollywood.

We also took a sneak peak to see what was in the BD demo kit and boy are we ever ready to give the Black Diamond Stinger Crampons a ride! Designed to tackle serious ice and mixed lines on winter crags and alpine faces the world over, the BD Stinger is a lightweight stainless steel crampon with a replaceable monopoint. An asymmetrical design fits the contours of modern mountain boots, and thin, low-profile heel and toe wires offer a precise fit for less weight.

Asymmetrical stainless steel design is lightweight, won’t rust and fits the contours of modern boots
Mono frontpoint is replaceable at low cost and can be changed quickly and easily in the field
Hooded frontpoint and aggressive secondary points are optimized for precise, secure placements
Low-profile micro-adjust heel level offers precision fit
Thin, low-profile toe bail and thinner, shorter heel wire for improved fit with modern boots
Includes front and rear dual-density ABS

Like what you see? Have we got a deal for you! For the first time ever offered an Ice Fest special of 25% off all hardwear at the event. Forgot to pick something up this weekend? We can extend the Ice Fest discount this week- call or email the store for your hook up! Once again a big thank you goes out to Black Diamond for another year at being a Gold Level Sponsor!