I was successful in talking Jon into trying Ice Climbing this past January. I didn't have to talk very much, he jumped at the chance pretty quickly. With our goal of climbing the Kautz route on Rainier, and then Liberty Ridge the following summer, we thought it would be best to take an ice climbing class. Where better than in Ouray Colorado, home of the Ouray Ice Park. We hooked up with San Juan Mountain Guides and created a custom class just for me and Jon. The Heggen-Smith Liberty Ridge custom class consisted of two days in the Ice Park, then one day on an alpine route in the nearby mountains to test our new skills. Our guide and instructor, Dave Ahrens, was an excellent teacher. We learned ice axe and crampon placement on vertical ice, placing ice screws, building V-thread anchors and learning basic multi-pitch ice climbing in an alpine environment. Below are some shots of both of us climbing in the park.
Jon and me at the ice park overlook
Learning how to build a V-thread anchor
Dave belays Jon up the his first ice climb
Dave and me at the base of the climb
This is our alpine route on the 3rd day. This natural ice flow is a good 200' wide and had some strong WI4 sections on it.
Learned a lot and had a great time. Sorry, no pictures of the pints of Guinness, Irish egg rolls or spicy leprechaun balls.
