SOUTH KOREA ICE CLIMBING WORLD CUP, 2012 - EPILOGUE

UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup, Cheongsong, South Korea

REPRESENTING THE USA AT THE COMMENCEMENT - imagine that.

This year was exceptional in South Korea with the second ever UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup in Cheongsong (Nature Song). The culture is rich, the people so friendly and the organization of the competition and event being second to none. There were more than 127 athletes representing 24 countries at this competition. Only the top 40 are ever listed in the results, I was good enough to get listed and beat my previous rating of 36th in 2009-10 and am presently ranked 34th for 2012.

MEN'S QUARTER FINAL

This as my third year of competing in the World Cup and I have been lucky to meet some of the most interesting people along with all the travels. This year, Kendra Stritch makes her debut and is from Minnesota. Although most people think she's from Canada, she's actually from Minnesota. Ian Holmes is joining up with Gordon to form the Canadian consortium. The Russians pretty much crushed the entire field of all comers, hold a couple of Korean slots. Somehow, Bendler fell off. Someone must have greased his picks because that hardly ever happens. I would buy a lottery ticket before betting Bendler would fall in the first round.

THE IMPRESSIVE CANADIAN, IAN HOLMES GIVING ONE OF THE RUSSIANS A LIFT.

I am happy with my meek performance this year since although I did not make it to the half final, I climbed well and had recognition from the athletes and judges and route setters congratulating me on making good progress with making no stupid mental mistakes, climbing strong, and with consistency. Actually, I was just afraid that the belayer wouldn’t be prepared for how heavy I would be if I fell, so I just didn’t fall – ha ha. Markus didn't think it was funny, he really did think I would get dropped - didn't happen. However, one athlete fell a long distance and got harpooned in the abdomen by one of his axes. I checked him out and he had to be sent to the hospital for a perforated bowel.

I don’t feel like much has changed with my climbing in the past couple of years, but perhaps I can’t see the grass growing. Funny though, I’ve put on 10 pounds and only have about half a dozen training days total this year. Time in the pilot seat is what’s keeping me where I am, but I know I am not as efficient as I could be.

Although some of the best climbers fell early and some surprises by underdogs were seen I’m still a long way from being where I want to be. Sometimes there are doors that are before us that we have a choice to open and walk through. Simply cracking the door open isn’t good enough. I have some personal goal choices to make. I’ve taken a hiatus this past year in training and am ready to get back at it. I’m happy with my performance here this year and am looking forward to doing even better next year. Even though it is distant, it is likely my favorite world cup venue now that Val Daone is no more.

The ice competition season isn’t over yet, far from it in fact. Next on the hit list is the first ever TEVA Winter Games. I’m fortunate to have been invited to compete at this competition in Vail, CO. It is a different climbing format. The routes will not be as difficult and there will be two climbers facing off on identical side by side routes as this format is generally much more exciting for spectators. It will be similar to the 2007 Asian X-Games in Shanghai, China when I went there with Timy Fairfield to set the competition routes. I feel more compelled to attend this event on USA soil since I want there to be a World Cup in North America and there needs to be a good showing of competitors at “home games” to assure that it happens.

There is a movement for Competition Ice climbing to go to the Olympics and there needs to be a more organized International event and venue in the USA. However, there needs to be financial support for this to happen. I’m sure that there is someone or some entity that would be willing and able to help this cause, I just don’t know how to connect with them. I have lots of ideas though and can see it happening. Perhaps there will be some glimmer of hope when I visit Vail.

SOUTH KOREA ICE CLIMBING WORLD CUP, 2012

SOUTH KOREA ICE WORLD CUP, 2012

FULL MOON SET AND GETTING READY TO CHASE THE SUN ... TO SOUTH KOREA

Sitting in my seat and looking down on northern Russia and towards the pole, the temps are -50C. Unfortunately, the temperatures in Kirov, Russia were -38C with moderate winds and snowing during my first Ice World Cup. I knew that it was going to be tough going for the next 2 months and that I had a long way to go and a lot to learn about the mixed climbing scene in Europe.

ANTICIPATION.

Over the next three years, and logging many trips across all the ponds to Korea, Romania, Italy, Switzerland, France, and Russia, etc., I found that the American scene had somehow lost its way in the evolution of mixed climbing. The standard that I thought was so high was, in fact, not. Perhaps it was the climbing media’s portrayal that mixed climbing was a “dead-end sport,” or perhaps it was those who were leading the scene got their asses handed to them, they ran out of vision, or simply “got their cups filled,” but there was a sudden ceiling effect.

Going to the French National competition, I met up with Jeff Mercier. I had helped set the competition route at Ouray on the “diving board” that he made famous with his go-for-broke dyno to the finishing hold, barely making the magic happen. Jeff and crew has never slowed down with his “no figure 4 rule” in the competition left all the World Cup competitors launching for holds so far away that it just inspired everyone to throw harder. Jeff’s style isn’t for everyone, but it is fun to climb his routes in his style.

Stephanie Mereau took us to Le Usine, France last year for a proper schooling. This monstrous cave is home to dry tooling at it’s most refined extreme touting grade of D15 (like M15 without the ice). Later, I climbed together with Markus Bendler. I’m not sure what the grade difference is between North America and Europe, but I couldn’t knock off one of Bendler’s “M9s” when I can on-sight M11 back home. You should see one of his “M12s,” a completely blind horizontal dead point to a hold about 3mm deep. Marcus has won over 40 World Cups and can nab that hold 1/20 attempts on a good day. Needless to say, I’m still in my infancy of the learning curve in this game.

KOREAN ALPINE FEDERATION'S INDOOR 5 STORY ICE CLIMBING TRAINING CENTER.

Many countries have proper teams, supported financially, and have coaches. I’ve never had a coach for ice climbing, but I have coached. Intimidating as it is, being an athlete from the USA to compete at World Competitions still inspires me. It’s a big challenge, not only to participate, but to take on droves of Russians, South Koreans, and many other countries with formal teams.

I love the sport of this type of climbing, but it can be so taxing in so many ways. It’s the time machine that kills me: planes chasing the sun over the pole and around the earth, long bus rides, train transfers, and many nights in a foreign bed, on a floor, or on a couch. It’s all worth it though. That’s part of the cost of the ticket to live this life and have it be a memorable one without regrets. Keep on following that dream !

El Portillo, Chile (cont) Video

I thought that I would have more time to write on the blog, but I spent most of my time skiing, partying at El Portillo with all the cool people we met, or being a "touron" in Santiago. Chris and I owe Camile a huge thanks for not only showing us around Santiago but also for taking us to her home in the beautiful Isla de Maipo, a wonderful farmland and massive vineyard region.

My partner, Chris Chaput, is more than I could ask for. It was great to work with such a colleague and we will be working together again in the future towards more high-level courses and adventures, no doubt. We've been putting our heads together to put on something like this in Colorado.

Kerry had a great time and hopefully will be going back again next year. I think the trip made a good impression on him, so I hope the word will travel. If it weren't for Kerry pushing so hard to go on this trip I'm not sure that this magic would have come to fruition. We were ready to pull the plug with all the complications of the volcano, switching flights at the last second, and having to make this happen at the last second, but you can see from the video that it more than paid off. I'll NEVER regret this pilot run with this program. It was awesome.

A photo is worth a 1000 words, but this video says it all. I think the BMG program is awesome and Chris and I have more dreams of bringing the same quality programs to the States in the future. In the meantime, I'll bet you wished you were there:

El Portillo from marc beverly on Vimeo.

El Portillo, Chile

Travel to Santiago, Chile is relatively painless in more ways than one compared to going over seas either to the east or west from North America. After having to pull the plug on Bariloche, Argentina because of the major amounts of ash that was threatening the area, it was easy to come to the decision to head to El Portillo. Made famous in the USA by Warren Miller, this South American gem is like stepping into a time capsule of what skiing used to be like in the 1960's. Families, huck dolls, and an eclectic international crowd now make up the majority of the patrons. Mountain Guides, ski guides, and ski instructors frequent this area not only for its access, but also its skiing. The Chilean Andes is an incredible place to spend some much needed cooler temperatures while the rest of the USA is baking in the sun. Great skiing on several aspects, an incorporable and delectable menu, as well as wonderful accommodations are some of the major benefits of traveling south of the equator, as one might expect.

Other points of interest are the fact that people bring their families here and the kids have a sustaining relationship with the staff. This isn't Vegas so you'll likely come back and know people that you have met before. There is a strong American influence not only with style (Chris Davenport's "Ski with the Stars"), but also some of California and Colorado's best ski instructors and guides work here. It's no wonder the die hard winter enthusiasts conglomerate in great locations like these in the "off summer season" when forests close, work is sparse, and the economy is being crunched. This is a little slice of heaven for clients and the work force.

There must be something said about the dining room. We have our own "team" of wait staff. They make sure that our meals are delivered with astounding presentation, that the wines are excellent, and that everything is to our satisfaction. Deserts are simply off the chart. For me to try to describe it would be a dis-service.

Today, the skiing was excellent. a plethora of people come and go for a week at a time. It's great to see so many people from such a diverse background. In any other ski area in the USA there would be moguls, bumps formed from so many skiers making the same turns at the same locations. But here, days after a storm, there are still fresh lines to be had within the ski area. Outside the area, or places that one must hike to, there are simply no tracks at all. The Roca Jack, a counterbalance sling-shot lift that takes up 5 skiers at a time on a single cable is where Kerry and I started one of our ascents. We gained about 2000' elevation and skied fresh fluffy powder back down to the ski area on 46 degree+ slope angle. With Aconcagua in the background, it's hard not to feel lucky to be able to ski in such a place.

Chris Chaput and I have been looking at starting to bring clients down to South America for a winter experience during the USA summer.

Bergführer - Mountain Guide

March 15, 2011

Today is a special day for me. Not only was I able to go ski with a friend, but also a motivational mentor of mine who was also evaluating me on my last day in the process of me completing my certification as an international mountain guide. Vince Anderson is perhaps one of the USA's most celebrated alpinists of all time. It was only fitting that he was able to tell me after the last ski run, "wait to make strong turns at the bottom of the chute to finish up getting your pin!" The "pin" is a statement that you have completed the Certified Guide Program. The echo of my whoop filled the valley.

We skied the San Juans, old stomping grounds for both of us, and the setting of some of the most beautiful mountains in the world.

Skiing the avalanche chutes at Chatanooga, looking down on highway 550. Vince Anderson photo.

The UIAGM/IFMGA/IVBV is the international foundation of mountain guides. I've always wanted to perform well in the mountains whether it was in guiding, working, climbing, skiing, rescue, or instruction. Knowing that I meet the international standard is something that I have spent several years on. The process of going through all the courses and exams is good, but sometimes quite frustrating. At times it is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but today, with the sun high in the bullet blue sky over the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, that light is brilliant.
Heaven's Eleven. With only about 20 descents on this highly committing line ending in a cliff, we were fortunate to use this as a "warm-up." Vince Anderson photo.

I'd like to thank all the people and guides who have inspired me, who have put up with me, evaluated me, and honed me. This is a major accomplishment for which I am indebted to many, including myself.

The Icefight 2011, Rabenstein.

This past weekend was the Icefight in Rabentein, Italy (really part of Austria since everyone there speaks German, and is located on the border of Italy and Austria). It s a very small village tucked away high in the Southern Tyrol Region and is home to one of the best organized competitions I have ever been to in any capacity.

The people there are amazing. Markus was telling me that the community built the climbing structure and hosts the event purely on sponsored dollars and from volunteer work. Loads of local show up to witness the best competition ice climbers in the world compete on a self standing, well engineered tower of hard mixed climbing and man-made ice.


As a competitor, you get to spend a lot of time in the isolation zone. The more successful you are, the more time you get to spend in isolation. Another way to get to spend time in isolation is during the qualification rounds and to be the unlucky person who draws to go last out of all the competitors, that would be me this time.

Really, its best to only have a little time in isolation. It can be cold and, given enough time, one can psychologically undo oneself. It's difficult to know exactly when to warm up and when to get physically and mentally ready to go. Competition is so different than real world ice climbing in many ways since there are so many more factors and pressures that come into play. Its easy to start casting doubts and let the phantoms of failure creep into your mind. Finding a good focus is a skill. The more pressures I seem to put on myself, the worse things get. It seems like the less care about failing in a competition, the better I perform. It's hard not to care.

Learning from failures is an important part of competition climbing.

Evgeny Kryvosheytsev told me over dinner that he has been in more than 700 competitions. That's nearly a competition every day for two solid years if they were done back to back ! Markus Bendler said on the drive home that on his second World Cup Ice event his first move was to step out of bounds over a red line and be disqualified. Competitions are tough, there's just no two ways around it. Learn from mistakes or become part of the collateral damage, that's the choice. I guess that's one of the things that makes climbing so appealing, that there's always something to learn or some way to make yourself better.

Like the rest of this trip to Europe, I am fortunate enough to be able to go with friends to new climbing areas. Markus took me to some of his crags near his home in Austria. It was great to climb at yet more cool places. I'd love to spend more time climbing with Markus, but he's going to Romania and I'm going home to the States.

I've had my fill of the World Cup tour for this year and after the shenanigans in Saas-Fee, I'm not psyched about investing more time and money to go to the next UIAA World Cup competition until some issues area addressed. Maybe they will learn from watching places like Rabenstein. I like learning from the competition climbing about my abilities and my weaknesses. Rabenstien always allows me to make the mistakes so that I can become a better climber. Can't wait for next year !

Kandersteg, Switzerland to Innsbruck, Austria

Saas-Balin - mixed climbing (will have to post the photo here later)

Leaving Saas-Fee in the past was hard since my rental car didn’t like the elevation, the cold, the grade coming down from Saas-Fee, or some combination of all since the engine ceased on the hairpin turns several times. The big surprise was that not only did the power brakes go out, but the steering wheel locked when the engine shut down. I got lucky and somehow didn’t have an epic going over the railing and taking the plunge as I followed Rob and Ramon (both from the UK) on our way to Kandersteg. Rob and Ramon had rented a flat and said I could stay with them for a nominal cost for a couple of days on my way to Innsbruck. They woke me up, as promised, and told me they were on their way out of Saas-Fee at 8:00 am. That just about killed me since I was at the athlete party until about 6:00 am.

We boarded a train with our vehicles and traveled through a tunnel and under some major mountains impassable otherwise by roads, and popped out directly in Kandersteg. This little town must have been chiseled out of pure stone by God himself. This is where I would go if I was given the choice if I had to spend eternity on Earth.

We settled into their flat after settling up with the man who grew up in the next house over and now rents his place to visitors. Rob and Ramon were serious about getting in some ice climbing from the time we got in, so we packed up our stuff and headed out. Rob drove his right-sided Land Rover to the crag. I couldn’t believe the amount of ice in proximity of the valley. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, even though they swore that there just wasn’t that much ice. My jaw agape, we arrived at our trailhead that led to a nice little crag where lots of beginners were climbing. No major mixed climbs were being done, and we took a small walk around to see what was in good condition to climb. We found something that we thought looked good and we climbed a nice line that I figured went about M8 (climbing on rock with ice tools) until a curtain of ice could be gained, mounted, and climbed.

My tools are the new Petzl Ergos and I was having a hard time getting them to get into the ice. I figured my problems stemmed from a combination of my depreciated skills of throwing into the ice and the fact that I have only been climbing rock with ice tools for so long. Maybe its one-in-the-same, but anyway I felt klutzy and slow on real ice. After getting off the climb, I bouldered around a bit without a rope and just off the ground so that I could get my “sea legs” back. It didn’t take much.

The next day I hung out and rolled around Kandersted to get an idea of how things were. There was some sort of historical event going on and people were dressed up in traditional regalia. Catching up on e-mails and rest, I did make it over to see some of the sledging. I brought back a poster to commemorate this visit as I’ve been trying to collect posters and such to decorate my garage with. I like seeing posters of events that I have been to as it reminds me of good times. I didn’t pick one up from Saas-Fee this year.

Dennis Van Hooke and Marianne Van der Setine brought Gelle (?) with them to come and climb some ice. I wound up making some plans to go to Innsbruck to stay with Christina Huber, another athlete from the World Cups that I’ve been to, and to hook up with Markus Bendler and train before Rabenstien. I wound up climbing with Gelle on an ice climb that looked difficult, but I figured was rated only to about WI4+ (usually 5+/6 apparently). Gelle is an accomplished alpinist and was on the K2 expedition in 2008 and lived to tell about it. A young man, he is working on becoming a mountain guide and wanted to learn some skills. We only did two pitched together, but I guess he picked up some quarky tricks from me since he mentioned that he climbed exactly how I did over the crux, using a knee post to gain a higher tool placement. I hope that I helped him out in some way and hope to climb with him again, but would also like to ski with him since he’s an Olympic skier as well.

I left around noon from Kandersteg and drove to Innsbruck. I figured I spent about 60% of my drive in tunnels. Absolutely amazing are the tunnel systems in Europe. Colorado should look at putting a tunnel from Denver to Vail and include a train system for that corridor. I took a couple of wrong turns but quickly corrected them and drove fast to make up for any lost time. Driving small diesel cars on narrow and winding European roads is entertaining and demands full attention. I haven’t seen one car wreck since I was in the USA over a month ago. In Albuquerque I would see at least one car wreck per day.

Finding Christina was an epic. I don’t read, write, speak, or understand any language besides English and Spanish. She speaks pretty good English, but explaining directions to me was less than useless. I was able to get an internet connection near the airport at the backside of an apartment complex and she sent me some vague directions that got me close enough. I saw her standing on the street waiting for me and I pulled over and she jumped in. After dinner, I went to a reggae party with her boyfriend until late-thirty. It was fun to check out the scene, but I was so tired from the climbing and traveling I had to go to bed.

The next day I took Christina to breakfast and dropped her off at her university since she had some exams to take. She gave me directions to the city center and so I played tourist on my day off. I got a couple of Austrian hats for Logan and Sierra and caught up on e-mails and business at where else but McDonald’s. It seems to be the only place in Europe that offers free wi-fi. I took a tour of some of the old chapels and learned a lot about some very old history, stuff that was never covered in my history classes in school. The ornateness and workmanship that went into the Tyrolean region is astounding.

Christina dropped me off at the local rock gym and I met up with Peter Albert, a mountain guide from the area. We got in a good boulder session focusing on big holds and long moves, more specific for mixed climbing. He's a not only a great mountain guide (his reputation preceeds him) but he's also a very down to earth guy. So much for my "rest day" ! We went to dinner afterward and then went back to his flat where we enjoyed some Brass Band music playing ska on horns and drank a Bavarian beer !

The next day Christina and I got up to meet her friends and go skiing in Garmisch, Germany. Her dad runs the ski area, so it was pretty cool to see what was going on there. It turns out that the World Chamionships will be going on for the following week, so a huge portable bleacher and town was being set up. Helicopters were flying overhead carrying loads up the mountain while we skied some fresh powder. Christina is very supportive of her friend who was seriously injured in a ski accident last year. Her friend is now an adaptive skier who can hang with the best. It was really cool to get to ski with her crew and get some ski training in for myself as well. I'm always learning.

Skiing is a good way for me to get away from the stress of competition climbing. It's helped me get past Saas-Fee and start looking towards the next competition.

Enough can't be said about the hospitality of my "competitors" / friends from the ice climbing competitions. It's been a great way to meet a lot of really cool people and see many new places this year. I feel extremely fortunate.

Chamonix Wrap-up; Skiing

Augille du Midi

I've wondered what it would be like to live in Chamonix over the years. The town is host to one of the biggest outdoor tourism locations on the face of the planet since there is any activity to be had within about an hour from the town square. Not to mention that the best cheeses, meats and tasty beverages of all types support the gnostic experience.

A view from the Augille du Tacul

Chamonix is perhaps best known for its skiing first, and then its climbing. If funny that Gordon and I didn't even have Chamonix on our radar when planning our tour for the UIAA International World Ice Climbing Competitions in 2011. The chain of events that happened bring about a cancellation of the competition in Val Daone, Italy spurred us on to find other places to go and other things to do.

Since Stephanie was so gracious to show us around we gained far more than we ever could have form competing in Val Daone. L'Usine and the Zoo were two of the highlights, but having a chance to shoehorn in some skiing in Chamonix was great. Here's a great clip of some of the skiing we did by that Lukasz Warzecha put together:

Behind the Scenes - Skiing in Chamonix from Lukasz Warzecha - LWimages.co.uk on Vimeo.

Behind the Scenes - Skiing in Chamonix

I would have embedded the video here, but Austria won't let me do it.

Unfortunately, I also heard from Margaret Wheeler, President of the AMGA, that all Aspirant Guiding for 2011 is prohibited in France due to a major overhaul of the French program. I have heard from locals in Europe that this has to do in large part to the fact that aspirant guides were trying so hard to push the limits to prove themselves that there was a high mortality rate of aspirant guides. I can fully appreciate this since I have been there, done that, in the AMGA program. It's an unspoken peer pressure imposed by an adrenergic system fueled with one-upmanship that contributes to aspiring guides to push it too hard, too fast to reach a standard that may or may not be tenable objectively or subjectively. I lost a few friends last year to this exact issue. I'm glad they are looking at this problem.

French National Competition, L’Argentiere Le Bessee, France

Lappin' and Nappin' in Usine, France. Stephanie catches up on much need rest and Marc takes a spin on one of the best mixed lines in the world.

We got fired up that there was going to be another competition that we could go to in France since the Val Daone competition in Italy was canceled and we got on the road with our rental car and drove from the Scarpa Boot factory in Asolo, Italy to meet

Stephanie Maureau, who was already invited to compete in the final. Gordon and I drove through Chamonix and under Mont Blanc and then on for another couple of hours to the southeast to arrive at her parent’s house. They were more than accommodating and made us feel at home. Of course we ate the best cheese from the region and had some incredible genepi, local drink made of the flowers in the hills right behind the Maureau’s chalet.

The competition was in L’Argentiere Le Bessee, meaning that we got to drive up through the stunning mountain pass village of La Grave, one of the world’s premiere backcountry skiing locations.

The format of the competition was such that Jeff Mercier and crew put up a new dry tooling crag that was still under construction when we arrived. The key to any good dry tooling area is that the rock is usually bad enough that nobody else wants to climb it. The holds are drilled pockets and the feet are poor at best. The climbing is generally great though since long dynamic moves give rise to hard climbing on steep overhanging terrain.

Unfortunately, there were only 8-9 routes and there were nearly 40 competitors, half of which were the Russian team that got there early and clogged up the routes. They cued up 4 and 5 spots in advance for a climb while climbing on another route, which made it impossible for others to get in on a climb.

As usual, however, Alexy Dengin and Ludmilla were more than hospitable to Gordon and I and let us climb with them. The climbing was fun, but overall. In general the competition was supposed to be about fun and climbing, but it became difficult when there was too many people at the party, so to speak. Poor organization made for a semi-dangerous situation by having so many people in too close proximity and with large amounts of rock fall. Some of the competitors were snatching my water without asking and trying to take over our route even when we were on it, making for some hard feelings as evident by on-line postings. It’s funny that some people take it so seriously, but when there’s money on the table some people seem to turn into a ruthless competitor.

They should have given a time allotment or managed the climbing to some degree since some people didn’t even have a chance to climb the routes. It might sound like sour grapes, but it’s hard not to when one travels so far and invests themselves into the process only to have to experience such a poor process. Mostly, it fostered a lot of poor sportsmanship. I was able to get what I needed out of the day and climbed hard and climbed well, although after they closed the preliminary time allotment.

We stayed and watched Stephanie win the women’s finals and then left, not even going to the party afterward where they were playing slow reggae. The next day we got up and went climbing at Usine, perhaps one of the best mixed climbing experiences I’ve had. The cave is unreal. The guys from France have a great thing going at Usine and have had some great climbing competitions hosted in the cave, complete with DJ and lights! Seems like something that we could do at the Hall of Justice in Ouray, Colorado at some point.

I’m definitely inspired to put climbing routes up like what is in Usine, but Jason Nelson and I were already on the same mind set. The traditional way of climbing in North America is to climb on slopy little holds and pray that your tool doesn’t skate out. Perhaps this is seen as “alpine” or something but is not the style of climbing that I like. Rather, I prefer to do long moves on good holds and minimal foot placements. I’m not sure how people will take to this style back home, but there’s got to be room for everyone.

Aside from the experience at the competition, we managed to keep a good attitude and pull off some shenanigans:

LWimages RAW - Usine from Lukasz Warzecha - LWimages.co.uk on Vimeo.

I'm looking forward to more climbing at the Zoo in Chamonix and the next, and best, International World Cup at Saas-Fee, Switzerland, 2011 !! So send your good vibes from the other side of the pond.

Cheongson, South Korea

Yes ! I'm back on the UIAA International World Ice Climbing circuit and representing the USA, imagine that. I'm just sponsoring myself on this one and have a little more experience going into this round. I'm looking forward to seeing new places, meeting new friends, and gaining more experience.

The winter that seemed like it would never come because of rains and warmer temperatures finally made it to North America. With only one week of real freezing temperatures I wasn’t sure I was going to see winter at all. But as planned, Gordon McArthur, a friend I had met through an ice climbing competition in Ouray, CO several years ago, flew from Canada to meet up with me at my home in Albuquerque, NM and he must have brought winter with him. The lowest temperatures on record descended and were a wake-up call for the months ahead.

We stayed up all night training on my climbing wall in the backyard that I made specifically for mixed rock and ice climbing, something that is not readily available on the North American continent. Our flight was early the next morning for the month of competition climbing in Asia and Europe.

Flying into Seoul, Korea for my first time I am filled with the excitement of being able to be the first and only American athlete to compete in the International World Cup Ice Climbing competition in the far southeastern reaches of Korea. It is a great sense of pride that I am the only person from the USA and so I get to hang the flag. Several other Americans have competed in the IWC before, but never in Asia. South Korea is home of two of the best competition ice climbers and the country has great pride in sponsoring the first IWC on Asian soil.

This is my second year as a World Cup competitor. I don’t have the jitters like I did the first year since I know what to expect from the climbing and I know most of the other athletes. It’s the exposure to the culture and environment that is now overwhelming. New events in new places are exciting and a good cause for foreign travel to not only major cities, but also to the heartlands of these countries, affording an experience I would not have otherwise had.

Gordon and I are a Team North America of sorts and have gotten together with Malcolm Kent from Denmark in Seoul. We spend a couple of days before the competition strolling through the markets and seeing some of the arts and architecture of this ancient and great city. The economy is clearly thriving and there’s no shortage of anything. We find a good selection of mixed rock and ice climbing gear in shops that are crammed together like sardines in a can. Prices are equivalent from back home.

We meet up with the Korean representative and all the other athletes for long bus ride to the venue. I am happy to see many old friends and the excitement of competing once again surges through all of us as our laughing and sharing quick “where have you bens?” are exchanged. We also miss those who cannot make it, are no longer competing, or have passed away. The UIAA IWC is a fairly small circle of people on a grand worldwide scale.

The exotic foods catch many of us off guard. New tastes, textures, and flavors of foods are not something that I am used to, but I go for it and enjoy a rare occurrence of a new experience.

Getting off the bus the athletes are met with movie cameras and a small gathering of the local people who clap for us as we are directed into the registration room. We pick up jerseys and accept gifts from the country. This time it’s a tea pot.

Inscription and dedication evening is preceded by an incredible feast. Several drum and fan dances are performed, representing Korea’s heritage. Then it’s off to bed after a long day.

Winter Losing its Grip?

Last week, I skied in the Sandias where the unforecasted storm dumped a mere 36" of snow in a single storm. I was using a shop-vac to get the standing water off my roof. Having construction on the house doesn't help in times like this and there was a load of leaks until the water could be taken off the flat territorial New Mexican 1980's style roof They didn't build a pitch in the roof for drainage back then for some stupid reason.

Photo by Jason Nelson. The new caved coined the "Hall of Justice" because of the Superhero theme that Nelson started when putting up the first mixed routes.


Driving into Ouray, Colorado this week, I was shocked to find no snow in town and a dwindling Ice Park from RAIN !? The temps in Ouray have been balmy and it hasn't been freezing for nights on end. The Ice Park that was open to ice climbing is now closed to the public until conditions improve since the ice has dwindled to look like a late Spring melt-down. The avalanche danger is high to extreme so I'm glad I'm climbing rock with ice tools once again.

Meanwhile, I came to climb with Jason Nelson. He has put up a climb, "Holy Girl Pile, Batman" WI4 M12, in a remote cave that I have been wanting to get on for nearly two years. I figured it would be a good time since I am getting ready to return to the International World Ice Climbing Competition as there is really only 2 or 3 routes of this difficulty in the USA. The difference is that climbing outside is really nothing like climbing in a IWC. On real rock one can spend a lot of energy looking for the next hold. It would be rare that someone would be able to walk up to a climb rated M12 and be successful on the first attempt.

The climbing is awesome and highly exposed. The climbing is overhanging from the time one gets on the route. After the 6th bolt the climbing gets intense and technical. I had a good time working through the route and figuring out where the holds were and how the moves go.

We're also putting more bolts/extensions in the routes he already has established. This cave is going to be a spectacular place to train for IWC. I was in Vail last week and decided that it would be o.k. for training too, but the harsh reality, is that I'm still not really sure of how to train the best, most optimally, for the IWC. On-sighting climbs is a great skill, but there's more to it than just being able to read where the route goes, and more to it than brute strength. Technique and confidence may trump everything.

having my confidence shattered in several venues over the years, its hard to pick oneself up out of the mental mud pit and persevere. But this isn't an option I'm talking about, it's a mandatory shift in daily perception. Gotta' get up every day punch that clock and figure out how to be the best with what ya got.

There's no coach to tell me how or when to train, watch what I eat so I don't develop a worse blood dyscrasia, how to work around a fused cervical spine, or an aging body. The love of the mixed climbing movement keeps my spirit high. Really, it's this sport that saved me from a bitter otherwise. Thanks to all those whose shoulders I stand on, those who continue to develop this sport of mixed rock and ice climbing, and those who hold the key to be my inspiration.

What keeps us going is the personal challenges that we set for ourselves. New Year's Eve is coming and so is the time to consider what challenges will make us rise to the occasion and better ourselves.