The Ice Box

My mission to start swimming again was put on hold when the weekend came. Instead of braving the brief, brisk walk to the BYU pool, I had to face the bitter cold for hours at the bottom of Box Canyon in Ouray, Colorado. Now, walking to the pool doesn't seem so bad after withstanding the cold that came from ice climbing in single-digit-degree-weather! Ice climbing isn't my typical outdoor activity of choice, but I wasn't going to bypass an invitation.

Although I wouldn't consider myself an avid rock climber, I am quite comfortable with heights. My outdoor experience began with family camping trips that often involved forgetting can openers, being drenched by rain, and 3-mile hikes that turned into 6-milers. The memories forged during those trips are priceless. Then, when I was 14 I joined a Boy Scouts of America Venturing Crew. The adventures that came with the Venturing Crew far surpassed my outdoor expertise that I had acquired with my family. Not only did we go on the typical scouting backpacking trips, but we also took up kayaking, rock climbing, ascending, rappelling, and even had the chance to go spelunking up Provo Canyon. Two of my older sisters also showed an interest in these outdoor adventures at the same time and soon the three of us were out traversing the slot canyons of Southern Utah on our own. Now, we have our own gear specifically for canyoneering.                             

I've descended numerous cliffs of varying heights and feel quite comfortable over the edge. Although I'm more familiar with rappelling down a cliff rather than scaling it, much of the canyoneering and climbing gear is similar which allows me to do both on occasion. To a girl who has spent so much time defying gravity, ice climbing didn't seem too intimidating...except for the part about the ice.

Climbing a structure that depends on so many fluctuating factors, such as temperature, moisture, and exposure to sunlight, doesn't seem like a good idea. Rock is much sturdier. Even sandstone, which breaks occasionally under stress, doesn't weaken after prolonged exposure to sunlight and heat. Fortunately, despite the numb toes and fingers that accompanied it, Box Canyon was much like an ice box with the low temperatures and lack of sunlight. To an inexperienced ice climber, it didn't seem like you could ask for any better conditions to climb in.

Crampons and picks

My next reservation came when I realized what gear we'd be using to climb. Although I still had my trusty, pink, CAMP harness, I would also have to rely on two ice picks and a pair of crampons. The ice picks looked like small versions of the grim reaper's scythe and the crampons looked like the teeth of a great white shark. In summary, I felt like the monster in the next horror film. Running with scissors is dangerous so climbing with sharp objects also seemed like a hazard to me. However, they were my only chances of scaling the white sheet of ice before me and I wasn't about to back down from a challenge.

When my older sister, Rachel, invited me to tag along, I didn't know what to expect. I had never heard of Ouray and never even looked into ice climbing. However, the whole experience was captivating. Ouray is a quaint little town in the southwest corner of Colorado. With it's mountainous scenery, it is an ideal place for a outdoor enthusiast like myself. Each year the town has an ice climbing festival that attracts hundreds of other enthusiasts to either compete or simply experience ice climbing. Climbing is free and companies like Black Diamond and Scarpa allow climbers to demo their gear for the day. The whole atmosphere was amazing! Despite the cold, the park was hustling with excitement as competitors scaled the walls and beginners chipped away at their first climb. Fortunately, for beginners like me, each climb has the ability to be top-roped as opposed to lead climbing.

• Top-ropping: the rope is anchored to trees or bolts at the top of a climb allowing climbers to always have protection from above. This is normally the setup at indoor climbing gyms.
• Lead climbing: the rope is anchored to bolts that climbers screw in as they ascend. This requires the climber to go above their last anchor. Falls are typically more dangerous on a lead climb because climbers fall a greater distance and swing. 

Top-roping is great for beginners like me. I felt secure with my anchor above me and began scrambling up the wall. Surprisingly, only about a centimeter of the blade on the pick or crampons needs to be anchored in the ice to support me. This concept made me wary. I kept hitting the ice over and over again hoping the entire blade would go in. This, however, was not a good idea. Not only did it tire me out as I pounded the ice over and over again, but occasionally I couldn't get my blade back out! I'd sit there tugging and wiggling the pick until it popped out. By the time I completed a 50-foot climb, my forearms and calves were burning.

My fingertips, however, were completely numb. In order to ensure the picks stay anchored in the ice, climbers need to keep them anchored above their head. If a climber's center of gravity goes above a pick, they risk having the pick slip out of the pocket because there is little weight securing it. This created two problems for me. First of all, my arms were constantly above my head reducing the amount of blood flow in my hands. I learned to pause occasionally as I climbed in order to shake out my arms and keep the blood pumping into my fingertips. Otherwise, they burned painfully when the climb was over and the blood reached them once again. Secondly, if I broke the ice with my pick, chunks fell onto my face. Due to my insistence on anchoring the entire blade in the ice, I would often break the ice (apparently hitting the ice repeatedly actually weakens it and reduces the chances of securing your pick). Luckily, I wore sunglasses that protected my eyes, but my lips weren't as fortunate. One chunk managed to hit me square in the mouth, cutting my lip and gums. The air was so cold though that it prevented my lip from swelling too much.

My sister, Rachel, and I

Overall, the trip was a success. The cold, the sharp objects, the breaking ice, and all my other concerns didn't materialize. I hope to one day buy the gear for ice climbing, but until that day I will stick with good ol' rock climbing.