Saturday, January 11, 2014
On Saturday, Diane and I drove down to Ouray for the annual Ice Festival. This is the third year in a row that I have gone to photograph the climbers and I always have a great time. Maybe next year I’ll try my hand at a little easy ice climbing while I am there 😉
When we first arrived at the ice park we watched the Elite Mixed Ice Climbing Competition for a little while.
Rock & Ice by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Hanging Out by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
On the Rock by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Putting the finishing touches on the ice sculpture.
Finishing Touches by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Ouray Ice Sculpture by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
After watching the competition for a bit we wandered up the canyon to check out some of the other climbers.
Swing by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
They seemed to be having a good time…
Going Down by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Ice Wall by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Narrow Canyon by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Below by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
While we were on the upper bridge we watched this climber who was right below us. The angle from right above him made for a nice set of photos.
Step by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Looking Up by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Leading by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Hanging On by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Breaking Ice by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Vertical by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
First Ascent by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
After watching the ice climbers for a while and walking around the vendor booths we decided to take a drive up to Red Mountain Pass to take in the wintry sights along the way.
The Yankee Girl looks good surrounded by snow.
Yankee Girl by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Snowline by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Snow & Trees by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
We were hoping to get in some snowshoeing while we were down in the mountains but by the time we finished our drive up to Red Mountain Pass and back it was getting too late to start a hike. Instead we decided to make a quick stop at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison on our way home since Diane had never been there before.
The late afternoon light on the steep canyon walls was nice while we were here.
Shadows by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Black Canyon by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
I know I spoke with a few people at the event who saw me taking photos and wondered how they could get a copy. If you come across this trip report and see a photo of yourself that you would like, just send me an email or comment on this post below and I’ll be happy to send you a copy. If you don’t see a photo of yourself here but know I was taking some, also let me know since I have many other photos that I didn’t post up here.
I feel like we keep crossing paths on our southwest adventures — we were just in Ouray/Black Canyon too! Great stuff.