Inaugural ice climbing festival keeps folks close to home

[ With Melissa DeVaughn ]

Published: February 25th, 2009 05:17 PM
Last Modified: February 25th, 2009 06:07 PM

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When Jayme Dixon helped plan the Mountaineering Club of Alaska's ice climbing festival last fall, she expected participation to top 100 folks. In its 15th year, the event has been growing in popularity steadily, and the instructional programs are being fine-tuned too.

Now there's another chance to learn more about this oh-so-Alaska sport, and you don't have to drive all the way to Matanuska Glacier to experience it. This year's inaugural Alaska Ice Climbing Festival is designed to get people climbing in their own backyard.

"This is a waterfall ice festival, where the MCA event is on the glacier," Dixon said, noting that the ice structures make for two completely different experiences.

Set for March 6 to 8, the festival will take place at Hunter Creek, a 45-minute drive from Anchorage proper. This winter's ultra-cold weather has produced ice that is thick, chunky and abundant.

While instructional in nature, the event is intended for fun too, beginning with a kickoff party at the Alaska Backpacker's Inn (327 Eagle St.). Enjoy dinner and an ice-climbing slide show for $15 and meet fellow climbers and instructors.

On Saturday the fun begins at 8 a.m. with an introduction to ice climbing and skill builder's courses. Each comes with a fee ($40 and $20, respectively) and includes climbing practice.

Also Saturday a climbing competition will take place from noon to 4 p.m., with categories for climbers of all abilities. The entry fee is $10. Climbers can share their war stories at the after-climbing party at Organic Oasis (2610 Spenard Road), featuring live music by the Rabbit Creek Ramblers and a gear auction and awards ceremony.

Sunday is another day of climbing, with an intro to ice climbing, a women's clinic and a choice of intros to lead or mixed climbing. The daylong activities cost $40.

While the Mountaineering Club of Alaska will continue with its popular climbing festival in the fall, this year's Alaska Ice Climbing Festival adds to the opportunities for ice lovers in Southcentral Alaska. It's closer to home and requires less planning (no camping involved).

And if successful, it could be a precursor to a future World Cup ice climbing qualifier in Alaska one day.

"By building that track record, we hope to work in the future with the international climbing community to bring back that kind of competition to North America because it has been awhile," Dixon said.

For more details, check out alaskaiceclimbing.com, which is the Web site to follow among serious climbers across the state.

There's information on the festival, current ice conditions throughout the state as well as information on another cool ice-climbing event coming up: The Alaska Ice Pixies all-women's training weekend, set for March 13 to 15 in Valdez.

• Contact Melissa DeVaughn and read her blog "Deadlines and Stopwatches" at www.melissadevaughn.

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