An extreme sport becoming a social adventure
Ice climbing is an extreme sport of ascending inclined ice formations(water ice and alpine ice). With technologically advanced equipment and professional ice climbing classes, this extreme and dangerous sport has grown in popularity over the last 20 years.
While the risks associated with ice climbing, as well as the cost of all that specialized equipment, present significant barriers to those interested in trying the sport, large-scale ice festivals have flourished by breaking down those barriers. To break down the barriers and wide-spread information about this amazing adventure, Ice Climbing Festivals have come to great emergence.
Manufacturers provide critical assistance by sending fleets of demo equipment, sales representatives to explain the latest gadgets, and sponsor checks. Professional guides ensure that the experience is both enjoyable and safe. Marketing has grown so effective that many ice climbing festival organizers have been forced to cap participation across the globe.
Some basic requirements to participate in Ice Climbing Festivals:
- You are a professional or advanced-level ice climber
- You are an adventure enthusiast and wish to participate as an audience
- A beginner or intermediate learner willing to watch and learn
- You are a sponsor or organizer
- Ice climbing sports guide/teacher
Ice climbing continues to grow! And with it are several ‘mark your calendars NOW’ events that bring climbers together for fun, here are some foreign Ice Climbing Festivals enlisted below:
- MCA Ice Climbing Festival
September 13-15 2019 Glacier Park Resort AK Events are based out of campsites in the open field by the river and closer to the toe of the Matanuska glacier.
- Portland Alpine Festival
November 11-17 2019 – Portland
- Bozeman Ice Festival
December 11-15 2020 Bozeman, MT
- Sandstone Ice Festival
January 2020 Robinson Park Quarry, Sandstone, MN
- Lake City Ice Climbing Festival
February 8, 2020, Lake City Colorado
- Southern Ontario Ice Festival
February 2020 Maynooth, Ontario, Canada
- KAILAS ICE CLIMBING FESTIVAL
Dec 30-Jan 2 Sugunaing National Park Shuangquiao Valley, China
Top Ice Climbing Festivals in India
The Piti Dhar Ice Climbing Festival
The Piti-Dharr International Ice Climbing Festival is a Himalayan Outdoor Development Society initiative to share a unique wilderness experience in Spiti’s remote and cryptic valley.
Every winter of Spiti, the first week of November and lasts until the fourth week of March, is a harsh, cold, and difficult season in the highest altitude valley. When temperatures drop below -20 degrees Celsius, the Spiti River is the only body of water that continues to flow while everything else freezes.
The festival is a platform for promoting the sport of ice climbing in India while preserving the space we call our playground and involving the local community who have opened their homes to ice climbers and guides. It is designed for mountaineers, rock climbers, seasoned high altitude trekkers, and outdoor enthusiasts who want to experience and learn how to navigate steep, vertical icy terrain. It is structured to provide a foundation in the technical discipline of water ice climbing.
Nubra Valley Ice Climbing Festival in India
Ice climbing is a popular winter sport in other countries. Nubra Valley is India’s most northern region – served the perfect venue to embrace India’s first Ice Climbing Festival. The Eastern Karakoram Mountains are located in this region, which is shared by India, Pakistan, and China.
Nubra Adventure Club, with the assistance of social activist Dr. Nordan Otzer, organized the Seven Day Ice Climbing Festival to promote winter tourism in Nubra Valley. Nubra, according to trainer Rigzin Tsewang, has the potential to become the Himalayan ice climbing capital.
The festival was held on a shoestring budget of less than $800 USD, with only four pairs of Ice Tools, eight pairs of plastic boots, two pairs of ropes, and shared personal gear.
The Ice Festival was founded on the desire to spread ice climbing among local youth, not only as a means of recreation in the winter but also as a means of providing employment opportunities in the future.
At the end of the festival, the participants agreed to form an association and continue the festival in 2022, with plans to make it an international festival, invite professional teams from around the world, build cross-cultural relationships, and continue training beginner climbers to tackle the world’s most difficult climbs.
The Screwed Up Ice Climbing Festival in India
The Screwed Up Ice Climbing Festival is the first of its kind in India. The Ice Climbing Festival, held in the winter landscapes of Spiti, aims to introduce participants to frozen waterfall climbing. Without sacrificing an intimate group setting, alternative learning, and a fun festival atmosphere; complete with gourmet food, good music, great films, and engaging conversations. Climbers can learn gear handling, lead climbing dynamics, top-rope waterfall climbing, and other climbing techniques in this specially designed itinerary for intermediate climbers.
Latest Events – Ice Climbing Festival 2021
Every winter, Valdez hosts the Valdez Ice Climbing Festival. The stunning waterfalls of Keystone Canyon are just a few of the spectacular climbing locations for this event. Climbers for all ages and levels are taught by world-class instructors, who also teach specialty classes for youth, women only, and physical adaptations. The Valdez Adventure Alliance is in charge of organizing the event.
