Munising Ice Festival
During the weekend of February 1-4, 2001, approximately 400-500 ice climbers converged on the Munising/Marquette area in Michigan's Upper Penninsula for the annual Michigan Ice Fest sponsored by Down Wind Sports of Marquette. Most of the action takes place in Munising, because it turns out that the Munising area holds some of the best ice climbing opportunities in the Midwest.
Together with my daughter Jenny and her two friends, Heather and John Grubbs, I was able to take advantage of the vendor gear demos to get geared up and give ice climbing a try. We turned out early Saturday morning to help the vendors carry supplies up the hill from the road to the cliffs where the main event was to take place. This was more difficult than it looks—the hill gets quite steep and icy as you approach the cliffs.
John Grubbs carrying a box and shovel up the hill, with several other porters following behind.
To get gear, we had to go around to different vendor stations and trade tickets for equipment. One advantage of turning out early and helping was that we got to be first in line for equipment. Many vendors quickly ran out of demo equipment, so all this extra work really paid off for us.
My daughter Jenny being fitted with crampons.
It is still early in the day before most climbers had arrived, but already people gearing up and getting ready to climb. The clusters of people you see to the right in the next photo surround the various vender stations from which you could borrow and try out various brands of tools, crampons, jackets, gloves, and other equipment.
Other climbers checking equipment out from the vendor stations.
Our first climb was on a very, very small ice formation. It wasn't even straight vertical. This is where we discovered that ice climbing is more difficult than it looks.
John Grubb's first swings with an ice-hammer.
My daughter Jenny was the second one to climb from our group.
Jenny getting some last-minute pointers before her climb.
We always climbed on belay, so that when we fell—and it's a matter of when, not if—the belayer would catch us. The belay was also how we got back down after reaching the top of the climb.
Upon reaching the top of the cliff, we had to lean back out over the abyss, and then slowly walk our way backwards down the cliff as the belayer lowered us. I had a real difficult time convincing myself to do that. Jenny on the other hand, just leaned back and walked right down.
Jenny walking back down after her first climb.
We all took advantage of this crack in the ice formation on our first climb. It was a good source of footholds. The next photo Heather Grubbs almost at the top of her first climb. You can't see the hammers, but rest assurred that Heather had them both firmly planted in the ice.
Heather Grubbs near the top of her climb.
I was next up after Heather. Climbing is harder work than you might first think. Even using ice hammers and crampons, it takes real work to get to the top
Me on my first climb.
One thing you don't want to do while climbing is to cut through the belay rope with your ice hammer. John came perilously close to doing that several times on this climb. You would have thought he was aiming for the rope on purpose. No one was happier than I was to see him reach the top and stop swinging those hammers.
John Grubbs well into his second climb.
In one of my favorite shots from that day, you can see John Grubbs straining to get over this lip of ice.
John Grubbs working his way up the ice.
Unlike John, I didn't make it the top of my second climb. I wimped out part way up and turned back down. I probably should have gone on, but I was flat-out exhausted.
Me at the the highest point on my second climb.
Ice-climbing was a lot harder and more tiring than I had imagined. My fitness level also proved to be less than optimal. John Grubbs and I went on to take a full-blown, two-day ice-climbing course in March with some guides that I hired. Neither of us went on to become regular climbers.
One tired climber walking back down the ice.