First ice lead, Ouray, CO
Today was my second day in Ouray, CO and my 5th day ice climbing ever. I’ve been wanting to get into ice climbing to give me the skill sets necessary to tackle some ski mountaineering objectives (for example, the Great White Icicle and Triangle Couloir in the Wasatch- as part of my project to ski all the lines in The Chuting Gallery).
After a thorough discussion on gear choices, racking and packing, I headed into the ice park with my friend and climbing partner, Nate Smith. I’ve taken several rock courses from him and his company – Mountain Education & Development/. He is the man when it comes to technical mountaineering instruction. He has so much passion and patience – it’s refreshing to be with a guide who has so much energy for teaching.
After climbing a pitch on top rope to warm up, we set up for me to do a mock lead on the ice. Then, I set up an anchor, belayed him up and we transitioned to rappelling off an A-thread on vertical ice. I have to say, before today, I was so intimidated by V-threads, ice screw placements and ice climbing in general. Placing pro and doing a mock lead on a top rope line was confidence inspiring. Once you understand the motion (moving in triangles, trusting your feet and standing up), it feels very secure. Swinging ice axes is fun and strangely gratifying, especially when you get a killer tool placement. And placing pro – whether ice screws or v-threads – feels intuitive and is relatively simple when you get down to it. After doing a mock lead, I felt ready to send and I was stoked to take it live. It was a little scary, and I was nervous to commit to certain moves, but as I moved up the ice face, my confidence grew. I took some deep breaths, trusted my feet and kept focused on my form. When I reached the top anchors, I was all smiles! I built the anchor, clove hitched myself in, and belayed Nate up on a plaquette. It’s those moments where you step outside your comfort zone where you really progress. Without a little struggle, there’s no personal evolution. Today was one of those days for me, and afterward, I feel a few steps closer to reaching my goals in the mountains.
