The 2006/2007 Ice Season – A Look Back

Well, the winter is coming to a close here in Colorado, and while I think we’ll probably see a few more storms, its safe to say the ice season in Redstone is pretty much over. You might be able to find some north facing stuff that is still holding on, but I’d rather be out on the warm sunny rocks.

So now that it’s come and gone, I can look back on this past season with fondness, it was a great year for ice. Our first hint should have been when Banzai Pipeline came in and stayed in for more than a few days. According to the guidebook, it only comes in once every 10 years. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it usually doesn’t stick around long when it does come in. Banzai was one of the first climbs of the season, and it was a treat to get to climb such a cool and ephemeral line.

Mostly I remember this past season for all the climbs I did that I had never checked out before. Routes that had been on the list for quite some time but just never seemed to get done. Aside from Banzai, Curtain Call was a nice surprise, a big fat flow of moderate ice. Tomato Chimney and Crystal Visions are true classics, despite their 2 hour+ approach times. And Hidden Falls is just cool, sitting way up high in that secluded amphitheater. The Pencil area was fun to check out, with several moderate lines aside from the sick mixed routes, Survivor and Fear Factor.

I guess I better stop talking, as all the “outsiders” might want to come see what all the fuss is about. Of course they’ll have to wait until next year, and by then they’ll probably have forgotten all about us out here on the Western Slope. Unless of course they see this picture of how ridiculously fat Avocado Gully was this year!

One of the things that continually draws me to ice climbing is the ephemeral nature of it. Some years you’ll only have the usual suspects, other years anything is possible. And after a long, warm summer, when the leaves begin to change, we’ll start sharpening the tools and looking up at the shady alcoves for signs of what the next season will bring us.

But for now, I’m going rock climbing!