Adam and Jason rack up at the bottom of "Hangover" – Hyalite Canyon

The Bozeman Ice Festival was last weekend. The festival – like its counterparts in Ouray, Cody, Valdez, et al – is organized to celebrate the local ice climbing culture, bring climbers together, and introduce new people to the sport. On the schedule for the weekend were two competitions (a pro invitational on Thursday and an open on Saturday), several clinics, slideshows, movie premieres, gear expos, and, of course, beer specials.

On Thursday, the day of the pro comp, I drove into the canyon with Jason and his friend, Adam, to get in a few pitches before the weekend rush. The recent frigid temps left the ice hard and dry, and we wore ourselves out on four- and five-swing pick placements on brittle flows. The tough ice conditions and near-zero temperatures chased us after just a few hours, and we were hiking out with plenty of time to clean up and change for the movie later that night.

When we got back to the parking lot, though, we were met with a troubling scene. Several somber-looking climbers were milling about, surrounded by trucks and snowmobiles emblazoned [Read More]