Issue #19
Hey folks,
Updates from the comp side of things this week. New episodes return next week. Plus, don't forget to enter the Rab giveaway.
Aaron Gerry, Host
Ice Climbing World Youth Championships comes to Ouray
The UIAA Ice Climbing World Youth Championships is coming to the US for the first time, and is being organized by Dustin Lyons and other volunteers.
The event takes place February 7-9, 2025, and features both lead/difficulty and speed competitions for both male and female athletes in the categories of:
- U16 Youth B
- U18 Youth A
- U20 Juniors
Consider supporting the event — even though the organizers have some sponsors, it's a lot of time and out-of-pocket expenses to organize.
BTW, who is even on Team USA?
Team tryouts happened 10 weeks ago. The European Continental Cup season has already started. The World Cup season kicks off January 10.
I guess we'll all have to wait in suspense to find out who's competing for Team USA at the WCs. Meanwhile, Team Canada ruined the surprise by announcing their roster on November 30.
(If you want to piece Team USA together for yourself, a few folks have shared that they made the roster on IG.)
Biggest Tool in The West
Apparently, there was a drytooling series in the Western U.S. this fall. And apparently, it culminates with Milwaukee’s 4th Annual Indoor Dry-Tool Competition this Saturday, Dec. 14. (Also, apparently, Wisconsin is considered "The West" — but let us not quibble about coordinal directions).
For those in the know, there's a sweet championship (belt) buckle to be had: The “Biggest Tool in The West”.
May the best, and most privied, win.
Continental Cup #3: Brno a go-go
Third event but similar story for Japan’s Haruko Takeuchi and Switzerland’s Jonathan Brown as they both took gold for the second time.
For the women, it was a game of Double Dutch as Annick Teepe took silver, and Marianne van der Steen got bronze. For the men, hometown Matyáš Lienerth came in second, while Slovenia's 🇸🇮 Gregor Šegel rounded out the podium.
Ice Fest season underway
Cooke City is in the books. Bozeman and Cogne are this weekend. 'Tis the season for social climbers to get together and stick it to the ice.
🎁 Last chance to enter the Rab giveaway
I really enjoyed my conversation with Marcus Garcia, it is a vulnerable and expansive chat about grief, compassion, and personal growth. Plus the story behind starting the U.S.A. Youth Ice Climbing Team.
To support Marcus' episode, Rab generously offered several pieces of winter climbing kit to give away:
Only members of the podcast (like you) are able to enter.
Here is the GIVEAWAY QUESTION:
❓ What is the name of the route that Marcus bolted and Liam Foster sent 20 years later ❓
Find out how to enter on Marcus' episode page.
Want to share your story about ice climbing, mixed, or drytooling?
Stay tuned for upcoming articles in our online magazine, The Cooler.
We'll be serving up tales about winter van life, a debate about connecting yourself to tools (or not), forming a UIAA ice climbing team, development of a new drytooling crag, and much more.
If you’d like to spin your own yarn about what this all means and contribute to the modern narrative of climbing on tools, well, what the hell are you waiting for?
Events
North America:
- 12/11 - 12/15: Bozeman Ice Festival (Bozeman, MT)
- 12/14: Milwaukee’s 4th Annual Indoor Dry-Tool Competition (Milwaukee, WI)
- 12/14 - 12/15: Drytooling Night (Toronto, CAN)
- 1/2 - 1/5: Wyoming Ice Festival (Cody, WY) >> featuring Mark Twight as a speaker!
- 1/3 - 1/5: All In Ice Fest (Ouray, CO)
Europe:
- 12/14: UIAA Ice Climbing Continental Open (Utrecht, Netherlands)
- 12/14: Swiss Ice Climbing Cup (Winterthur, Switzerland)
- 1/10 - 1/12: Eiskletter Festival (Osttirol, Austria)
Of course, you can find these all in the calendar too.
Unclassifieds
As always, the podcast and newsletter are brought to you with support from Aniiu Gloves and Furnace Industries. Thanks! 🙏
Interested in sponsoring Ice Ice Beta (and getting in front of 1,000s of ice climbers? Reach out to me at aaron@iceicebeta.com
