Simply put, the Ouray Ice Festival couldn’t be cooler.
Pioneered and promoted by ice-climbing guru Jeff Lowe in 1996 and now owned by Ouray Ice Park Inc., this weekend’s festival is recognized worldwide as the premier gathering of its kind. Of course, there isn’t all that much rivalry when it comes to celebrations of frozen water that include ax-throwing contests, tightrope walks across an icy gorge and ice-climbing competition, which draws the discipline’s top dogs.
The weekend also includes a variety of climbing clinics from beginner to advanced, kids climbing events, gear expos, auctions, films, parties and presentations. Simply standing around and gawking at the surrounding spectacle in the magnificent ice park is acceptable behavior as well. Just be sure to wear warm shoes, and maybe leave a little something in the hat for the nonprofit park that generates half its annual income from this one- of-a-kind carnival.
Get there: The Ouray Ice Festival runs Friday-Sunday in the southwestern Colorado town of Ouray, about halfway between Durango and Grand Junction. Visit for info.
