/tags/winter-ice-festival.rss en-us Every January since 1996, international ice climbers have flocked to the Uncompahgre River Valley in southwestern Colorado for the Ouray Ice Festival. Nicknamed "Little Switzerland," the Colorado town of Ouray (you-ray) plays host to a premier ice-climbing gathering at the world's first man-made ice park. Exhibitors and spectators alike come to the Ouray Ice Festival to enjoy and celebrate the art of climbing up a sheer wall of ice (sometimes supplanted with rock, wood and plastic) in the Uncompahgre Gorge. It's an experience unlike any other. Sitting at the other end of the famous Million Dollar Highway from Durango, Ouray is almost equidistant from Denver, Salt Lake City and Albuquerque (all of which are nearly six-hour drives). It once was a booming mining town that looked to the mountains for silver and gold, but now survives on tourism—like the Ouray Ice Festival. In a town that once boasted more horses and mules than people, the crowds now greatly outnumber the animals; particularly during the Ouray Ice Festival when people swarm the entirety of the National Historic District of Main Street. Ice climbing pioneer Jeff Lowe started the weekend-long Ouray Ice Festival which hosts various competitions, ice climbing clinics which range from beginner to expert, opportunities to try out the latest gear, a kid's climbing wall (away from the gorge for safety), as well as an axe throwing contest and many other great events. The local non-profit group that runs the Ouray Ice Park, which relies on the winter ice climbing festival for half of their annual operating capital, purchased it in 2001 from Lowe and has kept it going strong ever since. Hotels and restaurants that once were closed in the winter months now throw their doors open wide to welcome the crowds for the Ouray Ice Festival. And the competition does not disappoint as the route continues to challenge the best climbers from Russia, different parts of Europe, and even Egypt. This year is sure to be no different as climbers try to scale frozen waterfalls, sometimes even hearing the water run still on the inside as high as 200 feet (61 meters). The town of Ouray is considered the ice-climbing capital of the United States. Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:12:37 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/ouray-ice-festival http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/ouray-ice-festival