Author: Evgeny Krivosheitsev
Canmore, Canada, on March 5

Canmore Ice Festival 2005

The Game M13+ was gone!

The annual Ice Climbing Festival ran from March 3rd to 6th featuring Mixed -bouldering, Speed and Difficulty in this year.

Because of excessively warm weather for this season in Canmore (even at night the temperature was not lower than negative 2, but in the afternoon it rose up to +19 in the sun) the Festival organizers did not manage to construct hanging routes and fill with ice a vertical part of the competition gym, therefore in Difficulty only beginners could compete.

So, probably, for the first time for all the history of ice-climbing sportsmen had to run hooking over dry tooling edges in Speed!

Results. Speed
1. Krivosheitsev Evgeny-16 sec.
2. Luis-Julien Roy - 20 sec
3. Rob Owen - 21 sec

Bouldering event took place in a local bouldering gym "Vision" 4, and we climbed, naturally, over edges.

In Semifinal there were usual short problems (according standard bouldering rules), but in Final the organizers uncorked a surprise: it was a long difficult line of 36 moves that represented a traverse of about 30 meters going on the roof and overhangs.

We climbed the problems in rocky shoes, a harness, a helmet, gloves, and, certainly, with tools. All the problems except for the final one, we climbed top rope, as it was up to seven meters from floor to ceiling.

Two freely fixed logs that we had to jump from to the others sites added complexity of the lines.

I was the only climber that managed to finish the final problem!

Music background was at the best: all six hours DJs continuously made a plunge into trance music.

Results. Mixed-bouldering
1. Krivosheitsev Evgeny
2. Harry Berger
3. Will Gadd

Next day, on March 4, a big company of climbers was going to Cineplex to climb nature mixed routes in a cave. Only Will Gadd did not take part in this because he was giving a free-of-charge master - class to all interested that day.

All of the company felt nohow because the bouldering event finished too late the previous day and they had to get up early this morning.

Usually it is very cold in the cave but this day was abnormally warm. It was already +8C early in the morning outside, but inside the cave was - about negative 1.

Icicles were thawing and really falling on our heads.I was strange to climb mixed lines during warm weather.So I decided to save my forces and first try The Game M13 + with pre-clipped carabines.

Having had a rest for an hour after route's reco, I switched on my Mp3-player charged with "trance" and started clean sending the route.

This time I was able not to make mistakes at all three difficult dynamic moves and get up to the end of the roof. And right then I understood that I could do that - to send The Game!

At the end of the route I did all my best and no weariness could force me to unclench my fingers… Finally I clipped the last quickdraw… and got to the ice … the Route was gone!

Having had a rest for an hour again I climbed Musashi, M12, without heel spurs!

Well, I consider that my program of mixed-climbing and ice-climbing competitions in this year is completely done; it is time to cover my tools and get rocky shoes and chalk.

It is a pity only that time would fail me to get to Kirov to take part in Russian Ice-climbing championship… I wish all the climbers taking part in it luck and success!

The Game M13+
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Musashi M12
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