Twenty years ago ice climbing began to catch on in Bozeman’s Hyalite Canyon. Ice climbers were drawn to the collection of frozen waterfalls that lay just beyond the end of the Hyalite road. As the canyon gained more national and international attention, local climbers and outdoor shops looked for a way to bring everyone together to celebrate Hyalite, learn the latest techniques, and get the newest gear to help them ascend harder ice routes. In 1996, Barrel Mountaineering, a local climbing shop, threw the first official Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival, a three-day celebration with professional climbers to teach skills clinics and gear companies to demo the newest technology for climbing.

Two decades later, the Bozeman Ice Fest, December 7 – 11, has evolved into a four-day festival that celebrates the adventure community in Southwest Montana. Along with on-ice skills clinics for novice to advanced climbers, nationally recognized women’s only clinics, and the North American World Cup competition, the festival brings nightly entertainment and serves as the main fundraiser for the continued plowing of the Hyalite road all winter.

Along with the bevy of skills clinics on the ice flows in Hyalite Canyon, Bozeman Ice Fest is hosting nightly activities for the whole community at the Emerson Cultural Center. Starting Wednesday, December 7th, the latest gear will be on display during the gear demos each night. Bridger Brewing has crafted a specialty beer just for the occasion, and delicious snacks and bites are available for purchase before heading into the theater for nightly entertainment. Along with a performance by the Bear Canyon Singers and Performers, professional climbers and legends will be on hand to present inspiring slide shows and films. The schedule is available at www.bozemanicefest.com.

This year the ice fest is bringing the Adventure Film Festival (AFF) to the Emerson Cultural Center as the main event on Friday evening at 7:30pm with two matinee performances on Saturday afternoon at 1:30pm and 3:00pm. The AFF gathers the best skiing, climbing, conservation and adventure films of the year into seven hours of inspiring stories. For a $15 ticket or a $30 weekend pass, viewers will witness athletes pushing themselves to the limits in remote and breathtaking locations and become part of the journey to capture the release of a wild Siberian tiger. Tickets are available at the door or at the Bozeman Ice Fest website.  

Ice Climbing In Hyalite
For those who are unfamiliar with this quickly growing winter pursuit, ice climbing is the act of ascending frozen waterfalls. Participants swing curved ice axes with sharp picks into the ice and kick steps in with sharp crampons attached to their feet. Just like rock climbing, the climber ties into a rope hung from the top of the climb, and a second person stands on the ground to pull in the rope as the climber ascends. 

Hyalite saw its first ascent on Halloween in 1932 by Montana State University professor, Pat Callus. Using tools that seem awkward and scary compared to the advanced technology of today, Callus established Bozeman as a new destination for ice climbing. Through the years, the small band of ice climbers grew and Hyalite became the testing ground for local teens like Alex Lowe and Jack Tackle who would go on to become international climbing legends.

The climbing community grew steadily, but it was often difficult to find gear and learn the latest techniques. Northern Lights, an outdoor store in Bozeman, began hosting gear demos the week before Thanksgiving to give all the local climbers, university students and curious newbies a chance to try out the sport and see the latest gear.

In 1996 the newly opened Barrel Mountaineering gear store hosted the first Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival and invited climbing legends Barry Blanchard, Joe Josephson and Bozeman-native Jack Tackle to give presentations and teach skills clinics. Josephson, a Montana-native living in Canada at the time, returned to Hyalite Canyon some years later and became the Executive Director of the festival.  

Eventually the gear demo and the festival merged into one event and the Bozeman Ice Fest took place the week after Thanksgiving. During the next few years the festival began to evolve, bringing on more clinics and guest guides, establishing a women’s clinic, and even hosting one of the best ice climbing competitions in the country, the Ice Breaker. Local climbers and professional athletes were paired off and let loose into the Hyalite canyon to see who could climb the most climbs, with points for difficulties.

The biggest issue the ice fest organizers faced was the lack of road plowing all the way to the end of Hyalite, where most of the ice climbing is. In 2007 the Ice Fest organizers worked together with the Gallatin County Forest Service and other parties to devise a plan to plow Hyalite. In 2009 a group of climbers, skiers, and other outdoor lovers got together to form Friends of Hyalite, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to stewardship and access to recreation in Hyalite canyon year round.

Once the road plowing was established, the Ice Fest moved its home base to the Emerson Culture Center where outdoor brands can hold gear demos, the community can come to learn more about climbing and grab a beer and a bite to eat, and athletes and film makers from around the globe can present slide shows and movies about far off adventures and skiing and climbing films that will make anyone’s heart race. For the past few years Bozeman has been home to the North American World Cup, where professional ice climbers from around the world come to compete on an international level. The World Cup will be back again next year.

Friends of Hyalite
The Bozeman Ice Festival celebrates the wild and adventurous outdoor community in Bozeman, but it is also the biggest fundraiser of the year for Friends of Hyalite (FOH). FOH helps fund winter plowing of Hyalite to keep the ice climbs, ski trails, sledding hills and ice fishing accessible all winter long. In the summer, the organization organizes cleanup-days advocates for the future access of one of Bozeman’s favorite places.

The Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival is more than just celebrating the aesthetic and masterful sport of ascending frozen walls of ice. It’s about celebrating the unique outdoor community in Montana and inspiring the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts. Living in Montana exposes people to outdoor adventures and exploration. Access to an array of winter sports like ice climbing is one of the perks of living in the mountains. Attending any of the events at this year’s festival will be time well spent. For more information, film festival tickets, and a schedule of events visit bozemanicefest.com.