Bozeman Ice Festival
Loading ...The day started out with the clearest Montana skies; there’s a reason they call it Big Sky Country. As we left town we noticed the mercury hitting the double digit negative numbers, but Hyalite Canyon was calling. I couldn’t help but think of the poor, insufferable souls that had left a full two hours before to participate in the Bozeman Ice Festival’s Ice Breaker Competition. Being an ice climber you have to enjoy suffering, it kind of comes with the territory, but to participate in this competition, you pretty much have to love suffering!
The evening before I had been on hand at The Northern Lights Trading Company in Bozeman for the team draw. Being relatively new to ice climbing I knew who most of these talents were, but had not met many of them. I remember meeting a guy with a crazy looking hair cut and who was nearly twice the age of all the other competitors; his name was Guy Lecelle. I only spoke with him briefly.
la
la
la
la
la
la
la
la
la
la
la
laAs the morning wore on, the clouds came in to cover the glorious sunshine that we had been basking in. The wind picked up a bit and the spin drift starting making regular appearances in my face. Across the valley it was dark. What little light that was was now coming through the thickening cloud cover was not hitting the other side of the canyon. The mood of the mountains had changed and by mid-morning we began to see avalanches raining down some of the more popular climbs. At one point I noticed two climbers on a climb and not 15 minutes later an avalanche came down the face of the climb; I could only hope that the climbers had made it off the route before it hit. My thoughts began to go out to those I knew that were participating in the competition; hoping they were being careful and safe in these adverse conditions.
Shorty after 1pm we were approached by someone with the festival and were asked to make our way back to the parking lot; something had happened.
In the hours just prior to and following that exchange the Bozeman Ice Festival had changed. As the glorious sun and light of that December morning faded to the gloom, gray and cold of the afternoon on December 10th, so did the Festival; Guy Lacelle was dead.
In the days the followed, every single participant, athlete, sponsor, volunteer, organizer and friend persevered through the storm that hung like those dark clouds over the event. Many did so through grieving openly for their fallen friend and hero. Many did so by returning to what they knew and loved; ice climbing. Some did so by trying something they had never had the courage to previously do; ice climb. Still others pressed on by teaching the skills necessary to climb. Some were just standing by as a shoulder to lean on for their friends in a time of need.
It would be impossible to talk about the 2009 Bozeman Ice Festival without mentioning the events of that morning on December 10th, but I would be equally remiss if I did not mention the strength, courage, learning, laughing, climbing, camaraderie, and support that followed in the days immediately after. The bonds created while climbing are unlike those we often find in our normal lives. For those that were in Bozeman that weekend, it was a strong reminder of the consequences we face for the freedom in the hills, yet it was also a reminder of how our community, “our tribe” as Joe Josephson remarked again and again, can rally around those that need it most and help each other persevere, find courage in the face of darkness, laugh again and eventually climb on.
