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SarcasticMarmot said:
So, I've been sitting on this for awhile as I think there are still a few moving parts. I am not personally involved anymore but I understand some parts of the plan may change. However, I saw that Councilor Stevenson had responded in another thread with some details.

The Edmonton Ice Wall and the World Cup of Ice Climbing is returning this winter at a new location: Louise McKinney Park. The plan is for the Ice Wall to run January - March and then operate outdoor rock climbing in the summer. The wall has been open for the last 4 winters as a project of the Alpine Club of Canada: 3 at Edmonton Ski Club and 1 at Ice District. This new location seems to be the best of both worlds.

www.yegice.ca

YEG Ice Wall

www.yegice.ca www.yegice.ca

Edmonton is now also going to be a regular stop of the International Ice Climbing World cup, the only stop in North America. Last year we hosted the world championships and here is a youtube video from last year's event:
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I guess they’ll be employing some kind of refrigeration system to generate the icefall down the Center part of the scaffolding. No sign of any ice there yet!
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IanO said:
So no ice I guess?

How were the crowds?
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Ya, no ice. The competition style has moved mostly to plywood anyway as its a more predictable/maliable medium and therefore a more fair contest. In truth Ice Climbing competition is as closely related to the sport in the mountains as skeet shooting is with hunting. Related, but not exactly the same.

Crowds were ok I think, there were 1500+ at the finals on Saturday night but it was up and down during the days. Definitely a better turnout than last year. Shaw having the Mckinney parking lot almost entirely reserved for their events was definitely a problem. We had 15 countries competing from around the world, less than last year as it was a world cup and not a world championship.

Word is the team in charge is working on hosting an international rock climbing competition later this year....

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Interesting to see the plywood used. Hell I could have used some of that equipment during yesterday's Fat Bike Event in Ft Sask. Ice was so bad on a couple of sections I had to crawl on hands and knees up a slope while we handed bikes up to each other. But that could be the last Fat bike ride of the season.Gravel bikes are out next week.
 
Honest question, what is the difference between that and rock climbing if there is no ice? Doesn't ice climbing use clamps and ice picks? Looks pretty cool though. It would be great to have permanent attractions like this open to use by the public in the river valley.
 
scyeg said:
Honest question, what is the difference between that and rock climbing if there is no ice? Doesn't ice climbing use clamps and ice picks? Looks pretty cool though. It would be great to have permanent attractions like this open to use by the public in the river valley.
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This wall will be open to the public to try it out for the next few years! A new group has taken it over from the Alpine Club and they have arranged to have it setup all year! They have some adjustments to do post competition but it should being opening soon. Details will be at climbyeg.com (I am not affiliated, just cheering them on as I really enjoy the sport and am stoked to have a place to use my tools in the city)

Super valid question. Competition Ice Climbing still uses Ice Tools and Crampons. The tools are hooked onto various hold that are similar to but different from rock climbing holds, and the feet kicked into the plywood, kinda like you would kick into ice. I think this picture I took during the wall setup best shows what is used. The 2x4 holds aren't used in competition because they are too easy.

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SarcasticMarmot said:
This wall will be open to the public to try it out for the next few years! A new group has taken it over from the Alpine Club and they have arranged to have it setup all year! They have some adjustments to do post competition but it should being opening soon. Details will be at climbyeg.com (I am not affiliated, just cheering them on as I really enjoy the sport and am stoked to have a place to use my tools in the city)

Super valid question. Competition Ice Climbing still uses Ice Tools and Crampons. The tools are hooked onto various hold that are similar to but different from rock climbing holds, and the feet kicked into the plywood, kinda like you would kick into ice. I think this picture I took during the wall setup best shows what is used. The 2x4 holds aren't used in competition because they are too easy.

View attachment 634183
Click to expand...

Very cool! I look forward to checking it out this summer.
 
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Downtown Defrost
Get ready for Edmonton’s coolest winter party! The Downtown Defrost is back, celebrating 10 years of dance music and culture. With headliners like Channel Tres, Yaeji, and Neil Francis, this two-day festival in Churchill Square promises non-stop energy and epic vibes.
 
archited said:
Downtown Defrost
Get ready for Edmonton’s coolest winter party! The Downtown Defrost is back, celebrating 10 years of dance music and culture. With headliners like Channel Tres, Yaeji, and Neil Francis, this two-day festival in Churchill Square promises non-stop energy and epic vibes.
Click to expand...
Yaeji is quite a 'get' in terms of attracting the hip 20-somethings.
 
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