If you're laughing on a cold, uphill hike.... you know it's going to be a good day! Good friends makes finding good ice a bonus. The Scepter and Mummy 2 were in great shape and perfect for our day with Mia.

A couple days later, the Festival kicked off and people poured into the parking lot to find their clinics and gather for a fun day of climbing and instruction. I connected with legendary climber, Carlos Buhler to teach a group "Beginning Ice" course. Another legendary climber and friend, John Roskelley decided to join our group for the day to help out, which made it a lot more fun for both Carlos and I.

I couldn't help but wonder if the clinic participants knew they were being taught by two of the most influential and respected alpinists of multiple generations. Carlos and John are both experienced and kind.... and fierce in the big mountains. It was an honor to be there with them and of course, to connect with the awesome people who came to our clinic to learn more about moving up frozen waterfalls.

In between clinic days, I took the opportunity to just "go climbing" with one of my best friends on the planet, Chris Gibisch. Nearly ALL of the most memorable experiences in my climbing-related life have been partnered up with Chris. From China/Tibet to India and Alaska.... we have so many memories laughing, suffering, succeeding and failing together and so much of climbing with Chris is.... for me.... what climbing is all about. Deep friendships and a commitment to doing our best.

We used our "day off" to walk up to the "Unnamed Wall" to chuck a couple of laps on a route neither of us had done called, Roman Candle Stick. It was super fun and didn't disappoint.

My last day of the trip was designated to teach an "Intermediate Ice" course to a group of nine super-stoked climbers who'd traveled to Bozeman from all over the country. I was pleasantly surprised that each one of them was quite competent and had a strong base skill set, which made for a fun day of progressing from basic movement and efficiency.... learning more about the medium and how to read ice..... to practicing safe leading techniques.

By the end of the day, each had climbed a bunch of pitches and made visible improvements. But most of all.... it seemed like they had fun. I know I did! One of the coolest parts of these types of events for me is connecting with unique and passionate people. Far more than the climbing, learning as much from them as they learn from me is a privilege I look forward to. In this way, the Bozeman Ice Festival definitely lived up to my expectations.

Hope to see you all next season or, somewhere out in the mountains!!

More KAVU days!!