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Ouray Ice Festival 2013

Saturday, January 12, 2013

On Saturday we battled the frigid temperatures to visit the annual Ouray Ice Festival. We checked it out last year for the first time and had a lot of fun, so we made sure to return again this year. We arrived early and spent most of the day watching the competition and the other ice climbers in the park. Even though the temperatures were colder than usual, we still had a great time. Attending the Ice Festival just might continue to become one of our annual traditions.

Snow on the mountains around Ouray.

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Snow Covered by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Early Climber by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Climbing on rock in the competition.

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On the Rock by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This guy spent much of the day carving a large ice sculpture.

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Cutting Ice by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Spectators watch the competition from the bridge over Box Canyon.

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Spectators by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I accidentally bumped the shutter button on my camera while standing on a viewing platform watching some climbers. When I got home and was looking through my photos from the day it caught my eye because it looks kind of cool.

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Accidental Pattern by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After a few hours some light snow moved into the area.

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Snowstorm by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Ice & Rock by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This was a busy wall.

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Busy Wall by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This competitor is getting close to the top but came up a little short. We actually never saw anyone make it to the top while we were watching.

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Hanging Out by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Hanging Ice by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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On the Ice by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Ice & Climber by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Icicles by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Ice Wall by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Step Up by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Wall of Ice by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Two Ice Climbers by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Before leaving the Ice Festival I took a ride on the zip line that was setup over the canyon. Then we drove to the other side of town so I could hike to the frozen Cascade Falls. I climbed up to the fall and was able to get behind the ice.

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Cascade Falls by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The view over Ouray from Cascade Falls.

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Small Break by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

>> Ouray Ice Festival 2013 Photo Gallery

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