Three Days in Ouray (Hardwear Sessions)

By Jessica Riquetti, Mountain Hardwear Design Team

Three days is what it takes. Three days is what it takes to convert us, the Mountain Hardwear Product Team, into enthusiastic ice climbers. In February, the six of us left our desks in Richmond, California and journeyed to Ouray, Colorado for the all women's ice climbing event called "Chicks with Picks." Tracey and Stephanie had ice climbed before but for the rest of us the idea of clinging to a wall of ice seemed a bit overwhelming and the concept somewhat like "stepping into a massive freezer." It turns out all we needed to bring was a good attitude and good warm gear.

Once we arrived we were taken under the wing of extraordinary women who spend their days guiding ice climbing trips around the world. First things first, and we were introduced to the plethora of spikes and straps this sport seems to involve. Once we got the harnesses on right side up and the crampons fitted to our boots, we were off to the ice walls of Ouray.

Now Ouray is an ice climbing mecca, with a canyon lined with aquamarine icefall formations replenished every night by a sprinkler system. It's beautiful and serene and COLD. Within an hour of arriving in this "little Switzerland of America," we found ourselves lined up clinging to a wall of ice. The guides were patient, attentive, supportive and great at giving us the instruction such that we each made it one by one to the top of the pitch that very first day. The wrinkled brows and the skepticism were quickly replaced with wide grins as each of us felt the thrill of reaching the top. There was a lot of technique involved and once you kept your hips forward and "clenched that quarter", kept your toes lifted and used the axe with a swift flick of the wrist, you could tell when you found that stable stance and hit that sweet spot in the ice. It would give off a satisfying "cachunk" sound when you hit the ice just right.

The group of women participating were extraordinary go getters the whole lot. The meals were home cooked and tasty and there was the relief of the hot springs at night. We spent three days in a routine of walking to the iced canyon at the first light of day piled in poofy down and walking awkwardly on our spikes. Each day had the sole purpose of getting in as many climbs as possible. By the final day I realized that ice climbing was more of a life lesson than I thought; one of overcoming your preconceived doubts, defeating the moments of fear, and believing in the possibility that you just might figure out how to do this.

Each of us women of the Mountain Hardwear Product team managed to make it to the top of the canyon wall many times over, whether via perseverance (Tracey), overcoming sickness (Kim), utilizing a one ice pick technique (Debbie), or a strong armed ice pick technique (Nancy), experience (Stephanie), or belief all is possible (myself) we all became ice climbers. Or as Margo our guide said it, we all became "Mountain Hardwomen."