The Ouray Ice Festival of 2012 has officially ended. Overall, the festival went smoothly and everyone had a good time. Some had fun just observing, other more adventurous souls had fun playing. The official numbers aren’t in, but festival organizer Kentee Pasek said, “We believe our numbers are completely exceeding 2011 for attendance and the kids' climbing college.”
One of the highlights on Friday was the mic’ed climbing demonstration provided by Heidi Duce and Malcolm Daly, both of whom are amputees. Malcolm is a survivor of a horrific climbing accident in Alaska and a major heart attack. He hasn’t let this slow him down, or dampen his sense of humor. For example, he was sure to include the company that makes his pacemaker when thanking his sponsors. As Malcolm climbed, he and Heidi joked with each other and the audience.
The light wind, laughter from the audience and visual of a man with a prosthetic limb scaling the ice made for a memorable event. This was one of those spectacles that erased all excuses to attempt anything that might challenge us in life.
Saturday morning provided a perfect setting for the competition. The air was crisp and the sun had not yet crested the mountain, serving up that unique alpenglow. Spectators lined the bridge and packed the viewing podium.
The competition route was directly below the lower bridge in the Uncompahgre Gorge. Put simply, the route looked impossible. Once climbers made about 30 feet of elevation from the starting point, they had to cross over to the other side of the gorge by way of a manmade bridge. Unlike your average bridge, this one was made of ice and its builders had no intention of it being walked on. A day-glo orange line halfway up the face of the bridge marked the route boundary. Climbers were not allowed to use any tool point above this line.
Once climbers painstakingly made their way across the bridge they met a vertical slab of rock. The transition from the ice bridge to the rock face presented big problems for competitors. Once climbers made their way over the bridge and up the rock a bit further, another transition from rock to ice awaited them. Really, the whole route flew in the face of what many of the laws of physics deem possible.
Only two climbers topped out — the overall winner Nathan Kutcher from Canada and runner up Andres Marin, a local transplant from Colombia. Local climber Logan Tyler had a great outing. Many friends and family came to show their support. When his ice tool popped off its hold and Tyler fell, there was an audible inhalation by the crowd, immediately followed by loud applause. ”It happens sometimes,” he said nonchalantly. Most wouldn’t be as calm or collected as Tyler was after the competition. “It was just awesome to be here,” said an appreciative Tyler. Everyone was extremely proud of him and happy that he had the chance to compete on this stage.
Two scheduled contestants did not compete. A competition judge and a volunteer told the Plaindealer that one of the climbers was disqualified for using a telephoto lens to analyze the competition route the day before the climb.
The kids climbing college and adult walk up wall drew big crowds, especially on Saturday. The lines were comprised of all ages eager to try their hand at climbing. “There were a lot of daytrippers from Montrose and Junction that came up for the kids and adult walls,“ Pasek said.
Enthusiasm from the volunteers shone through even when the weather took a turn for the worse on Saturday afternoon. As each new participant strode up to the belayer, a fresh unforced smile would appear on the volunteer's face. They would then begin their spiel outlining climbing basics that they had given probably a hundred times that day, yet it seemed as though they were giving for the very first time. Everyone fed off others' enthusiasm.  
Main Street Theater was the site of the awards ceremony Sunday evening, where the climbing winners received their cash and trophies.
The winner of the Asolo USA scholarship was also announced — Sarah Stovicek of Ouray High School. The scholarship is given annually to a selected Ridgway or Ouray High School senior who meets the eligibility requirements.
The “Got Stump?” live auction was next on the Sunday evening lineup, and proceeds went to the City of Ouray to purchase the land used by the Ice Park from the federal government. People were astonishingly eager to be relieved of their hard earned money. It must help when you believe in the cause. Quite a few locals were the first to jump up and show their support.
Another successful Ouray Ice Festival is in the books. Everything that was set out to be achieved was accomplished. Although the festival is over, the park remains open for the rest of the season, and thus continues the symbiotic relationship between Park and City.