Ice Climbing

For the past two years my dad has let his friend "Briggs" pull hoses to the top of his silo and ice it down. Briggs has actually turned the sport into a class at the college here in town, UNI. So this year Matt and my mom decided to give it a try one afternoon. It was pretty darn cold but they both did so good! Most beginners get about 15 feet in the air, they both went far beyond that. Here are some pictures (it was SO SO SO foggy the day they climbed and it was extra foggy higher up where they were at- plus my fingers were numb so I didn't take time to change my camera's settings, so sorry about the clarity of the pictures)

Part of my dad's farm on a cold, foggy, Iowa day



Briggs, Matt & My Dad


Go momma go!


Higher Matthew, higher!





A few weeks after Matt and my mom climbed Briggs organized a collegiate ice climbing competition. Lots of colleges from all over the country came to my dad's house to compete in a night climb. The competitors were timed to see who could get to the top the fastest. It was pretty cool to see the silo completely lit up at night.

A bunch of the climbers trying to warm up