Demo IceHoldz at the Ouray Ice Festival

Climber on wall at 2009 Ouray Ice Festival

Imagine training for ice climbing year-round, forcefully flicking your tools into artificial ice holds. If you’ve dreamed of this, then you’re in luck. California-based IceHoldz is inviting all climbers to checkout their innovative state-of-the-art IceHoldz during the 15th Annual Ouray Ice Festival starting January 8th.

Climb on IceHoldz at Ouray Ice Festival
Terri Parham, IceHoldz VP of Sales and Marketing, talked with me about the upcoming event. She shared her enthusiasm for the ice festival by stating that new this year, IceHoldz would be present on the Lower Tier in Ouray with their mobile climbing wall. As a matter of fact, this will be the official warm-up place for all the Ouray Ice Festival competitors. Parham also invites festival attendees to stop by with their tools to try the IceHoldz.

Pick in IceHoldz

Revolutionary climbing holds
IceHoldz consist of an outer shell, which lies on top of a composite filled backing. Together these produce a material like “real water ice”. Ice tools actually penetrate the surface and stick into the holds. This durable material can be hit hundreds of times (over 300) before it needs to be rotated or sent back to IceHoldz for a new shell. After being hit hundreds of times, the surface begins to sprout mini-stratugi, wispy pieces of plastic pop up.

Petzl chooses IceHoldz
Petzl, a Ouray Ice Festival sponsor and well-known quality manufacturer of climbing and mountaineering equipment has adopted IceHoldz for product demos and to train employees and sales reps on how to use Petzl’s line of ice climbing equipment. This may well transform the way climbers buy ice tools in the future. Climber may insist on demoing the ice tool before purchasing one. Only time will tell if this become widespread reality.

Gord McArthur pierces two icicle ceiling mounts

World Cup ice climbers
Andres Marin, Marc Beverly and Gord McArthur all train on IceHoldz.

Ice climbing may not yet be an official Olympic Winter Sport, however, later this month, Marc Beverly competes in the 2010 Ice Climbing World Cup in Kirov Russia. It will be interesting to learn how much of a role the IceHoldz have played in amping his strength for this comp.

Are there IceHoldz near you?
Besides a presence throughout the USA, climbers are also using the IceHoldz technology in the United Kingdom with distribution expanding to New Zealand and Australia later this year. So if you have the “ice sickness” and you know who you (we) are … then check back here tomorrow to learn where you can climb on IceHoldz in the Denver area.

For more information checkout the IceHoldz web site or call 408-369-1472 or send email to Terri.
*All photos courtesy Terri Parham.

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