Tri-Ice-A-Thon

I spent the weekend in Nordegg, Alberta. A teensy little town in Alberta. You can either head on the Ice Fields Parkway and turn east at Saskatchewan crossing (directions may be inaccurate!) or drive up to Red Deer and scoot over west. Nordegg probably has more Hostels per capita than anywhere, and most of them have hot-tubs... SWEET!

The Centre for Outdoor Education organizes the yearly Tri-Ice-A-Thon. I have been wanting to get to this climbing competition since I started Ice Climbing and everything finally came together this year.

3 of the Hostels create Ice Climbing walls. The event involves competitors moving to each hostel with a climbing wall and participating in different competitions. They each involve a speed-climbing event and then incorporates other climbing skills. There were about 55 competitors with the majority being newer climbers. There were about 9 of use who were considered "advanced" a smattering of intermediates and the newbies.

I find it kind of cool now that I'm considered an "experienced ice climber" it doesn't feel that long ago that I was the person who didn't know how to put my crampons on and needed a double-check everytime I rappelled.

The way it is organized is the group gets broken into 3 teams, with a mix of Advanced, Intermediate and Novice climbers. The group I was in has 3 advanced (me included) and 12 beginners I think! We get scored on a team and individual basis. Group enthusiasm and support counts. There are judges at every event and a bevvy of volunteers. I decided that my job was to be cheerleader, supporter and team goof-ball. The goof-ball portion meant I gave up looking cool and just decided to let the "Inner-Lise" out. Which truth be known, I tend to keep to myself until I know people better because she is damn silly. But here in Nordegg, I yelled, screamed and cajoled our newer climbers up the ice if they needed it. And what the fuck it was fun to be a loud-mouth schnook!

A couple of my friends got into the finals which was very cool. I have to admit I thought I had a good shot at getting to the finals, I really did. I climbed strong and was happy with my performance. But alas I did not make the finals... sniff, sniff... I tried to be all mature and gracious about it with minimal whining but... well I drank lots of beer. LOL!

However there is another competition which I knew about. The SWIMSUIT competition. Yes crazy climbers, donning very thin material garments and climbing on the ice. I had a plan... a bold plan... I decided to call the Centre for Outdoor Education to make sure my plan would be acceptable. I didn't want to wear no stinking bathing suit... I wanted to be... to be.. "FOXY ICE" Foxy Ice has her favorite white outfit, a matching tank top and lowrise bellbottom pants. White lycra with silver hearts. Foxy Ice has a kick ass blond afro, always wears her Jackie-O sunglasses and wouldn't be caught dead without her silver lipstick on. Too cool BABY!!

Lise had a few reservations letting Foxy Ice out of the closet. WHAT would the other climbers think? Would the theatrics be too much.? At the end of the day Lise decided GO BIG OR GO HOME. Foxy Ice deserved her day on the ice. And apparently the rest of the Nordegg crew thought so too. Foxy strutted her stuff, danced and got the crowd all worked up and the Foxy CLIMBED BABY.

There was most definitely some serious competition coming from the other women. Ice Climbing girls are typically buff with plenty of attitude, but Foxy won over the judges and crowd. I think it was the John Travolta moves with the ice axes in hand that clinched the deal oh and maybe some of the pelvic thrusting on the ice too.

It was super fun to go for it and just BE Foxy. I ended up winning a very FINE MEC shoeller climbing jacket. The judges were from the Calgary and Edmonton Mountain Equipment Coop. I'm thinking of taking a visit in there to say hello just to stir up some trouble. One guy at the competition the next day asked... "hey are you the Disco Girl?" There are many worse things to be called I reckon. LOL!

Now to give some major kudos to the male winner of the competition. Mike from the COE, showed up in his bathing suit with one ice axe and only one crampon. And THEN he got a bucket of ice cold water thrown on him before he climbed! No other men stood a chance of winning after that!!

The next day was about supporting our friends in the finals competition. Everyone did so well. The crowd was super supportive, this was really a climbing love-in rather than a uber competitive event. I did get a run up a very fun mixed climb and got to swing the Nomics on a kick ASS Gr 5 pillar.

We rolled into town around 9:30pm, tired but totally happy with the weekend. After reflecting on the weekend, I accept that I may have made an impression on the local climbing scene with my loud-mouth antics at the walls and then parading around in white spandex but hey maybe its time they got to know the Inner-Lise. Too late now anyhow....

Check out the Tri-Ice-A-Thon
www.coe.ca/icefest/

Sunday, Sunday

This is probably my favorite type of Sunday, I slept in and gingerly got out of bed, grabbed the bottle of Ibuprophen and a big glass of water. Surprise, surprise its not a hangover, but from a day of climbing the day before.

Tom and I headed out to Bear Spirit yesterday. After much mulling over climbing routes and carefully watching the escalating avalanche hazard we decided it was best to play it safe and go to a climbing crag. I was so happy to finally get to Bear Spirit. Colin and I made an ill-fated attempt 3 yrs ago. We posted holed in thigh deep snow for 2 hours up along the creek bed never finding the lefthand turn to get to the crag. This time there was easily half the snow and a beaten down trail the whole way.

We assumed other people would have the same idea since all climbers are faced with the same conditions and only unaware climbers (and hopefully lucky) would brave the avalanche conditions. We did hear the Ghost was ok after talking to Sean Easton in Canmore. However we weren't worried about avi hazard in the ghost but snow drifts along the large river beds you have to drive on. But Sean told us there were some big ass urban assault vehicles out there eager to test their mettle with the heavy wet snow and they were able to create some decent hardpack tracks for others to the follow. However we got to Bear Spirit early enought to get a rope up a good line. About an hour later the place was full but everyone was cool with sharing ropes so it was plenty of fun.

Bear Spirit is a mixed climbing crag, there are some fun Gr 4 pillars and some nasty hard mixed climbs. You can walk up and set up a Top Rope. I always thank Nathan the trainer when I get on stuff like this. Mixed climbing takes muscles, core strength and technique. Its always challenging the first time up a climb you've never done before. I did plenty of hanging on the rope but I made it up. The second time I actually looked like I knew what I was doing. It was an M7 I think, which 2 years ago I couldn't get up so I'm happy that it wasn't *that* hard once I could work out the moves.

The result today though is that I'm tired, body tired and sore. Today will be all about lazing around as I'm climbing tomorrow and I am really hoping Yuka and I can get up Moonlight as we tried last year and got scooped. She doesn't know it yet but I want us to get up at the Crack of Christ to be the first there. Especially with the Avi hazard, other climbers will think its a good choice too.

The cats got their nails clipped today. Always a precarious endeavour. If I'm quick and efficient it can be pretty easy. But Bomber has patience for roughly 7 nails getting clipped and then the last 3 are him making noises that indicate he's thinking of biting (he never has) and him squirming and pulling away his paws. Once he was finally done, I looked over and saw that Ginger had been sitting on the stairs watching the whole production. The look she was giving me cracked me up. It was absolutely this unimpressed look, ears at half mast. Here's a cat lesson for you, if a cats ears are up and perky they're probably happy, if their ears are down against their head, they are either scared or getting ready to attack. Ears at half way means they are undecided as to how they want to react. So I start coaxing her over, I gave up pretending she wasn't going to get her nails clipped, I'd already been busted. Reasoning with a cat isn't easy, they really don't give a shit what you have to say. But after my telling her it'd be quick, its not so bad.. pppllleeeassse.. she came over . Which I was damn impressed with, she used to hide when she even saw the nail clippers. I'm always always relieved when this job is done. Like I said, I have never been scratched or bit but who knows if one day your cat decides to go postal as your almost sitting on them with your face close to their teeth and claws. I love animals but sometimes people forget that their pets are animals first and pets second. Sometimes instinctual animal behaviour will take precedence no matter how friendly and docile they are 95% of the time. We like to treat our pets like they're people with fur but I think this does our furry friends a disservice, we should never rob them of their essential animal nature. Perhaps that's what I love about cats, their domestication will always be tenuous and on their terms, I appreciate they could probably get along just fine without me.

So far my lazy sunday is progressingly along quite nicely, I'll probably read a book, have a nap and maybe socialize abit. Then an early night for more climbing tomorrow - life is good.

Wine, furnaces and toilet

I haven't blogged in a while. My humble apologies to the throngs of people who check in with my blog, I think the crowd numbers about 4 now.

WELL! The problem in waiting is now I'll squish about 3 blogs of musings into one, and I hope it has some connection. Since I am currently NOT under the influence of any alchohol, I have a good shot at making sense, but ya I'm sort of bummed about being so clear headed.

FIRST: It's that same old story, you know the one... being on a plane from Beijing to Mongolia, striking up a conversation with the gentleman beside you who happens to be from New York, working for Microsoft and heading to the Gobi desert. I know, I know why can't I be more inventive. Sorry.

I typically don't like to chat while flying but perhaps I have a good sense for a fun goof-ball with a great sense of humour passenger sitting in the seat beside. John and I started chatting and while it would appear we'd have little in common we had an easy conversation for almost 3hours. I think he endeared himself by being apologetic for George Bush. By the end of the flight we had exchanged emails with the promise to exchange photos, his Gobi desert for my Altai Mt Range and I'll raise you... nah no poker playing here.

John and I have struck up a friendship and I'm all about meeting interesting and informed people. Now one of John's talents is as a burgeoning wine maker. He had talked about being schooled by an Italian friend and him and his 2 buddies were now going to quit their day jobs to make wine. However I think the title of their wine says it all The 3 Asinis - translated to the 3 donkeys. They decidced to keep their day jobs and beg their friends to drink their wine and tell them it was good. John was so desperate that he told me he had sent me some of his wine. To my surprise 8 weeks after that promise I received 4 bottles! Whether the wine is palatable or not (and I'm sure it is) I was really touched that John took the time to send someone he hardly knows his vino. Who cares about those passe bonds forged over blood, alchohol seals the deal like no other.

Well I was hoping to somehow magically weave into this blog that my furnace died on the weekend, leaving me an ice-cube in my own home. That I was saved by a super repairman who dropped everything to help me and didn't charge me any overtime charge. There is a special place in heaven for that guy. And how do I work into this blog that Bomber the wonder cat is improving his toilet flushing abilities? Not only has he volunteered to flush the toilet many times for me while I've still been ON the toilet, but he is working on a variation of flushing while sitting on the seat instead of his standard stand-on-his-hind-legs-grabbing-the-tank-with-his-front-paws-while-pushing-down-the-lever. The cat is a fucking genius, enough said.

Well I guess I'm not that smart to weave it all together. Perhaps I should grab for that glass of wine afterall, I have 4 bottles to drink.