Exploring Minnesota Ice Climbs with Sam Elias for The North Face
Coming fresh off shooting the 2023 Michigan Icefest, I linked up with The North Face athlete and Kentucky-neighbor Sam Elias. We worked together a number of years back on the Michigan Ice Film, so it was fun to catch up and connect over discussions about Kentucky, bourbon, and film ideas for the coming year.
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Our first stop was to check out a classic (for the midwest) ice route called Nightfall. After reviewing some beta sent from a friend via text, and consulting mountain project a few times, we set off at first light to catch it in prime shape, hopefully avoiding the afternoon rain showers that were forecasted.
200’ WI4
We made our way south towards Duluth to climb at Casket Quarry, but the weather had made a turn for the worst as rain just battered the ice park. We continued on and eventually made it to Sandstone, but struck out there as well. With conditions looking grim, we settled in late in the evening near Winona, not expecting anything awesome after the rain. When we woke up and hiked up to the third and final Minnesota ice park, the Winona Ice Park, we were pleasantly stoked.
Local Eric Barnard showed us around the park and gave us a rundown on the history of the local land owners and what they had to do in order for this park to become a reality. In between stories, both Sam and I enjoyed some sweet plastic sticks up some really nice ice. Here’s a gallery of images from us messing about that day.
