Climbing Legend Conrad Anker to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award, Speak at Cody Ice Festival in February
CODY, Wyo., Feb. 1, 2018 – The Cody Ice Festival will present the Jack Roberts Lifetime Achievement award to climbing legend Conrad Anker at the Cody auditorium Friday, February 9, 2018.
A climber, mountaineer and author, Anker is the captain of the North Face Global Athlete climbing team with several first ascents to his credit, including Shark’s Fin, one of the last unclimbed Himalayan peaks. He has summited Mount Everest three times, including once without supplemental oxygen.
Anker will be the featured speaker after receiving the award.
Conrad Anker will address the festival and be recognized with a lifetime achievement award.
The Roberts award for “excellence in the mountains and contributions to alpinism” was established by the Cody Ice Fest in 2017, and the first recipient was the late Scott Adamson. Jack Roberts was a longtime friend and mentor to the climbing community around the world.
There is still time to register for the 20th-annual Cody Ice Festival, to be held Feb. 8-11, 2018 in Cody/Yellowstone Country. With a line-up of affordable clinics for beginners, experienced climbers and women only, the festival promises the biggest ice of any festival in North America.
The popular festival features ice climbing clinics by day and nightly speakers and presentations developed to inspire and encourage festival participants. In the evenings, there are nightly raffles for ice climbing gear and bottomless beer pours with the purchase of a pint glass.
“The Cody Ice Fest promotes safety, stewardship, education and camaraderie in a positive and professional environment,” said Ari Novak, director of the Cody Ice Festival for the second year. “This is one of those sports where you can find yourself receiving a climbing tip from a star like Conrad Anker during the day and sharing a joke with him and others in the evening when everyone is winding down.”
Established in 1998, the festival offers world-class instruction through on-ice clinics in one of the most exciting ice climbing venues in the world.
Climbers of all abilities are welcome.
Clinics
Each clinic is led by a top professional mountain guide and a professional athlete. Clinics range in price from $150 to $200, and there is also a free ice climbing day on Sunday priced at $25. Active members of the military and veterans receive a 10 percent discount off the price of the clinics.
The festival will include clinics for advanced climbers and beginners as well as all-female clinics taught by female athletes.
World-Class Ice Climbing Region
Ice routes can be found in the North and South Forks of the Shoshone, the region to the west of the town of Cody, Wyo. The South Fork of the Shoshone is home to the highest concentration of frozen waterfalls in the United States, with more than 200 climbable pitches within a 10-mile radius. Cody is home to plenty of long moderate and advanced ice routes offering a memorable experience for climbers of all abilities.
Commercially guided ice climbing made its debut in 2011 in Shoshone National Forest outside of Cody, Wyo. as the National Forest Service issued the first permits to outfitters to lead ice-climbing trips.
The region is comprised of porous volcanic soil that allows for easy water seepage. The mountains receive large amounts of snow that melts into a high number of drainages. These factors result in spring-fed waterfalls that are constantly regenerating themselves and freezing into high-quality ice climbs. Climbers are still discovering new waterfalls in the region, and some have made dozens of “first ascents” over the past few years.
More About the Festival
The Cody Ice Festival will offer participants discounted rates at Cody-area hotels and transportation to the climbs.
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Yellowstone Country is comprised of the towns of Cody, Powell and Meeteetse as well as the valley east of Yellowstone National Park.
The area of Park County called “Cody/Yellowstone Country” was the playground of Buffalo Bill Cody himself. Buffalo Bill founded the town of Cody in 1896, and the entire region was driven and is still heavily influenced by the vision of the Colonel. Today its broad streets, world-class museum Buffalo Bill Center of the West and thriving western culture host nearly 1 million visitors annually.
Related hashtags: #YellowstoneCountry #CodyWyoming #CenteroftheWest #BuffaloBill #Yellowstone #Wyoming
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Mesereau Travel Public Relations
(970) 286-2751
