Ice Festival invades Cody this weekendIce climbers from around the area and from throughout North America will descend upon Cody this weekend as the community opens its arms to the 12th annual Water Fall Ice Festival. The event, which bills itself as the “friendliest little ice festival in the Northern Rockies” begins at noon Friday and runs through noon Monday.The Cody Cattle Company will serve as the headquarters for this year's event. As in years past, the main draw for the event is the South Fork valley and its abundance of frozen waterfalls.

“It's a diamond in the rough,” says area climber Don Foote, who has helped raise awareness of the valley's unique stature in ice climbing circles. “There's so much to do back there, but so few know about it.”

That number has gradually increased during each of the ice festival's first 11 years. Preliminary numbers for this year's installment are showing promise that it will be the biggest yet.

The allure of Cody as an ice climbing destination revolves around two features. First, there's simply an abundance of climbing routes available — 187 to date, with Foote acknowledging there's likely more to be found. Not all of those routes may be available during any given winter — after all, we're talking about ice, and Mother Nature is the chief architect.

However, the reliability of the valley to produce an abundance of blue, green and crystal ice each year is quickly turning it into a premiere destination.

The valley's other drawing card lies in the diversity of the routes. Climbs in the valley range in difficulty from the WI (water ice) 2-3 beginner-friendly borderline all the way up to experts-only WI-7 difficulty climbs.

“It is extremely rare to find a pure WI-7 climb in nature, but we've got them,” Foote said. “A lot of places have to artificially create WI-7 conditions, but they occur naturally here, and we have another 10-15 WI-6 routes.”

The event begins at noon on Friday with registration at the Cody Cattle Company. The first round of the dry tool pull-up contest will start at 5:30 p.m. A trio of slide shows detailing New England, Iceland and Wyoming ice climbing will be held starting at 7 p.m.

Saturday features a variety of workshops geared toward all skill levels and designed to educate participants on both climbing technique and the unique geography of the valley. The second round and final round of the dry tool pull-up contest takes place at 5 p.m. with a silent auction fundraiser for the Cody wilderness emergency medical service planned during the 6 p.m. Cabin Creek Smoke House dinner.

Pull-up contest winners will be named at 7 p.m.

Sunday features more opportunities for climbers to head out into the South Fork to get on the ice in the morning before bringing participants together again in the evening for more food and fellowship. The event wraps up at noon on Monday after giving climbers one last chance to experience the famed South Fork ice.

A complete schedule of events for the 12th-annual Water Fall Ice Festival is available online at www.southforkice.com.