Checking Out Ice Climbing For the First Time! 1/31/12

A friend said she's an ice climber. At the time, I had no idea what that meant... I hadn't heard of such a thing before.  But I quickly learned that it's like rock climbing... only on ice!  I had to check this out... so when she and some friends were going to be at a spot right along the Seward Highway just south of Anchorage, she let me know so I could come watch.  It looks like so much fun... it is now on my (ever-growing) list of things to do in Alaska!

Before I get to the climbing photos though... I want to share some neat scenic photos I got from our spot along Turnagain Arm.
 It was only a couple degrees above zero while they were climbing.  Thankfully it wasn't windy! Notice all the chunks of ice in the water... that is a very typical winter scene around here.


This is the soft light of January in Anchorage.  My eyes appreciate it.



One of my favorite Turnagain Arm photos.

The ice itself was pretty beautiful, so I had to get some shots of it.



It looks like Stalactites in a cave!

 

And now... for the climber photos...



Two observations: 1) They're right along the road!!  2) Why would someone climb that thin, dry ice where the climber is when there's all that thick ice to the left? (Answer: It's a challenge!)



Did I mention that they're RIGHT along the road?





A bit of a glow on the ice from the sun... this is at the same time as that last scenic shot above.  Golden!

'Til next time...