Lincoln Falls, Hoosier Pass 11,500 feet    Colorado  1/23 thru 1/31 2015

We make the 1.5 mile approach that gains 1000 feet for our laps on multiple routes of nice ice outside of Breckenridge, Colorado.

Here is a link that provides vital stats:  http://www.summitpost.org/mount-lincoln-icefall-colorado/164516

The views across the fourteen thousand foot giants are breathtaking, along with the altitude and cold.

Some day I will learn to quit taking pictures with stuff crammed in my jacket pockets. 

Lee, Neil and John Davis make preparations for our climb.  Essentially it was a matter of who was to pick their way up to the top of the flow on some steep sections of scrambling to establish a top rope.

Fortunately, I drew the long straw that day.

We spent a week playing in this most beautiful of mountain ranges, domestic nonetheless.  Each morning would find our crew donning double plastic boots, crampons and two ropes for a trail now well worn by aspiring ice chasers.

I was quite distracted by the diverse shots afforded by the moving sun.  Shadows and winter light angles made for dazzling displays between squalls and wind events.

This has become an annual migration for our crew of icemen.  From all over the United States we converge on Colorado in the month of January.  Two of our group are Alaskan, Neil and Lee.  John Davis is Coloradan and the den mother of the cabal.  Dan is a Cincinnati man and I am the hillbilly.

Ice climbing is a much less expensive sport than downhill skiing it now appears.  No fees are required for setting pick to frozen water on public lands yet but the cost of a one day lift ticket to Breckenridge has topped $140 per day.  I believe that is outrageous and will be reducing my visits to the resort as a result.  My airfare to Denver was only twenty dollars more.  Good news was that it increased my time on the ice, which is starting to supplant skiing in my repertoire.

This is a clip from my lap on a day which found myself and partner, Lee Whitten alone on this grand mountain.

We had an absolutely fantastic time and it is always a privilege to spend time with quality individuals. I anticipate this week each year not so much for the communion with frozen water and altitude but to engage in camaraderie with men who unequivocally share my passion for all forms of mountaineering.    Speaking of frozen, I am in the editing stages of my upcoming book entitled, "Father of Ice Mountains".  It recounts our ascent of 24,747 foot Muztagh Ata in the Chinese Pamirs in 2011.

 Stay tuned for more.    I wish everyone a marvelous mid winter greeting.  Let's end this page with some nostalgia from Steely Dan.  How have you been Reeling in your years?