BOZEMAN ICE FEST RECAP

The Bozeman ice fest was a blast!!!
A fun weekend full of great climbing, fun clinics, super good friends and beautiful place overall.

The weekend start with some climbing and shooting some photos at the bingo world cave with my friends Tyler, Laura and Jason.
We play in a route that is call North West passage M11.

http://www.jthompsonphotography.com/motion

Next day the fest was in full speed. I spend the day teaching a clinic about ice climbing the day was really fun many athletes and students all learning and having great time.
I had the opportunity to teach a clinic for Petzl about ice climbing.

On Saturday the competition took place down town Bozeman!!!!
The structure was pretty cool and the ambience was great.
All and all a great times.

On te last day of the fest Jason T, Tyler J, Gilbert and Laura J did some photo work for Millet
Jason photos turn out being really cool!!!!

Super awesome times in Bozeman what a great event and totally looking forward to be there next year!!!!! 

LONG TIME PROJECT FINISHED!!!!

Winter is my favorite time of the year, where I get to opportunity to train hard and keep a super strict routine. Also, it is competition season, so work ethic needs to be at 100% focused.
With strong work ethic and hard training results are awesome and goals that can be accomplished.
Earlier this Winter I finished a long time project of mine.
About 6 years ago I was introduce to hard mixed climbing and the place where I was taken soon became my favorite place to climb and train. The cave is call The Posers Lounge. This cave located  above Ouray, Colorado, hard mixed climbing there began in the early 90s.
One of my first times climbing in this place I remember my friend Pablo telling me that Will Gadd did all of the routes in the same day. This place it is extremely overhanging, I remember wondering how could somebody climb all the routes in the same day?

The years went by and I started to work one route at a time, and last year I finished my a goal of climbing them all. Once I finished the last route, my new goal started. I told myself that I will climb them all, in the same day.
After hard sessions of training and climbing with the help of great friends Like Will Gadd, Steve house and Brian Gilmore, I headed to the cave with my girlfriend Annie. That day I wasn't sure if I will try them all, so I told myself that I will be doing one at the time and see how goes.
I started with Cinnamon and Cider M11. Then I climbed the traverse M11, moved to Gold Line M10. I was feeling really good, so I start Fist Full of Steel M10-, once back down on the ground I just had to climb one more route in order to accomplish a long time goal and a dream too. Tragolodite was the last route for me to do. I eat 2 GU's feeling ready to go, I bumped the sound system up, now Pantera is blasting very loud and I started climbing. Half way up the route I got this feeling of anxiety. I told myself, "Andres just relax and keep climbing." Half-way up, where the crux is, my ice axe got stuck!!!! I yell fuck my tool is stuck and on that point I thought that was the end. If I can just finish this section the rest of the route it is easy come on just stay focus slow down and figure a way to get the axe back. Try once try twice, finally!!! The axe came out. Keep climbing, turn the last roof, and easy terrain took me to the top of the route. Once a the top I was so STOKED!!!!! What a great feeling my long time goal was accomplished.