Videographer Mike Call shooting 2012 Ouray Ice Festival Champion Emily Harrington on a mixed rock-and-ice route in Colorado's Rifle Canyon.
Emily hangs for a moment on her arms, relaxing before she moves from the rock to the free-hanging ice pillar that leads to the top of the wall.
This shot is all about composition—like a Pollack canvas. Yes, it's ice with nice texture, but everything comes down to how the picture is framed and exposed.
Emily leading her way up the classic route "Rigid Designator." Behind the belayer is a mound of ice called "The Fang." In some winters, the ice connects to the cliff above, forming a free-standing—and climbable—pillar more than 120-feet tall.
A behind-the-scenes look of how the previous frame was shot. My second camera (seen in the foreground) is clamped to a rock shard and shooting time-lapse footage of her ascent. It’s also clipped to a rope so if the rock shard fails the camera doesn't fall to the ground.
Emily Harrington at the end of the day
The following sequence shows the first ascent of “Inglorious Bastards," an M12+ route in Hyalite Canyon, Montana, by Sam Elias. Conrad Anker, who belayed Elias, is seen here assessing the ice.
To climb from the ice pillar in the back of the cave to the frozen waterfall at its lip, Elias will have to climb 30-feet of exposed rock ceiling.
This maneuver is called a "figure-four."
Near the lip of the cave, Sam lunges toward the ice. He snags his pick, cuts everything behind him loose, and swings toward the hanging ice. Once he's on the ice, the relative difficulty eases up.
Now it's a matter of staying calm...
...and enjoying the perfect ice to the top.
At the end of the day it's all about enjoying the simple things. Conrad and Sam brew up.
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