Arvada’s Ian Umstead has participated internationally in two sports, first in Europe as a young cyclist who wants to race professionally, now as an elite ice climmer who competes The World Cup circuit of that sport With stops in Europe, Canada and South Korea. This weekend he can finally compete in an international event close to home when the Longmont Climbing Collective de First Ice Climbing World Cup event in the US since 2019.
Umstead will be one of the 80 competitors from 10 countries that compete on walls on Saturday and Sunday on walls outside the indoor climbing facility of the Longmont Climbing Colligive. The last time the US organized a World Cup climbing event was six years ago in Denver’s Civic Center Park, which attracted an estimated 25,000 spectators according to the Golden-based American Alpine Club and the International Climbing and Mountaining Federation.
“It is absolutely very cool to be able to compete for the US on home grass,” said Umstead, who emerged as an elite ice cream climmer after recording the sport only two years ago. “When I was racing, I never really raced in the national team here in the United States, but I was able to race in Europe and represent the US as a athlete. Having something in the back garden, on a home field, is extremely exciting. “
Crews were busy with the Longmont Climbing CollectiveThe establishment of a temporary 40-foot high ice climbing wall. Large ice blocks the size of pool tables were made with cooling equipment and then drawn in place using a tap.
There will also be competition that climbs on the permanent “dry-tooling” wall of the gym. Dry-tooling is a form of climbing that takes place on specially designed walls without ice that are suitable for ice climbing.
“Dry tools is a way for ice climbers to practice their technology,” said Aaron Tellier, Chief Marketing Officer and co -owner of the Longmont Climbing Collective. “You do it on a normal wall, using your ice ax equipment to put the tip of your pick in postures. What is really cool in dry tools is the acrobatics that people perform. They jump from one (placement) to the other and they wave through their ice ax. It’s just great to see how these athletes perform. “
Co-owners of Tellier, Bryan Hylenski and his wife Shauna, lived in South Korea for ten years where competitive ice climbing is very popular. In 2018 they opened a small bouldering gym in Longmont with the intention of growing up one day. When they opened the huge new facility with 60-foot-high walls in October 2023, they already offered to hold a World Cup with ice climbing.
“They have been dreaming about this for years,” said Tellier, who is the brother -in -law of Shauna. “The climbing community is such a great community, and the sub -community of ice climbing in it is a really great, tight community. They really wanted to do something for that (community). “
Umstead has had something of a meteoric rise in sport. After he gave up his dream to become a professional cyclist, he started climbing Colorado in fourteen people.
“I started to do harder and harder four -day routes, I came across where I had to start roping and found rock climbing,” said Umstead, who grew up in Kentucky. “After I had participated on the international level by bike, I needed something to train to train, something to get better.”
In 2023 some friends have trying it out for the national ice climb team and he made it that summer.
“I was super ecstatic about that because I had been so fresh for the sport,” said Umstead.
Although he also enjoys climbing natural ice functions for pleasure and challenge, the World Cup appeals to its competitive line.
“I started exercising when I was 3, and I am now 30, so the last 27 years I have been very, very competitive,” said Umstead. “When you climb out for yourself, you don’t understand that. You compete a bit against yourself, but in competition you end up with some of the best athletes in the world in our sport, and you are going to fight. “
The Longmont competition will have a dramatic background – a panoramic view of the continental gap and Longs Peak. Events unfold on Saturday from 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. General admission tickets are available for free and online. VIP tickets cost $ 82 per day Or $ 125 for both days. The weekend includes a community celebration called Winterfest, including food trucks, beer, a supplement village and a children’s zone.