FREEZEFEST IX

The Bad Idea That Caught On

if you didn’t cross the line at freezefest ix, you weren’t there… and if you
weren’t there, don’t ask. it was UGLY (but funny!)

at any rate, i just rolled back into salt lake tonight. a brief report – crazy
conditions at the fest. perhaps worse than last year? certainly colder. temp
was 16 degrees at the parking lot heading into the hole, and a whopping 23 when
we got out. but all got through in fine form, with huge smiles and much relief!

i’ll let ram tell the story of the hole, since he is the only one with any
chance to compare the logjam situation, and the unique conditions encountered.
it gave us a lot of pause before heading in. there was serious talk of
canceling the thing. but after rich rudow, aaron, and ram set ropes on the
exit, i think there was a renewed sense of confidence, and it was game on.

conditions through out my week were all over the map. beautiful the first day,
but a bit cold. next day was crazy rain and tent shredding wind that lasted 36
hours or something? turned to deep freeze and snow that night, and then dawned
clear and FRIGGIN’ COLD for the last few.

a bunch of us had plans to stay until the 5th. a few were sick, a few no longer
had anything to wear that wasn’t frozen solid, and a few simply lacked the
motivation to stay (can they be faulted?) denali mike, mmac, and break-a-yo-face
did a shimmy-shimmy-ya this morning with jason and nate, and they will be the last
freezefesters to leave.

another awesome fest in the books, with tons of new folks (and a lot of regulars
strangely absent?) great to spend time with everyone again, even if the rain
and snow prevented us from sharing too many campfires and canyons together.

it’s 2011 – live large.