Bill climbing “The Curtains”

Pictured Rocks Ice Climbing

Did you know that some of the best ice climbing in the world is right here in the Upper Peninsula?

That’s right, I said ice climbing.  Cool, eh?

Last year when I discovered the Michigan Ice Festival and found out that we have awesome ice climbing along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, I made it a point to try it out. Ice climbing is something that has been on my “bucket list” for a while.

That was April, though, after last year’s ice fest had already taken place and I wasn’t sure where to start. So I waited until this year, and then reached out to Down Wind Sports.

At the time, I didn’t know Bill Thompson (owner of both Down Wind locations) was the man behind the Michigan Ice Fest. So of course, it turns out that Down Wind Sports not only rents the ice climbing gear, they’ll take you climbing!

My Pictured Rocks Ice Climbing Experience

My first ice climbing experience went something like this:

I arrived at Down Wind Sports Marquette location (they have a store in Houghton, too), met Bill and his climbing partner John, picked up my gear, and then it was off to the races. A little over an hour later I was hiking along sand point road in Munising, crampons in hand, when Bill and John cut into the woods at a seemingly random point and headed uphill.

They clearly knew where they were going. I did not.

Our first stop was an ice formation called “The Dryer Hose.” And from what I understand, it’s called that because at one point, someone used the exhaust hose from a clothes dryer to funnel a little more water that way, helping to build up the ice. In warmer months, there is no water here. No waterfall, and not even a trickle according to Bill. This massive tower of ice is all formed by gradual snow melt.

The Dryer Hose was not climbable the day of our climb due to a bout of warm weather, so we made our way over to another area known as “The Curtains.”

The view from “The Curtains”

And let me just take a moment to stay how stunning the view is from up there. High above Lake Superior with no leaves on the trees, it’s a spectacular sight. I’d hang out up there all day just for the view. Okay, back to climbing…

In stark contrast to the Dyer Hose and most of the other straight up vertical ice formations in Pictured Rocks, the left side of The Curtains ascends at a relatively low angle, which was a great place for a beginner like  me. This is also where the kid’s climbing area is set up during the Michigan Ice Fest.

Bill and John taught me about “hooking” (placing your ice axe where someone else has already chipped out a hold) and showed me how to place my feet in the ice (perpendicular to the ice wall) along with a bunch of other pointers. I made my way up the ice several times without falling, which I didn’t expect, and watched Bill and John traverse some more difficult areas. It was a blast!

As morning became afternoon, we had to pack up and get back to Marquette. But I vowed to return soon when there was more climbable ice. All in all, it was an excellent day of ice climbing in the Upper Peninsula and I got to knock something off of my bucket list.

Bill tests the ice on “The Dryer Hose”

In regards to Down Wind’s ice climbing services, Bill said that he’s able to accommodate both those who have never climbed as well as experienced climbers. People who haven’t climbed before would get an “intro to ice climbing” sort of experience (much like I had) whereas experienced climbers would have more of a guided climb experience.

I had such a great time, that this definitely wasn’t my last ice climbing excursion. I see ice axes and crampons in my future!

Want to try ice climbing? You can! At the Michigan Ice Festival!  Check out their website for all the details.

To view more photos of ice climbing in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, click here to visit my Facebook page and browse to the “Ice Climbing at Pictured Rocks” album. (You’ll need to the “like” the page if you haven’t already)

Bottom line: If you’re a little adventurous, ice climbing in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is easily one of the top things to do in the U.P.!

How to get there? The “how to get there” for this one is a little difficult. Ice forms all along pictured rocks (both uphill from Sand Point Rd. and along Lake Superior… and on Grand Island… and a bunch of other places…) so if you’re an experienced ice climber you probably won’t have to explore long to find climbable ice.

If you’re not experienced, I’d highly recommend planning your trip through Down Wind Sports. Ask for Bill!

Ice Climbing at Pictured Rocks

Did you know that some of the best ice climbing in the world is right here in the Upper Peninsula?

That’s right, I said ice climbing.  Cool, eh?

Last year when I discovered the Michigan Ice Fest and found out that we have awesome ice climbing along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, I made it a point to try it out. Ice climbing is something that has been on my “bucket list” for a while.

That was April, though, after last year’s ice fest had already taken place and I wasn’t sure where to start. So I waited until this year, and then reached out to Down Wind Sports.

At the time, I didn’t know Bill Thompson (owner of both Down Wind locations) was the man behind the Michigan Ice Fest. So of course, it turns out that Down Wind Sports not only rents the ice climbing gear, they’ll take you climbing!

My first ice climbing experience went something like this:

I arrived at Down Wind Sports in Marquette, met Bill and his climbing partner John, and picked up my gear, and then it was off to the races. A little over an hour later I was walking along sand point road in Munising, crampons in hand, when Bill and John cut into the woods at a seemingly random point and headed uphill. They clearly knew where they were going. I did not.

Our first stop was an ice formation called “The Dryer Hose.” And from what I understand, it’s called that because at one point, someone used the exhaust hose from a clothes dryer to funnel a little more water that way, helping to build up the ice. In warmer months, there is no water here. No waterfall, and not even a trickle according to Bill. This massive tower of ice is all formed by gradual snow melt.

The Dryer Hose was not climbable that day due to a bout of warm weather, so we made our way over to another are known as “The Curtains.”

And let me just take a moment to stay how stunning the view is from up there. High above Lake Superior with no leaves on the trees, the view is spectacular. I’d hang out up there all day just for the view. Okay, back to climbing…

In stark contrast to the Dyer Hose and most of the other straight up vertical ice formations in Pictured Rocks, the left side of The Curtains ascends at a relatively low angle, which was a great place for me to start. This is also where the kids climbing area is set up during the Michigan Ice Fest.

Bill and John taught me about “hooking” (placing your ice axe where someone else has already chipped out a hold) and showed me how to place my feet in the ice (perpendicular to the ice wall) along with a bunch of other pointers. I made my way up the ice several times without falling, which I didn’t expect, and watched Bill and John traverse some more difficult areas. It was a blast!

As morning became afternoon, we had to pack up and get back to Marquette. But I vowed to return soon when there was more ice to climb. All in all, it was an excellent day of ice climbing in the Upper Peninsula and I got to knock something off of my bucket list.

Though I wasn’t aware of it at the time, Down Wind Sports not only rents ice climbing gear, they also give ice climbing lessons! Bill said that, depending on his schedule, he’s able to accommodate both those who have never climbed as well as experienced climbers. People who haven’t climbed before would get an “intro to ice climbing” sort of experience (much like I had) whereas experienced climbers would have more of a guided climb experience.

I had such a great time, that his definitely wasn’t my last ice climbing excursion. I see ice axes and crampons in my future!

Want to try ice climbing? You can! At the Michigan Ice Festival!

In fact, you can find me (and a few hundred other people) at “Ice Fest” February 2nd through February 5^th 2012 in Munising, MI. It’s put on by Down Wind Sports and is one of the top ice climbing events in the country! (Last year they had 511 registered participants.)

Check out the Michigan Ice Fest’s website for all the details.

To view more photos of ice climbing in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, click here to visit my Facebook page and browse to the “Ice Climbing at Pictured Rocks” album. (You’ll need to the “like” the page if you haven’t already)

Bottom line: If you’re a little adventurous, ice climbing in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is easily one of the top things to do in the U.P.!

How to get there? The “how to get there” for this one is a little difficult. Ice forms all along pictured rocks (both uphill from Sand Point Rd. and along Lake Superior… and on Grand Island… and a bunch of other places…) so if you’re an experienced ice climber you probably won’t have to explore long to find climbable ice.

If you’re not experienced, I’d highly recommend planning your trip through Down Wind Sports. Ask for Bill!

There’s a place in Marquette where all the cool kids go to jump off a cliff… and into Lake Superior. That place is known as “Blackrocks.”

It’s also one of the reasons I kick myself for not going to college at Northern Michigan University. Have an extended break between classes? Want to go cliff diving? No problem.

Black Rocks is one of Marquette’s coolest attractions, in my opinion. There are many, to be sure, but cliff diving into a frigid Lake Superior is a rush. And if you wait until the middle of August, the water isn’t too cold by most people’s standards. Which is to say not too cold. Not warm, but not cold.

Black Rocks is near the tip of Presque Isle Park in Marquette. And the city of Marquette has a great little map that shows exactly where it is. Click here to check that out.

To get to Black Rocks, park at one of the parking lots near the tip of Presque Isle and then walk toward the water and head East (right, if you’re facing the lake) and keep walking.

After walking a few hundred yards, you’ll come to a cliff that drops fifteen or so feet straight down into Lake Superior.  That’s the spot.  And if it’s a sunny day in summer, you’ll likely be sharing the space with a dozen or more college kids and tourists here to test their nerve.

Now, I’m not going to get into the technique of cliff diving because I’m no expert, and there are definitely things you should know about it before you tackle this extreme sport. So for an excellent (but brief) cliff diving education, click over to this article.

One day while visiting Marquette this summer, my friend Jen and I were hanging out on Presque Isle and decided to walk over to Black Rocks. I didn’t have my swimsuit with me but I really wanted to jump so I could get some photos for this web site. Luckily, Jen had just come from the beach. “I’ll jump,” she said without flinching.

Most people tend to hesitate for a at least a few moments before jumping. Jen hesitated for maybe a second. Maybe. She’s a trooper.

Also on the rocks that day was a girl in her early twenties who refused to jump, despite much encouragement from her friends. There were a couple college guys who kept jumping in, climbing back up and then jumping in again. And there were about five or ten ten onlookers. (It is fun to watch)

One note – If you do take the plunge, I’d recommend swimming to shore rather than climbing back up the cliff. You’ll be in that chilly water a little longer, but that’ll just make you swim faster!

And for some final tips, I’m going to one of my Twitter followers, @juliamcgulia.

From Julia: “Don’t think, just jump! A lot of people worry more about the jump and then when they do it they realize it’s not scary at all! Also, go on a warm day and have a blanket or towel for after. It is Lake Superior after all. ”

To see more photos of Black Rocks, click here to visit my Facebook page and then browse to the “Black Rocks” album. (You’ll need to “like” the page if you haven’t already)

Bottom Line: Black Rocks is an awesome way to cool off on a hot day in Marquette.

Location: The tip of Presque Isle Park in Marquette

Map: To view Black Rock’s location on my map of the Upper Peninsula, click here.

Other things to note: If you’ve never been to Presque Isle Park, you could easily plan to spend half a day here. There’s the harbor, a great lighthouse, and tons of trails, black rocks… the list goes on.

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