G N O E

The Next Near Miss on Colorado Ice

Last Oct. 5, Americans Tyler Kempney, 26, and Ryan Kempf, 32, took advantage of a cold snap and drove from Boulder at 3 a.m. to climb the first ascent of an ice route at the base of The Diamond i n Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park.

Due to a combination of low fitness and high altitude, the two were slow during the approach as they hiked up 4,000 metres to reach the climb. The last 100 metres consisted of heavy snowdrifts, further slowing the team. The sun was just starting to hit the wall when they reached the face at 7:30 a.m. and though conditions were heating up fast and the surrounding routes were disintegrating, they decided to head up anyway. Kempf asked, “Do you think this is safe?” “I told him a strong no. It wasn’t safe,” Kempney recalled. “We got here two hours too late. We should just go for the [nearby] Smear of Fear.”