Gadd Wins Ouray, Again
The 20th annual Ouray Mixed Ice Competition sent some of the world's best mixed and rock climbers flying.
Unlock this article and more benefits with 40% off.
Already have an Outside Account? Sign in
40% Off Outside+.
$4.99/month $2.99/month*
Get the one subscription to fuel all your adventures.
- Map your next adventure with our premium GPS apps: Gaia GPS Premium and Trailforks Pro.
- Read unlimited digital content from 15+ brands, including Outside Magazine, Triathlete, Ski, Trail Runner, and VeloNews.
- Watch 600+ hours of endurance challenges, cycling and skiing action, and travel documentaries.
- Learn from the pros with expert-led online courses.
*Outside memberships are billed annually. Print subscriptions available to U.S. residents only. You may cancel your membership at anytime, but no refunds will be issued for payments already made. Upon cancellation, you will have access to your membership through the end of your paid year. More Details
The Canadian Will Gadd, won the the Elite Mixed Climbing Competition at the 20th annual Ouray Ice Festival. Gadd, 47, said he entered the competition with no expectations, still recovering from freezing his feet and overuse injuries from last year’s ice season at Helmcken Falls in British Columbia. This year’s comp drew a strong field of 30 from all over the world with standout mixed climbing masters including Gadd, Ines Papert and Will Mayo competing against past winners Sam Elias and Andres Marin in what proved to be a very close battle that was decided by mere inches and time. 
Long-time Ice Fest Comp route designer Vince Anderson set a particularly devious course this year that started on the classic Mighty Aphrodite (M9) then continued up an artificial wall outfitted with three thin metal cracks coated with a rubbery compound used to line pickup truck beds. The climbing was supposed to approximate real mixed crack technique where climbers get their tools to stick by torqueing them sideways.
The crack section, nicknamed The Krampus after the anti-Santa who beats bad children, proved too difficult and no competitor topped out, or got close—many fell at roughly the same place while making the transition from the first to the second crack. Others fell on the first moves of the first crack, a micro crease meant for laybacking more than camming.
At one point I overheard Steve House, who’d previewed the route, describing the method required to climb the second crack. House explained that you needed to place your tool upside down and crank it to the right—some tricky beta that no one figured out. 
Over the course of the seven-hour competition, The Krampus stymied the world’s best. Among those was Sasha DiGiulian, the first American woman to climb 5.14d and who picked up mixed climb just a few weeks ago. She climbed well if slowly, chewing up her 12-minutes of allotted time before reaching the Krampus, and timed out. But all the competitors I talked to said they enjoyed themselves, and the fans, as usual, were wildly stoked to watch these talented men and women tangle with a truly difficult line.
Results:
MEN
Will Gadd (first overall)
Simon Duverney
Andres Marin
Sam Elias
Justin Willis
Maynadier, Matthieu
Vachon, Ryan
Dempster, Kyle
Nelson, Jason
Baguet, Mael
Ronemus, Chance
Mayo, Will
Ross, Kurt
Daily, Adam
Stritch, Carter
Garcia, Marcus
Jablonski, Jedrzej
Wortmann, Phil
Lydiard , Luke
Montgomery, Aaron
WOMEN
Rainer, Angelika (second overall)
Hueniken, Sarah
Bono, Katie
Olson, Jen
Papert, Ines
Harrington, Emily
Stritch, Kendra
Glanc, Dawn
DiGiulian, Sasha
Goralski, Beth