Obsession – David Roetzel Soloing Vail Ice
In 2014, David Roetzel became the first person to solo every major ice formation in East Vail in a single day—a feat which required more than 1,000 feet of ropeless climbing.
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Back in 2014, David Roetzel became the first person to solo 15 of Vail, Colorado’s major ice routes in a single day.
Some of the climbs were moderate on the moderate end, around WI 3, others pushed expert territory, around WI 5+.
In an interview on Outdoorresearch.com, Roetzel said of the project, “The biggest variable, The Fang, came in this year [2014] in excellent form and I am climbing as well as I ever have been. … I soloed The Fang for my first time and had fun doing so. After soloing The Fang, I felt that this dream of mine was within my grasp and began to plan for it for real.”