So, I haven't updated in a while, but I have been busy with my sisters wedding, and I am the maid of honor...but enough with that. I would like to tell you about this lovely trip we have done several times in winter. It's called the Tri-Ice-a-Thon. You go spend three days ice climbing in Nordegg. Well, just outside Nordegg. You pay a certian amount, but you are feed and are provided with a place to sleep. It's actually a competition. The first night, is just registering, bonfire and some practice climbing, at the COE (Center for Outdoor Education). Then the next morning you start early in the morning at Frontier Lodge for breakfast, where you find out your teams! After breakfast you get together with you teams and start on the first climbing wall. There are three places to climb. Shunda Hostal, COE and Frontier. There is an ice wall set up at every location and three sides to each wall. So you climb three times or more at each location. There is usally a speed climb at every location and it is timed. There is also usally a technique climb on one of the walls. Previously there was..one tool climbing, stay in the line climbing, blindflod climbing and the 50ft high wall. They mark you on skill, preformance, speed and participation. At the end of the day, when you are so tired, you go for dinner and are shown pictures, have presentations from various climbers...Sean Issac. Then you are told you rank based on if your a beginner, intermediate or advanced. If you rank or end up as a wild card, you go to the big wall, and compete for top prizes. Very nice prizes from Mec, OR, Black Diamond and other outfits!!! My friend is a beginner and won first place last year. My sister was 2nd runner up for placing in beginner catagory this year and also won 9th place the year before that. It's a fun little weekend and you learn alot and meet alot of nice, smart, interesting and big name people. It's usally held in Febuary. The website is actually at the COE website. www.coe.ca