don foote

Recent Posts

Climbers spar over use of metal tools on popular routes near Cody

A climber scales a rock wall in Shoshone Canyon on Saturday during the 16th Annual Cody Ice Climbing Festival in Cody, Wyo. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate)

Problems with liability insurance and an impromptu decision to send ice climbing students using specialized gear into a favorite rock climbing area have prompted criticism for the organizer of the Cody Ice Climbing Festival, who says he was only trying to make the best of a bad situation. Some local rock climbers are unhappy that ice climbers were using ice axes and spiked footwear over the weekend during a hastily convened beginners climbing clinic held near the Buffalo Bill Dam west of Cody. Continue Reading →

Filed under: , , , , ,

Cody Ice Festival celebrates 15 years of climbing frozen waterfalls

Aaron Mulkey climbs a frozen waterfall called Hells Angel on the Upper South Fork of the Shoshone River, about 45 miles southwest of Cody. (File photo by Joel Anderson - click to enlarge)

This weekend, the Cody Ice Festival celebrates its 15th anniversary, and more than 300 people are expected to attend events Feb. 15-18. With help from other local climbers and a growing list of sponsors and partners, local mountaineer Don Foote has organized the event each February to promote the unique collection of frozen waterfalls in the Shoshone National Forest near Cody. Fed by springs, streams and melting snow, the waterfalls freeze over the course of the long, cold winters along the South Fork of the Shoshone River, creating an ever-changing playground for climbers who seek adventure and variety. Continue Reading →

Filed under: , , , ,