The UIAA World Ice Climbing Championship is coming to Edmonton
2024 will bring a frosty new competition to Edmonton — the Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme (UIAA) World Ice Climbing Championship. The Ice District will be hosting the World Ice Championship and YEG Ice Fest, from Feb. 16 to 19. Tickets will become available on Nov. 28, and can be bought through Ticketmaster. The event will be held in the Fan Park, located next to Rogers Place.
“We’re excited to host the UIAA Ice Climbing World Championships and YEG Ice Fest in ICE District, offering a unique and unforgettable winter experience in Edmonton’s epicentre of entertainment,” says Stu Ballantyne, the president and chief operating officer of the ICE District “We’re looking forward to transforming Fan Park once again for this unique winter experience in the heart of our city.”
The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) will be setting up an ice climbing wall for climbers of all levels to try and climb in the Fan Park. The new ice climbing wall will be 18 metres (around 60 feet) high, and will be open to the public sometime in December.
The opening ceremony will be held Friday, Feb. 16, and the competitions will start the next morning. The competitions will include speed ice climbing and lead ice climbing.
“We are always inspired and impressed by what a group of passionate volunteers can accomplish,” says Tara McConnery, the services director of ACC.
The event will be volunteer based, so if you’re needing volunteer hours, you can sign up here: https://www.yegice.ca/volunteer.
Feb. 17 and 18 will feature live music at the end of the night when all of the competitions have ended. Currently, YEG Ice says the band is to be announced.
To back drop the competitions, the Ice District is also hosting YEG Ice Fest. YEG Ice Fest will be hosting festival activities, live entertainment, local food and drink, and a winter market. There has not been any official announcements about the live music or what the “VIP event” will be. But, you can find the official wall climbing schedule for those few days here: https://www.yegice.ca/ice-fest.
Graphic by Leanna Bressan
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