ice fest
31st annual ouray ice festival
january 22nd - 25th, 2026
Our annual Ouray Ice Festival, which is our largest fundraising event of the year, spans three days every January, transforming the town of Ouray into an ice climbing mecca with people from around the world gathering to celebrate the sport of ice climbing.
During the day, you might find yourself in a climbing clinic taught by elite athletes from all over the world. You can wander the Vendor Village and demo gear from outdoor brands. You can even watch our mixed climbing competition in the Scottish Gullies!
In the evenings, Fest-goers head into downtown Ouray for presentations and movies from some of the best climbers in the world. We even have plenty of opportunities to party at the opening RAB pool party and the Saturday night extravaganza.
In order to enjoy different aspects of Ice Fest, we sell two different types of passes so you can demo gear and attend events!
Demo Gear Cards allow you to demo gear from our sponsors in the Vendor Village to utilize within the Ice Park. Our sponsors bring the latest in ice climbing and mountaineering equipment, boots, and apparel.
Evening Event Passes allow you to attend our world class presentations, talks, and parties. Our sponsors contribute to make these events engaging, exciting, and full of prizes.
Every year, Fest kicks off on a Thursday evening with presentations and parties! The Vendor Village officially opens the next day, and Fest goers can participate in everything from climbing clinics, gear demos, fireside chats with pro climbers, competition viewing, and so much more, all within the Ice Park. Friday evening we have happy hours, presentations, and/or movies. Saturday is another full-day in the park, with another evening of presentations and the infamous Petzl Party! Sunday we spend our last hours in the Ice Park together and all events and climbing clinics wrap up at 1pm.
The official Ouray Ice Park clinics will be offered Friday through Sunday. Pro climbers fly in from all over the world to teach various skills to every level of climber. We are grateful to work with ourlocal guiding companies that provide our climbing clinics with $40 dollars of every clinic registration donated back to the Ouray Ice Park. Additional courses are offered the week prior to fest Monday - Thursday.
The Ouray Ice Fest Competition is the adrenaline-fueled centerpiece of the annual festival, where elite ice and mixed climbers from around the globe battle for a spot on the podium. Held in the world-famous Scottish Gullies, this event is a spectacular showcase of power, precision, and endurance.
Hundreds of spectators line the rim of the Uncompahgre Gorge to watch athletes defy gravity on a fiendishly difficult route. The competition route features a challenging combination of natural rock, sheer ice, and a towering, overhanging structure known as the "Comp Tower". With events including Elite Mixed Climbing and Speed Climbing, it's a thrilling display of the sport's highest level, right here in the ice climbing capital of the world.
It takes a village to run Ice Fest, and each year we see over 100 volunteers come out to help us pull it off! We offer various shifts from groundskeeping, to belaying, to working the door at evening events. Volunteers who complete one shift will receive swag.
The Ouray Ice Team is working to finalize all the details for this year's Ice Fest — from the event schedule and clinic details to ticket sales and volunteer registration — all while fine-tuning our website to make it easy for you. Thank you for your patience, we'll have more details about The Fest going live in early November!
Check Out Ice Fest
Every dollar made during ice fest goes directly towards funding the operational costs of the Ouray Ice Park.
Frequently Asked Fest Questions
Ice Fest details are going to be release early November. GET STOKED for year 31!
We have dozens of clinics running in the Ice Park during Ice Fest. We leave a few areas of the park open to recreational climbers each year. Before the Fest begins we put out a map of all areas of the park open to recreational climbers so you don’t run in to any clinics.
Please be aware - Ice Fest is BUSY. If you are not in a clinic and just want to recreationally climb, please get to the Ice Park first thing in the morning to set up your anchors.
We invite all photographers, videographers, content creators, and journalists to help us capture Ice Fest! From climbing clinics with world famous athletes, to parties with fire and ice, and a climbing competition taking place on a massive piece of plywood hung over a cliff, the experiences at Ice Fest are one-of-a-kind.
All press must register to film at Ice Fest. Press Passes will go on sale in December.
We offer a free shuttle service within the town of Ouray up to the Ice Park during Ice Fest. These shuttles run Friday through Sunday.
We will have a map of pickup locations and pickup times available for Ice Fest goers ahead of the event.