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From the south, the tall concrete cylinder on Rusty Leymaster’s farm
looks like a regular silo. From the north, it looks like a giant candle whose
wax has dripped down on itself for hours.
Anyone who knows Don Briggs understands his crazy hobbies - sky
diving, rock climbing, managing a base camp on Mount Everest, and silo
ice climbing.
The idea was born in 2000. “I was invited by a fellow instructor at
UNI (University of Northern Iowa) to go on an ice climb in Green Bay,
Wis.,” Briggs said. “I hadn’t ever done it before so I went along. It was a
relatively easy, short quarry climb, and we had good success. I sort of got
hooked on it then.
“The following summer I was chisel plowing a field for my friend, Jim
Budlong. I kept looking at these four silos he had standing in the middle of
the farm. One day I asked him if I could freeze them for ice climbing. He
didn’t say, ‘Are you crazy?’ He just said, ‘I have some garden hoses we could
use.’”
Briggs used the Budlong’s four silos for several years, hosting weekend
ice climbing competitions and his popular class at UNI -the only one
available in the country as far as he knows.
“We had climbers from all over the U.S. -Tennessee, Ohio State,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska, Mankato State University, Briarcrest
College in Saskatchewan, Canada.
During one of the competitions I invited a world-champion ice
climber as a guest speaker. He was so excited when he saw the silo because
it’s a much more challenging climb than a cascading waterfall. This is completely
vertical.”
Briggs moved his ice climbing to Leymaster’s farm two years ago.
This silo is 80 feet high. The ice graduates from two feet thick at the top to
four feet at the bottom. It takes constant spraying, 24 hours a day, for three
straight days to build the ice. The temperature must be 26 degrees or below
for the ice to form and remain safe for climbing.
Only the old-fashioned concrete silos work for ice climbing. The
newer metal brands absorb too much heat and don’t have banding on the
sides where the ice can cling.
An old converted hog house on Leymaster’s farm serves as the ice
climbers’ lounge. Along with a couch, a few chairs and a new TV/DVD
combo, rows of climbing boots are arranged in order of size. Crampons
hang neatly on the wall along with ice axes and safety harnesses. A sign
on the wall serves as a reminder, “mostly for me”, Briggs claims – “Order of
Gear: Pants, Harness, Boots, Gaiter, Crampons last.”
The boots are specialized for ice climbing with a steel shank that
doesn’t allow the foot to bend. Crampons attach to the front toe and back
sides of the boots.
Ice axes have evolved over the years. The original “Lil’ Monster” was
much longer and heavier than those used today. All have wrist loops to
keep the ax from falling and allow the climber to loosen the grip. “You
don’t need to take a big swing with the ax. Only 1/4-inch needs to be imbedded
as long as there is constant downward pressure,” explains Briggs.
All climbers are attached to safety ropes secured on the ground and
attached at the top of the silo with heavy chains. “Rule no. 1 in ice climbing—
don’t hit your rope!”
The skills useful for ice climbing are strong legs, some upper body
strength and flexibility. “At first, most people try to keep their arms taunt
when climbing,” Briggs said. “They burn out too quickly. I use the example
of doing chin ups. If you hang with your arms straight, you can hang for
hours. If you have to chin up for a long time, you won’t last because your
arms get tired. It’s the same with climbing.”
What about liability? “We’ve been very fortunate to not have had any
serious accidents. One climber from Hong Kong had to have three stitches
in his forehead when a chunk fell, but that’s all.” Briggs worked with an
attorney from Des Moines (also a sky diver) on the wording for the waiver
that everyone who comes near the silo has to sign.
Briggs isn’t the only one with a passion for the ice. Two men from
Alaska come every year. A doctor from California takes a week’s vacation
to come to Iowa to climb each winter. The ice climbing class at UNI runs
from 1 to 4 p.m. “One year, the kids asked if they could stay and climb
some more. It got to be 11 p.m., and they were still here. We ordered pizza
and finally left around 1 a.m. Can you imagine any other class where students
stay that long afterward?”
The youngest climber has been an eight-year-old from an elementary
class where Briggs spoke. The oldest climber, so far, is Leymaster’s 84-yearold
dad. “He wants to come back this year and try it again.”
Briggs recently returned from ice climbing in Nepal on a frozen
waterfall near Mt. Everest. He’s managed the base camp at Mt. Everest
(17,600 feet) for six years. During the January thaws and in warm weather,
he sky dives and does tandem dives. He has his pilot’s license and owns a
plane.
The obvious question is, “What’s your fascination with altitude?”
“I’m scared to death of heights,” Briggs said. “A few years ago I was
rock climbing and completely freaked out. I had to talk
myself calm and tell myself not to look down. Past 5,000
feet it’s not about height anymore - it’s perspective - so
flying and sky diving don’t bother me.
“I don’t do all those things to overcome my fears,
though. I truly enjoy climbing for the feeling when you’re
done of, ‘Yeah, I did it! That really felt good.’ It’s a great
work out.”
Anyone interested in ice climbing or tandem sky
diving can contact Briggs at 277-6426. |
