Climbers ignored Michigan for decades – then a famous mountaineer posted one photo

Four Kalamazoo Climbers Launch America’s Premier Ice Festival

In 1990, four friends from Kalamazoo chased rumors of frozen waterfalls at Pictured Rocks. What they found changed winter in Michigan forever.

The next year, Mark Riesch gathered just 15 climbers at Sydney’s Restaurant for the first Michigan Ice Fest.

Among them sat college kid Bill Thompson, who knew almost nothing about ice climbing but soon fell in love with it.

For years, pros ignored Michigan until 2014, when mountaineer Conrad Anker braved minus 30 temps to film there.

After seeing 160-foot ice walls hanging over Lake Superior, he told his two million followers they’d missed America’s best ice climbing.

Today, the festival draws over 1,100 people from around the world to these stunning frozen cliffs.

Four Guys From Kalamazoo Stumbled Upon Frozen Waterfalls

In 1990, four ice climbers from Kalamazoo heard talk about frozen waterfalls at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. They drove north to Munising to check it out.

What they found amazed them – huge sandstone cliffs covered with stunning ice that no one in the climbing world knew about.

Before this, serious ice climbers skipped Michigan, focusing on places like Colorado or New Hampshire. These four friends accidentally found what climbers now call some of North America’s best ice terrain.

Mark Started A Tiny Gathering For Fellow Climbers

After finding the ice, Mark Riesch set up the first Michigan Ice Fest in 1991. He used his Great Lakes Ice Climbing Newsletter to tell others about this new spot.

The first meetup was tiny – just 10 to 15 climbers at Sydney’s Restaurant in Munising. They watched slideshows of climbing photos and talked about routes on the new ice formations.

This small get-together grew into America’s oldest ice climbing festival, now running for over 30 years.

A College Kid With Zero Experience Got Hooked

Bill Thompson, a college student who knew almost nothing about ice climbing, showed up at that first gathering. He came mostly out of curiosity with barely any climbing experience.

The frozen waterfalls and friendly climbers grabbed his attention right away. He felt drawn to the sport from day one, watching others tackle the massive ice formations.

Thompson’s quick connection to ice climbing would happen to thousands of future visitors who came as beginners and left as fans.

Thompson Took The Reins Four Years Later

By 1995, Bill Thompson went from total beginner to running the festival. He took over Michigan Ice Fest just four years after his first event.

The festival stayed small but built a loyal following of Midwest climbers. Thompson fought for recognition as most serious climbers still overlooked Michigan.

Year after year, he kept the event going despite limited money and attention.

His stick-with-it attitude through nearly twenty years of slow growth built what would become an internationally known climbing spot.

Pictured Rocks Stayed Off The Radar For Decades

The climbing world mostly ignored Michigan’s frozen waterfalls throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

Big climbing magazines covered places like Ouray Ice Park in Colorado or the Canadian Rockies, while Pictured Rocks rarely got mentioned. Pro climbers did the same, skipping Michigan for better-known spots.

The festival kept going as a regional event known mainly to climbers from nearby states.

What made this oversight odd was that Pictured Rocks offered something truly special – huge ice formations hanging right over the largest freshwater lake in the world.

The Park Service Wanted An IMAX Movie

Everything changed when the National Park Service planned for its 100th birthday celebration in 2014. They ordered an amazing IMAX film showing America’s national parks, including climbing scenes in several places.

Filmmakers picked Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore as one of their filming spots. This choice brought Conrad Anker, one of the most famous mountain climbers in the world, to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Anker had climbed Everest multiple times and tackled the hardest mountains on every continent, but had never tried Michigan ice.

Conrad Climbed In Brutal Cold That Tested His Limits

When Anker arrived in February 2014, he faced some of the toughest conditions of his career. Temperatures dropped to minus 30 degrees during filming, with harsh winds blowing off Lake Superior.

The cold was so bad that camera gear stopped working and filming became a constant fight against the weather.

Even Anker, with decades of experience in extreme places from Antarctica to the Himalayas, found the conditions tough.

The film crew pushed through days of shooting in weather that most people would avoid, all to capture Pictured Rocks in winter.

The Ice Formations Stunned A World-Class Mountaineer

Despite the awful cold, Anker quickly realized he found something special. He climbed 160-foot frozen waterfalls hanging directly over Lake Superior’s crashing waves.

This mix of huge ice formations with open water below created climbing unlike anywhere else on Earth.

Other famous ice climbing spots had taller or harder routes, but none matched the drama of climbing right above the largest freshwater lake in the world.

Anker, who climbed ice on every continent, found himself truly impressed by Michigan’s offerings.

One Instagram Post Changed Everything Forever

After finishing the IMAX filming, Anker posted photos to his Instagram account followed by two million people. He wrote that Pictured Rocks had the best ice climbing in North America that nobody knew about.

This single social media post from one of climbing’s most respected figures instantly put Michigan on the map. Climbers who ignored the state for decades suddenly wanted to see these formations themselves.

The post spread fast through the climbing world, creating buzz about this "new" spot that existed all along.

The Festival Grew From 15 People To Over 1,000

Michigan Ice Fest blew up in popularity after Anker’s endorsement.

What started with 15 people in a restaurant now draws over 1,100 climbers yearly from 38 states and seven countries. Famous athletes began showing up to climb and teach at the event.

The festival grew from a weekend to a full week of activities. Local hotels and restaurants that once struggled through winter now book solid every February.

Thompson’s persistence paid off as his small gathering turned into a major international event bringing tourism dollars to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula during its coldest month.

Beginners Now Learn From The World’s Best Climbers

Today, about 70 percent of Michigan Ice Fest participants have never ice climbed before. The festival welcomes complete beginners rather than catering only to elite climbers.

First-timers receive instruction from professional athletes who have climbed the hardest routes on Earth.

Pictured Rocks transformed from an unknown secret to an accessible destination where newcomers can learn from the best.

The festival provides all necessary gear and training, allowing people with zero experience to safely try the sport.

What started with four curious climbers from Kalamazoo has become a gateway introducing hundreds of new people to ice climbing every year.

Visiting Pictured Rocks, Michigan

You can visit Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore with a $25 seven-day pass or $45 annual pass to see where four Kalamazoo climbers discovered frozen waterfalls in 1990 and started America’s oldest ice climbing festival.

The Michigan Ice Fest runs February 12-16, 2025, bringing over 1,000 climbers worldwide. Ice climbing season goes late December through early April.

Rent gear at Downwind Sports in Munising or book guided tours through local outfitters.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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