The First Adaptive Athletes Have Conquered Bridal Veil Falls

Until recently Bridal Veil Falls was a climb that required special permission or a stealthy poaching approach to get on the classic ice wall. The first ascent by Jeff Lowe and Mike Weiss in 1974 was covered by ABC’s Wide World of Sports which ushered in the modern ice climbing era. Since the late 1980’s the site was closed to the public until the recent efforts of the Trust for Public Lands (www.tpl.org) among others.

In 2004 TPL purchased 2,400 acres of mining claims from the Idarado Mining Company beginning a long process of regaining public access to Bridal Veil Falls. The final license was obtained in September of 2008 and the last few arrangements, for public access to the base of the falls, were completed in December.

“I have worked with many organizations but The Trust for Public Lands is especially good at getting it done,” proclaimed Erik. “They bring back magical places to the public! We are the most unique team to ever climb these falls and our ascent is a celebration of TPL’s vision in attainment of this new public access agreement.”

The full “in your face” nature of Bridal Veil Falls is what makes it such an icon. Traversing under roofs, through caves, and up vertical columns of ice is more like rock climbing.

Chad and Erik, climbing simultaneously, seemed to move steadily up the face. Picking their way skyward, they adapted to the ice with Chad above and Erik following making sure he was not directly below. A wider big ice climb would have allowed for side-by-side climbing and an even faster ascent.

Erik later described the interaction, “Chad was telling me, OK we’re going to traverse right now. He goes out first then around a corner and I follow, continually listening to him, finding that path of least resistance to conserve energy and increase climbing efficiency.”

The ice conditions and weather were ideal for the four pitch climb which took Erik and Chad just under six hours to complete. The team, finding the less impeding route, would have made a much quicker ascent if not for the camera crew filming the climb. Talking to camera people was the largest delay along with a few rope issues and some small difficulties with Chad’s prosthesis and his stump getting cold.

“I always want to experience the aesthetic quality of a climbs’ flow, which filming seems to impede,” related Weihenmayer. “But at the same time It’s fun to be part of a project that has a broader meaning.” Erik continued, “You feel like your doing something important by letting people know about such a precedent setting climb.”

About The Trust for Public Lands:
TPL is a national nonprofit land conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and natural areas, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since its founding in 1972, TPL has helped protect more than two million acres of land in forty five states.

A complete photo slide show of this historic adaptive ascent of Bridal Veil Falls can be found at HERE.