Seventh Annual Ice Climbing Festival - Without Ice

The annual Kandersteg Ice Climbing Festival took place last weekend in a dearth of winter weather ... but that didn't get in the way of the party. In fact, 450 ice climbers from all over Europe still descended on Switzerland's 'ice heaven' to take part in the fest. Here's what they got up to, over-hanging action shots included...

Competition...

Eight climbers, ten nations, and no ice. What do you do? Dry-tooling of course. With twenty top climbers from the world cup series pulling their favourite stunts, there was plenty to keep the audience happy, before Germany's Ines Papert and Austria's Markus Bendler carried off the top prizes.

... and fun

Those without a competitive bent didn't get bored either. Top ice climbers from Europe and Canada were offering tips and practical advice at a series of nine workshops, to help hone your skills.

There was also test gear on the scene, a Canadian and European film night, and, by the looks of things, a bit of a party ...

Next year's festival

If it all looks like too much fun to miss, next year's Ice Climbing Festival takes place at Kandersteg from January 4th to 6th, 2008, so put the date in your diary.