While many West Central Alberta residents have little if anything good to say about recent icy winter conditions, Darren Schaedeli is quite the opposite. In fact, he believes that when it comes to ice, the more the merrier.
Schaedeli has recently built a 30-foot ice-climbing wall in the backyard of his hobby farm outside Penhold, allowing him to enjoy a sport he took up only a few years ago.
"It's sometimes hard to get to the mountains so it's nice to have this right in the backyard,î said Schaedeli. "Now when I get home from work I can go out and do some ice climbing.î
A two-and-a-half-day ice-climbing course at Nordegg taught him what he needed to know about the sport.
He explained that he built his new climbing wall using two large poles, some connecting supports, and a whole lot of water.
"I just turned on the water and let it trickle down from the top,î he said, noting it took about a week to construct the supporting structure before pouring on the water using the garden hose.
Since being completed last fall, the wall has provided no end of enjoyment, including for his daughter, he said.
"She does a little rock climbing at school so she's climbed to the top of the ice climbing wall a couple times,î he said.
Asked what his neighbours think about the big wall, he said, "They don't come over to climb but a few have come by to see if a waterline broke. They want to see what that is.î
Ice climbing can be great exercise as well as a lot of fun, he said.
"I would recommend people get out and learn ice climbing. It is fantastic. It is really a good sport and really good exercise,î he said.
Anyone taking up the sport should, of course, always take all the necessary safety precautions, he said.
Schaedeli hopes to be climbing on the wall for several more months.
"It will probably last until April. I will keep building it up,î he said.
