Warning:
Ice Climbing is a dangerous activity. All Climbers assume full responsibility for their climbing actions. The organizers and sponsors are not responsible for any event resulting in injury or death. You should not depend on any information obtained from this website for your personal safety; ultimately your safety depends on your experience, good judgement and your climbing ability. If there are any doubts as to the ability of your party to safely set up a climb or attempt a route, DO NOT ATTEMPT IT!!
Climbing along the backcountry of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore requires a certain set of skills. Due to the unique setting with climbs that rise directly out of the worlds largest fresh water lake, most of the climbs do not have a walk off- its either send the route or ascend the rope. Don’t have the skills? Check out our free Lakeshore Safety classes offered at Ice Fest!
We have several safety videos posted on the official Michigan Ice Fest youtube channel to help you understand the risks and the skills needed to climb in Pictured Rocks. These aren’t intended to replace professional training.