Our Ay Ice Climbing Festival

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MONTROSE

JANUARY 19 2004

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VOL 96, NO. 164 50 CENTS

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MONTROSE, CO 81401 www.montrosepress.com

Ouray heats up with annual ice climbing festival

Published for the Uncompahgre Valley and Chris Martinez of Montrose

Competitors come from around the globe

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JASON MONROE DAILY PRESS WRITER

Tuesday: Cloudy, chance of snow High 36, Low 16 C

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Sports: Olathe drops games to Cedaredge Page A7

A GENDA ▲

Paul Zaenger ▲

DAILY PRESS / ERIC DRUMMOND

Seasonal stints with National Park Service as a youngster helped push Paul Zaenger into the career he loves.

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Zaenger’s love of the outdoors is reflected and shared by his family; his

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his job and be so happy to do it. From my standpoint of promoting the Black Canyon, he’s a treasure trove of information, and he’s so happy to share it.”

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of the people and places that fall under the park service’s auspices, and his enthusiasm for both is boundless. “He’s delightful, and I don’t say that about many people,” said Michelle Gottlieb, the Montrose Visitors and Convention Bureau’s director. “His enthusiasm for his job and his personality make him a delight to be around. You can’t help but be enthusiastic when you’re around him. “I’ve worked with a lot of people in the park system, and it’s very unusual to see someone put so much of himself into

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‘I know this sounds kind of corny, but I love this land. I love this country, and I want others to do the same.’

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TEL: 970-249-3444 FAX: 970-249-3331

MIKE ROBUCK DAILY PRESS WRITER

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Paul Zaenger’s love of U.S. runs as deep as the Black Canyon MONTROSE—Paul Zaenger’s desire to share his love of the land is an infectious as his enthusiasm. Zaenger is the National Park Service’s interpretive specialist at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, which is a position he’s held since coming here in 1993. Zaenger has worked all across the United States during his employement with the park service, including stops in Valley Forge, Mount Rushmore, Death Valley, and the Statue of Liberty. “I know this sounds kind of corny, but I love this land,” Zaenger said during a recent overcast day at the South Rim Visitor Center. “I love this country, and I want others to do the same.” Zaenger, 44, knew in junior high school that he wanted to work for the National Park Service, and after several seasonal stints he got on with park service full-time in 1979. “I like to work outside, I guess that’s a common theme for must of us (park service employees),” he said. “I wanted to learn about America’s heritage and share it with the American people.” Zaenger can rattle off facts about most

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gram. “It is really an honor that Montrose High School got selected as one of the 100 schools over all of the other high schools across the nation,” said Montrose County School District Re-1J Communications Coordinator Linda Gann. Hagan and Keefer filled out an applica-

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HOURS 7:30 A.M.-5 P.M. MONDAY-FRIDAY

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“It started with Ben Keefer over at Mesa State and he asked if I would be interested in collaborating in this program and putting in an application,” said MHS Principal Richard Hagan. “We were one of the 20 schools selected for this first goround” The program approved the MHS/Mesa application based on its thoroughness and the need of the district for such a pro-

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535 S. FIRST ST. MONTROSE, CO. 81401

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tary, middle and high schools with 100 colleges to help more than 20,000 underserved students graduate from high school and pursue and succeed in college. The program brought 20 schools, including MHS, on board in September and will add 40 schools in 2004, and 40 more in 2005. The program focuses on “first-generation” students – those whose parents did not pursue higher education.

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MONTROSE DAILY PRESS

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MONTROSE — Montrose High School will partner with Mesa State College in an attempt to get 100 students whose parents did not pursue higher education interested in the prospects of a college degree. The Century Program, an aspect of the Foundation for Excellent Schools, is a program aimed at partnering 100 elemen-

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JASON MONROE DAILY PRESS WRITER

National park specialist wears enthusiasm on his sleeve

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Century program gives some students an opportunity that their parents didn’t have

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DAILY PRESS / ERIC DRUMMOND

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Photo: Spectators at the Ouray Ice Climbing Festival are treated to a series of spectacular figure-four moves from 20-year-old Swiss climber Simon Anthamatten as he maneuvers and slithers through a route of rock and ice. He was the only male climber to complete the challenge Saturday afternoon in the Ouray Ice Park. See Page 2 for more photos.

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■ Montrose Memorial Hospital will hold its annual Health Fair from 6:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 13 at the Montrose Pavilion. Early blood draws, which are held in conjunction with the Health Fair, will be from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Feb. 1014 at the Pavilion Senior Center. Early blood draws will also be held from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Feb. 9 at the American Legion in Olathe and from 7 to 11 a.m. Feb. 7 in Ridgway at Condor Hall. Appointments must be made for the early blood draws in Montrose by calling 252-2535 Feb. 3-6 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. only. No appointments are necessary for Ridgway and Olathe.

News Editor

OURAY — JeanChristophe Lafaille’s journey halfway across the globe to visit the Ouray Ice Climbing Festival was not for competition, but to visit one of the most unique climbing venues in the world. “I don’t know of another place that has the same conditions for such a good climb,” said the French climber. “There is no avalanche danger and it (is) very friendly. It’s unique and I like the place, the village.” Lafaille, who has been climbing since he was a 6year-old youngster and has scaled ice peaks around the globe, including a Himalayan climb in 1992, still loves to visit the “Switzerland of the Unites States.” “I like this place very well,” he said, noting that the ease of access is one of the main draws to the park and he has never seen another ice climbing venue where there is almost no backcountry to get in the way of climbing. Lafaille hosted a clinic Saturday on the challenges of big mountain climbs and

also spent time during the weekend sport climbing with some of his spider-like friends. The Ouray Ice Climbing Festival was born out of the need to stimulate the sluggish Ouray winter economy and boost revenues at the Ouray Victorian Inn, owned by Gary Wild and Bill Whitt, two of the festival’s founders. Wild and Whitt expanded the naturally occurring ice routes in the winter of 1993-94 by tapping into a Ouray Hydroelectric pipe filled with Uncompahgre River water that ran along the top of the gorge, which gave the ice a yellowish-orange tint. The water for the manufactured climbing routes was replaced the following year with water from the city’s water supply, which changed the color to the brilliant blue now seen on the sheer surfaces. The first official year of the festival was 1995, and in 1996, the free event attracted nearly 400 ice climbers from England, France, Spain, New Zealand, Bolivia, Argentina, Canada, and the U.S. The festival, which shut down the majority of the climbing park for clinics

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MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2004

OURAY ICE CLIMBING FESTIVAL

MONTROSE DAILY PRESS

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Above, during the festival hundreds of climbers from around the nation gather to enjoy the expanses of the Ouray Ice Park, which offer easy access to hundreds of sustained routes. Erik Eriksson, from Sunmen Calif., drives his tool into the classic route ‘Tangled up in Blue’ Friday afternoon. Below, Climbers seem minuscule in the depths of the Uncompahgre Gorge as one climber ascends the approximately 160-foot cliff Saturday with photographers and belayers hanging out on platforms far below the edge.

Above, Ines Papert celebrates her victory atop Box Canyon Saturday afternoon as the only women climber to complete the 2004 Ouray Ice Climbing Festival Route making her the women’s competition champion. Below left, Vince Anderson stems from the ice to the rock as he makes his move into the crux of the route. Below right, Marie Eve Cote peals away from the overhang wall while dropping her pick and almost smacking her belayer with a sharp pair of crampons.

Below, men’s champion Simon Anthamatten is completely inverted during his accent. Bottom, Hundreds line the edge of Box Canyon as they watch world-class ice climbers attempt to complete an extremely difficult mixed rock and ice route in the 2004 Ouray Ice Climbing Competition.

Photos by Eric Drummond

LOCAL

MONTROSE DAILY PRESS

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2004

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Steve Hale named president of Colorado State Conservation board JASON MONROE DAILY PRESS WRITER

MONTROSE — The Colorado State Conservation Board announced Wednesday that local resident Steve Hale will be the president of the board for 2004. “It’s a big deal now with water and drought issues,” Hale said. “Our main focus of the year is to figure out funding for conservation efforts in the state. The serious issue is that there is almost no funding from the state anymore. We are almost last on the list when it comes to funding.” Educating the “massive amounts of newcomers on land and land stewardship” will be the CSCB’s second major priority during the coming year, Hale said. Danny Neufeld of Center, about 25 miles north of Alamosa, and Jack Swennes of Simla, about 50 miles northeast of Colorado Springs, also were elected as board members. “We’re happy Steve has

agreed to continue with the board in this new position of leadership,” CSCB Division Director Bob Zebroski said in a prepared statement. “And we’re especially excited to have the strength and expertise of our two newest members, Danny and Jack.” Hale has been a member of the board for the past two years and represents both the Colorado and Gunnison/Dolores River watersheds. Hale graduated from Colorado State University in 1987 with a degree in agriculture business and is a member of Montrose County Farm Bureau board of directors and the State Young Farmer Committee. He is a board member of the Shavano Conservation District in Montrose. Neufeld will represent the Rio Grande watershed, and Swennes will speak for the Upper Arkansas. The Colorado State Conservation Board, a division of the Colorado Department of Agriculture, represents 10

‘The serious issue is that there is almost no funding from the state anymore. We are almost last on the list when it comes to funding.’ Steve Hale ▲ watersheds across the state and is directed by eight elected members and one member appointed by the governor. The board provides administrative and financial assistance to the 77 conservation districts, including Shavano, statewide. The first meeting with the new members and president will be held Jan. 20-21 in Denver. Contact Jason Monroe via e-mail at [email protected].

ZAENGER: Montrose is a good place to call home FROM PAGE 1

FROM PAGE 1 and competitions, also featured a vast consumer trade show, featuring several wellknown vendors such as Marmot, North Face and Patagonia. “It’s going good,” said event coordinator Erin Eddy. The event, which drew 25 competitors from across the globe, also drew upwards of 1,000 spectators and 500 ice hounds looking to get a piece of action on the vertical surfaces. “It is important for the climbing commu-

FROM PAGE 1 tion for the program last year and interviewed with members of the FES board before they were selected. “We surveyed all the ninthgraders, and our intent was to identify those who were firstgeneration college attenders,” Hagan said. “So we identified around 100 to 130 students who fall into that category. We have somewhere in the mid20s signed up so far.” The program partners participating schools with a college, and activities such as college visits, baseball and basketball games, campus tours and face-to-face visits with mentors are planned and executed by the partnering pairs “so that they might look at another education step after

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MONTROSE — Local author Ken Reyher will be the featured speaker at the Jan. 22 meeting of WestWind Writers. Reyher will discuss his new book “Wilderness Wanderers,” a story of the Dominguez/Escalante exploration of the Southwest in 1776. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Montrose United

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Writers to meet

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MONTROSE — The public is invited to have breakfast with Montrose Mayor J. David Reed from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21 at the Lions Park Clubhouse. A continental breakfast will be provided.

MONTROSE — Beginning Thursday, Jan. 22, Kaleidoscope,

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MONTROSE — Uncompahgre Chapter 1039 of NARFE (National Association of Retired Federal Employees) will meet at 12:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19 at the Westminster Hall, 135 E. 4th St., Delta. Following a potluck luncheon, Jerry Reiher will discuss changes in Colorado Auto Insurance Laws. A brief business session that will include awarding Honorary Life Memberships will conclude the meeting. Call 240-3540 for more information.

Breakfast with mayor

Health/wellness classes

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NARFE to meet

MONTROSE — Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) staff members will conduct technical assistance workshops across the state, including Montrose, to help organizations applying for lottery grants. The purpose of the workshop is to familiarize applicants with the application process and to offer assistance with grant preparation. The workshop in Montrose will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20 at the Montrose Pavilion.

MONTROSE — Friendship Quilters of Western Colorado will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, Jan. 22 at the Montrose United Methodist Church beginning at 9 a.m. Coffee hour begins at 9 a.m., the business meeting at 9:30 a.m. and the program at 11 a.m. This month’s program is a White Elephant Sale of quilting books, fabrics, patterns and gadgets. All interested persons are invited to attend. Call 626-2970 for more information.

Contact Jason Monroe via e-mail at [email protected].

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MONTROSE — Montrose Memorial Hospital will hold its annual Health Fair from 6:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 13 at the Montrose Pavilion. Early blood draws, which are held in conjunction with the Health Fair, will be from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Feb. 10-14 at the Pavilion Senior Center. Early blood draws will also be held from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Feb. 9 at the American Legion in Olathe and from 7 to 11 a.m. Feb. 7 in Ridgway at Condor Hall. Appointments must be made for the early blood draws in Montrose by calling 252-2535 Feb. 3-6 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. only. No appointments are necessary for Ridgway and Olathe.

GOCO/Lottery grants workshop

Friendship quilters

Department Chairwoman Laura Pearsall. Hagan hopes participation in the program will help boost MHS’s graduation and postsecondary enrollment numbers. “We hope it increases it … whether it be a vocational school or a two- or four-year college,” he said.

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Health fair scheduled

MONTROSE — The Montrose Animal Protection Agency (MAPA) will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20 in the library meeting room. The public is invited to attend. Topics to be discussed include: MAPA’s assistance with the upcoming Animal Shelter expansion fundraising; MAPA on the Internet; and partnering with other Western Slope animal protection groups for grant requests. Call 240-9965 for more information.

a non-profit venture between Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado, Montrose Memorial Hospital, Montrose Recreation District and others, is presenting its third “Integrative Health Care Series.” The following classes are being offered: • Thursday, Jan. 22: Improve your vision naturally • Thursday, Jan. 29: Controlling stress with meditation • Thursday, Feb. 5: Breathwork • Thursday, Feb. 12: Yoga • Thursday, Feb. 19: Tai Chi All classes will be held at Uncompahgre Yoga Circle, 309 S. 9th St., Montrose; cost is $25 for all five classes or $7 per class. Classes meet from 6:45 to 8:15 p.m. For more information or to register, call Linda at 626-5872 or Tom at 240-1735.

graduation,” Hagan said. “This is not designed as a recruiting tool for Mesa; we just use it as a lab setting to show them what is out there.” A $15,000 grant provided by W. K. Kellogg Foundation, along with some funding from Mesa State, will help pay for the activities. The team that will implement the program includes Hagan, Mesa State’s Director of Academic Services Patrick Schutz, the Foundation for Excellent Schools’ Christine Michael, Mesa State College’s Montrose Director Ben Keefer, MHS Assistant Principal Kathy Lemon, Mesa State College Director of Admissions Tyre Bush and MHS Guidance

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MONTROSE — A County Partnership Restoration Conference for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests will be held from 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22 at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Montrose. The evening program only is free of charge; the full program is $25 per person and includes coffee service, lunch and dinner. For more information and to register, call 874-2195. Registrations must be received no later than Jan. 19.

MAPA to meet

Methodist Church, basement room 9. The public is welcome. For more information, call 2492981.

Contact Jason Monroe via e-mail at [email protected].

STUDENTS: Program partners schools and colleges

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nity to have international representation,” said Asolo General Manager Bruce Franks. The Italy-based company produces climbing and hiking footwear and was one of the festival’s main sponsors. The international flavor of the festival is necessary “to get recognition for the event and to show an international sense of community,” Franks said. “All climbers tie on the ropes the same way.”

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Contact Mike Robuck via e-mail at [email protected].

OURAY: 1,000 spectators watch competitors

News Editor

9-year-old daughter, Linnaea, is named after a mountain flower, while his wife, Nancy, works as a ranger at the Colorado National Monument. He and his family came to Montrose from Glen Canyon at Lake Powell. “For most of my career there’s been a waiting list for the vacancies, and it’s pretty competitive,” he said. “I tell the people I supervise that there’s no road map for a career with the park service. We were looking for a nice town like Montrose, and for a place where my wife could work. We had visited the area before, but we weren’t real familiar with it.” Zaenger said the personal stories and the history of the parks have made his job eventful wherever he has went for the park service. He doesn’t worry that his speeches and tours with visitors will become rote. “When I came here, I was able to talk to the daughter and son of Mark Warner, who was the park’s founder,” he said. “I’ve also had conversations with Dorothy Haines, who is the daughter of Lincoln Fellows. Lincoln Fellows was one of the principal explorers and designers of the Gunnison Tunnel. Those types of people put a perspective on the places where I’ve worked, and they enrich my relationships with those places. I try to bring that back to the public so they can develop a meaningful relationship themselves.” Zaenger said he sees families and old friends who come back to the parks on certain days or weeks to relieve and create new memories.

“It may have started out as just a fishing trip, but they come back here to work on their relationships with this canyon, to relive old experiences and to have more experiences that will shape their lives,” Zaenger said. “It’s what makes us humans. It’s about creating a life full of goodness and value.” As much as Zaenger loves Montrose—the people and the places—he doesn’t rule out moving on to another park because he answers to a higher power. “I don’t want to turn this into something religious, but if we were called to take a new job elsewhere that’s fine,” said Zaenger, whose face grew somber at the thought of leaving. “We’ve applied for a few vacancies but jobs are few and far between these days. If we retired here, that would be fine too. Even if we end up somewhere else, I’m 90 percent sure we would retire in this area.” Zaenger said he spent the holiday season reflecting on what it would be like to leave the friends he’s made here, and about the uncertainty of ever seeing some of them again. As much as he face reflects his joy when he’s happy, it’s an equal mirror to his sadness. “I love living in Montrose,” he said. “It’s a wonderful community where people reach out to each other, and that’s what makes it a great town. It’s a town where people care about each other. I know with all of the growth there are some people who are afraid we might lose that, but we won’t if enough of us cling to it.”

DAILY PRESS / ERIC DRUMMOND

Ines Papert twists and turns with a figure-four move during a climb that gave her the top women’s honor in the Ouray Ice Festival competition Saturday.