Sandstone Ice Fest this year was an Awesome event that was exceptionally well attended. Maybe it's the close proximity to the twin cities, or maybe it is the huge amount of effort that some of the Key players and the city of Sandstone put into making it a class event. Whatever the case, I would expect for this event to rival anything in the Midwest for event debauchery at the very least in the seasons to come.
By flooding the pond that is regularly a skating rink for the locals that runs above the quarry section that portions form into some great mixed and vert ice climbs, the number of lines available to particpants was tripled or quadrupled.
Some great input by supporting companies as well as rep attendance for the various lines made it hard for anyone to get out of the after hours festivities without finding themselves a winner of some of the great prizes that were provided.
Even those that didn't catch some of the last prizes that were literally thrown out into the crowd likely caught a buzz off the copious bottles of fine Irish Whiskey that circulated throughout the crowd and poured freely from the bar courtesy of Nodin Morgenstern and W-Trek Outfitters in Duluth!!

I look forward to next seasons event and will be training hard for it-my liver anyway! -B Block