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Rare ice climbing event held in Gangwon Province

January 21, 2015

A climber ascends LED light-reflected ice cliff in Wonju, Gangwon Province, Tuesday, during a night ice climbing event held by Mammut Korea.
(Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-young)

By Yun Suh-young

WONJU, Gangwon Province ― When an ice cliff meets light, the scene becomes art.

Mammut Korea, a local branch of the Swiss premium outdoor brand, conducted a unique night ice climbing event here Tuesday.

At a 100 meter-high cliff, LED lights were installed, transmitting a range of colors. Professional climbers ascended the illuminated ice cliff producing a mysterious atmosphere. The scene became a one-of-a-kind art performance.

While the climbers ascended, their endeavors were recorded in 4K UHD video using state of the art camera equipment. A total of six cameras were used and 16 LED Par special lights were at work.

The event was the first of its kind in Korea conducted by the Swiss brand which has held similar events in other countries over the years. The same event was recently held in Norway.

It was the first in a series of outdoor events which will be showcased as an art performance dubbed the “Absolute Alpine Project.”

“Other series haven’t been decided yet, but it will be related to climbing and outdoor activities,” said Mammut Korea CEO Andy Suh. “The purpose of the events is to bring out the beauty of nature through artificial production and highlight the value of mountaineers.

“We hope that many people will start taking interest in mountain-related outdoor activities through events like this.”

The public was not invited to the event due to the remote location, but upcoming events may be open to spectators depending on where they are held.

The video filmed during the event will be released on the brand’s Facebook page and through YouTube starting Feb. 6.