Montana Treasure: the challenges and community of Hyalite’s ice climbing

Hyalite Canyon draws nature-lovers in year-round with tens of thousands coming to conquer its towering mountains or enjoy the beauty safely from the reservoir. But it’s the athletes defying gravity on the walls of Hyalite’s ice faces in the winter months that make the place more than just a postcard view.

“I think there’s a lot of activities that we can do in life, some of them are fulfilling, some of them we just do because we have to,” amateur ice climber Cameron Hygate says. “But I think ice climbing, even though it’s very cold… it lights my soul on fire.”