Largest ice climbing walls in world welcome contest

Extreme sports lovers climb the world’s largest man-made ice walls in Yeongdong, North Chungcheong.[JoongAng Ilbo]

The largest man-made ice walls in the world are open for the winter season in Yeongdong, North Chungcheong - just in time for an international climbing festival.

Around 300 professional and amateur ice climbers from all around the world will gather to compete at the Yeongdong International Ice Climbing competition, which will be held for two days from Jan. 17.

Participants will be assessed on who can climb the fastest up the walls and who can complete the most difficult course without falling.

The highest point of the walls is 100 meters (328 feet) while their widths span up to 50 meters, giving plenty of room for a multitude of climbers to use them at the same time. The four walls were created by spraying water from nearby Chogangcheon Stream onto the cliffs in Yeongdong for 40 days.

Anyone interested in joining the competition can call (043) 297-8848, or go to ydbb.yd21.go.kr. The fee is 20,000 won ($18).

The walls, which were first opened in 2006, are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. For general admission to the walls, climbers are required to purchase a 10,000 won gift certificate issued by the local district government. The token is redeemable at restaurants and stores in the area.

The ice walls are usually open until early February.

By Lee Sun-min [summerlee@joongang.co.kr]