After successfully making his way over the manmade ice portion of the climb, Nathan Kutcher, of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada leans back and makes a gesture with his hands to fans as he makes his way onto the difficult rock portion of the climb. Kutcher

After successfully making his way over the manmade ice portion of the climb, Nathan Kutcher, of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada leans back and makes a gesture with his hands to fans as he makes his way onto the difficult rock portion of the climb. Kutcher was one of only two people to complete the climb. He came in first place among the men's competitors. The 17th annual Ouray Ice festival hosted 18 elite climbers from all over the nation, Canada and France. Three women and 15 men competed for a first place purse of $2000 for each the men's and the women's finishers. The centerpiece for the mixed climbing event was a unique narrow manmade loaf of ice that crossed from one side of the gorge to the other while dangling 50 feet off the canyon floor. The overhanging loaf of ice, which the creators of the route called "Povitica" proved to be the crux or the hardest part of the climb. Povitica is Slovenian for sweet nut loaf. Climbers competed against one another but also against the clock. They had only 15 minutes to finish the route. Only two climbers successfully completed the M10 rated route. Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post (Photo By Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images)