Climbers braved cold temperatures to compete in the fourth annual Silo Summit ice climbing competition Saturday in Cedar Falls in which ISU students placed in the top three.

All competitors were timed as they made their way from the base of an ice-covered silo to a bell at the top, which was either 60 or 70 feet above, depending on the division. The competition was divided into men’s and women’s fields, with the men having the choice of competing in either a novice or advanced division, and the women’s competition being open.

Iowa State’s Jacob Dove, senior in mechanical engineering and Matthew Schwarzkopf, junior in forestry, placed second and third, respectively, in the men’s advanced division.

Kathryn Rodemyer, senior in graphic design, was the lone ISU climber in the women’s division. After climbing twice, she placed sixth in a field of nine competitors.

Compared to last year’s competition, at which the same silos were climbed in less than a minute, this year’s fastest time was 3:19, posted by Northern Iowa’s Thomas Robertson, who took first place in the men’s advanced division.

Similar to past years’ competitions, Saturday’s event attracted student climbers from universities such as Western Kentucky, Cornell College, the University of Minnesota, the University of Iowa, Iowa State and the University of Northern Iowa, which sponsored the event.

The competition took place at the farm of Jim Budlong, located on the western edge of Cedar Falls. Formerly used to store grain for feeding cattle, the four vacant silos are now used exclusively for ice climbing during the winter.

Donald Briggs, a longtime friend of Budlong and coordinator of the event, has been farming ice on the vacant silos for six years. Briggs, instructor of health, physical education and leisure services at Northern Iowa, said that he saw ice farming done in Illinois, and having a friend with vacant silos inspired him to try it out.

To create the artificial waterfalls, Briggs constructed an elaborate system of hoses that run water along the inside of the silos and up and over the top.

“It takes about three to four days with temperatures consistently below 25 degrees in order to create ice suitable for climbing,” Briggs said.

Originally planned for Feb. 4, the competition was bumped back two weeks because of unseasonably warm temperatures. But warm weather was not a factor in Saturday’s competition.

“Temperatures like these make climbing much more difficult, because the ice is brittle and considerably less forgiving,” said Brian Thuesen, junior in agricultural engineering, who placed fourth in the men’s advanced division.

Briggs said although there was plenty of ice, the cold weather made for tougher climbing and slower times.

Although participation was down, Budlong felt that overall this year’s competition went rather well.

“Ice climbing is risky, and when no one gets hurt and people have fun, it’s a success,” Budlong said.