Peter Fest is a friends and community event to benefit The Sandstone Ice Park in Sandstone Minnesota.

I really dislike that name, but it's just so ridiculous and I can't think of anything better. Here's the totally biased history: I used to talk about the Sandstone Ice Festival ad nausea. In 2011 I was deathly ill and couldn't attend the event. Some great friends of mine thought that another event should be held so that I could experience some of the "fest" that I missed. So one weekend in January of 2012 we had the first "Peter Fest" back at Sandstone. We climbed ice, had dinner at the Hinckley Casino, went back to Sandstone and had an amazing bonfire and some laughs. We camped and climbed some more the next day. It was a really fun weekend with friends.

For the winter of 2013 it was suggested to redo another get together - it was cleverly dubbed rePeterFest by a good friend. This time I wanted to make it a fundraiser for the Minnesota Climbers Association, so they could have the pipes and hoses and shower heads they use to continue to make climbable ice at The Sandstone Ice Park. I reached out to some connections I had in the outdoor industry, a friend that was a brand representative and anyone else I thought might want to throw down some swag. We raised about $400, and that really got me excited about future events.

The event has grown a bit over the years. I've had some t-shirts and stickers printed up for the events. The last two years we rented a lodge at the Audubon Center of The North Woods, just outside of the city of Sandstone. This provided attendees with a warm spot for the evening hang out, fundraising, and socializing. And brought up friends that didn't have an interest in winter camping. Bent Paddle Brewing out of Duluth, MN generously provided evening refreshments for the last two events. All in all the series has risen close to $3000 for the Minnesota Climbers Association - I am pretty proud of that. For the 2016 event, Peter Fest Five, I encouraged climbers to drop off a few items to the food shelf in the city of Sandstone on the way to the ice. I want to expand on that in the future.

A big source of inspiration for these ice climbing events actually came from the cycling community. I highly admire the ethic of the free gravel races. Anyone can organize a fun group ride around the city. I remember reading an blurb in an All-City Cycles catalog about an underground, no-entrance-fee cyclocross race that the brand was involved in. The author encouraged anyone to organize and throw their own race in their own town. The idea that anyone can make up and execute a fun event that brings people together really inspired and stuck with me.

Peter Fest January 13+ 15, 2012

RePeterFest February 23+ 24, 2013

    First MN speed comp – no data

3PeterFest February 15 + 16, 2014

Peter Fest Four February 14 + 15, 2015

Peter Fest Five January 16 + 17, 2016
Peter Fest Six  February 25 + 26, 2017

Peter Fest Seven February 24+25, 2018

Peter Fest Eight February 9 + 10, 2019

Peter Fest Nine February 29 + March 1, 2020

Peter Fest Ten February 25 + 26, 2023