Honoring the Unheralded Altruism and Community Spirit of Hyalite Canyon

The Heart of the Award: Altruism and Care

The Guy Lacelle Hyalite Service Award was created not to honor technical climbing skill, but to recognize the essential, often-unseen work that enriches the experience for the entire ice climbing community.

The award recognizes individuals who "give back, perhaps are unheralded or unknown, and do so from a truly altruistic approach and with care to the experience of those around you." This philosophy was the essence of Guy Lacelle. Recipients of this award embody the same humble spirit and dedication to others that Guy brought to the vertical world.

Guy Lacelle: The Spirit of Generous Competition

Guy Lacelle was one of the world's most accomplished ice climbers, yet he was equally famous for his humility, kindness, and integrity. He embodied a competitive spirit that was never vindictive or self-serving, but focused on the challenge, the camaraderie, and the simple joy of the climb.

This spirit was perfectly captured by the Ice Breaker Competition, an event created in 2007 at the Bozeman Ice Festival to celebrate and partake in the unique, all-day adventure of climbing Hyalite Canyon is known for. Guy, who loved the event, won the inaugural competition with his partner, the late Ross Lynn.

Following the year of Guy's passing in an avalanche while participating in the 2009 Ice Breaker, the community sought a way to honor his legacy that focused on his selfless character. Repurposing the Ice Breaker's wooden prize axe—a nod to Guy's 'extreme recycler' approach—the award transformed a symbol of competition into an enduring tribute to service.

The Golden Carabiner: The Award's True Origin

Several years before the Guy Lacelle Hyalite Service Award was formally created, the spirit of altruistic recognition was sparked by a spontaneous gesture known as the "Golden Carabiner" presentation. In the early years of the festival, when the Hyalite Road was unplowed and access was challenging, reliable information was critical.

In 2007, climbing pioneer Kris Erickson interrupted the evening program to honor Jim Earl. Jim, a quiet legend and first ascensionist of routes like Winter Dance and Rocket Boy was the unheralded creator and sole maintainer of MontanaIce.com, the indispensable online source for road and ice conditions. For this crucial, behind-the-scenes community service, Jim was presented with an iconic gold-plated Petzl carabiner.

The following year, in 2008, the Festival Director Mike Cooperstein continued the tradition, presenting a Golden Carabiner to Joe Josephson in recognition of his extensive work writing the Winter Dance guidebook, organizing the festival, and his advocacy for keeping the Hyalite Road accessible in winter.

When the community needed a way to formalize a tribute to Guy's character in 2010, this tradition of recognizing unseen, selfless contribution became the natural and powerful inspiration for the Guy Lacelle Hyalite Service Award.

The Enduring Legacy: The Service Axe

The physical award is a repurposed, historic wooden Grivel Monte Bianco ice axe—a classic replica. Following Guy's passing, the Festival Director repurposed the wooden prize axes from the Ice Breaker event to serve as permanent and rotating symbols of his legacy.

The history of the award is carried by two axes:

1. The Memorial Axe: The Men's Grivel axe, engraved with Guy Lacelle and Ross Lynn as the 2007 Ice Breaker winners, was lovingly mounted and placed near the site of Guy’s accident in Hyalite Canyon—a quiet, powerful memorial for those who discover it.

2. The Service Axe: The Women's Grivel axe was repurposed as the Guy Lacelle Hyalite Service Award. This rotating trophy gets a new recipient’s name engraved each year, starting with the original "Golden Carabiner" honoree, Jim Earl.
   
   The recipient keeps the Service Axe for the year and it is hoped they go climbing with it! It has confirmed ascents of Blue and Green Gully with Joe Josephson.