Exploring the world of ice caves!

How cool would it be if you stepped out into your garden or were walking around your local park and discovered an untouched cave, a whole new world that nobody had ever laid eyes on before? Imagine being the first to explore such raw natural beauty.

Eddie Cartaya and his climbing partner Brent McGregor were the first to explore three caves in the Sandy Glacier on Mount Hood in Oregon. They named the caves Snow Dragon, Pure Imagination and Frozen Minotaur.

The caves and tunnels inside Sandy Glacier are constantly changing and morphing due to the warm water above and warm air below causing the glacier to slide down Mount Hood. The entrance to the cave is 2000ft wide and slowly being sealed up with a wall of winter snow around 30ft tall.

Snow Dragon, Pure Imagination and Frozen Minotaur are connected by 7000ft of passages. They may comprise of the longest glacial cave system in the US outside of Alaska. It’s believed that the the glacier has retreated by at least 40% over the last 100 years and the ice used to be 200ft thicker.

Snow Dragon entrance

Pure Imagination lower entrance

Frozen Minotaur entrance

So, Snow Dragon Vs Frozen Minotaur Vs Pure Imagination. Which do you think looks the most impressive?

Click here to go to IDEAS.TED and find out more about these amazing ice caves.

Source(s): TED, IDEAS.TED