Ouray to purchase Forest Service land for continued Ice Park use

Great news for the future of ice climbing in Ouray.

The city of Ouray has won a State of Colorado grant to help purchase land for the ice park from the Forest Service. The grant, along with other city revenue sources, will facilitate the land purchase and solidify access to the ice park land for continued ice climbing use.

Congratulations and thanks to the people of Ouray, Danika Gilbert (Grant Author), and Patrick Rondinelli (Ouray City Council) for their efforts in getting this done!

Also thanks to Eric Jacobson (owner of the Ouray Hydroelectric Plant)
for continued use of his land and water infrastructure for ice park use!

source:
watchnewspapers.com/view/fu…

Great news!!! The ice park is a real jewel and it is really great to see it's future looking bright.

I heard the ice is great this year...
rockandice.com/news/1750-ou…

The ice at Ouray was quite good this past weekend. I don't know what Jamie is talking about, but the ice was great for everything this weekend.

Jamie Jones wrote:All this purchase does is continue access to the kids wall and nothing more. They could have done this several years ago for a fraction of the price, but they dragged their feet. Ouray Hydroelectric has nothing to do with the water infrastructure, that is now on city water and is why the ice is not yellow anymore.

Jamie- you make some interesting points. Can you post some source links so I can read more?

The ice was good and plastic-y this past weekend, but Jamie is right; there's not very much of it.

We found ourselves rapping onto unformed pillars that hung ominously as delicate chandeliers. Another route that was non-existent this year was the fun WI5 in the schoolroom called the "Ouray Pillar"... only fragile ice hung above this would-be line.

I believe the line on the left is also normally an attached pillar. This year steep M7 terrain was the only way to access it...


(No doubt spout climbs the left line through hard to protect, overhanging ice)



Ice park is in, but it is not at all "fat". (And yeah I know, I'm a top rope tough guy...)