Home ice wall

Anyone else making home walls?  I know there are other threads on this, but they are quite a few years old.  Figured anyone doing this could share tips or tricks they learned along the way.  This is my first attempt, and while I'm pleased with the result, there are things I would do differently. 

For clarification, none of the ropes seen are used for climbing of any sort.  They are used to raise and lower my sprinkler rig. The orange rope was to pull my climbing rope through the top rope anchor, but will clearly need some work.

I didn’t build this but helping give you ideas ( please excuse the poor technique I was very new to climbing)

This is called ice candy near mount yatsugatake Japan. But I think getting some scaffolding would add some stability and dimension to the flow of water and you could add a short climbing wall to practice mix climbing when it’s not cold enough and it would be easy to to put up and take down ropes

https://www.outdoorjapan.com/activities/winter-sports-in-japan/ice-climbing-in-japan/yatsugatake-ice-candy/

Thing is, climbing the same 15-20ft chunk of ice doesn’t actually improve overall ice climbing skills that much. 

Bug Boy wrote:

Thing is, climbing the same 15-20ft chunk of ice doesn’t actually improve overall ice climbing skills that much. 

It might not improve technical skills but it does directly translate to strength and/or endurance gains(depending on your training program).  Think of it as training not climbing.  The first year I spent a significant amount of time hanging on my tools prior to ice season was the year I saw HUGE improvements.  Endurance gives you confidence!

Bug Boy wrote:

Thing is, climbing the same 15-20ft chunk of ice doesn’t actually improve overall ice climbing skills that much. 

I completely disagree with this. Improving technical skill is exactly what it will do, so long as you're focusing on technique. Repeatedly practicing your pick/foot placement is how you develop confidence as an ice climber. A strong pick is a strong pick, regardless of the route.

When I'm not climbing in the Canadian Rockies, I'm on the ACC ice wall here in Edmonton every chance I get. They've added insulated water lines and sprayers this year which helps with ice development. They use scaffolding to hold up perforated plywood sheets, then spray overnight. This years revision was a huge improvement from last, here is some information on how it was built: 

https://accedmonton.ca/if-you-build-it-they-will-come/

FYI - the same ice route can change overnight naturally or unnaturally, want something different? give her a spray

OP:  Your wall looks great!  I've built a couple of structures, in past years, including a 20' wall between two broken tree trunks and a 42' freestanding tower.  Nothing like having ice right outside the door to sink some tools into, regardless of what else you do with it!  Keep the water flowing, and if possible build up substantially more ice.  Even if you don't need/want it now, it will help your wall last later into the thaw.  If you can provide any shade from sun, especially on a warm day, that wouldn't be a bad thing (plant a big tree?).  A pick axe comes in handy for clearing accumulated ice at the base and reclaiming some lost height.  Adjustable spray nozzles are nice for adjusting the water volume to the ambient temperature (more when colder, less when warmer).  Anyhow, keep up the great work and share your own tips.

The TR anchor is a challenge.  My future permanent facility will have solid fixed beams extending out from the wall face, with multiple anchor points, so you have some chance of keeping the anchors relatively clear of ice well-organized for the conditions.  Of course, depending on the width of the wall, this may or not be necessary.

Also, I completely agree with Mike G - nothing like having ice to swing a tool into right outside your door, regardless of what type of climbing you're doing on it!  And if I'm going to be training my grip, I'd sure rather do it while climbing than doing tool hangs in my garage.

Oh yeah - and it looks like OP has this figured out already - don't do what I did the first year and try to use burlap or other non-metallic substances to build a substrate.  Water just runs off it.  Water freezes very quickly in contact with metal or ice, which is a good thing.  Of course, if the metal sees any sun, it continues its heat conducting ways, which could be a problem.