November 15, 2021 | By Sam Anderson

This summer, the large-scale maintenance and cleanup of Ouray Ice Park created friction among multiple stakeholders. Although cooperation between public and private interests often proves to be tense, the park is expected to open during its busiest ice climbing season.

In March, 6 tons of rocks poured into Wulei Ice and Snow Park from the cliff above, destroying bridges and water supply pipes leading to most of the routes. The Trestle Bridge provides easy access to the iconic area of ​​the park—the classroom. The line provides food for it and the entire southern end of the park.

After the incident, Wulei Ice Park opened as scheduled in mid-December, and it looks uncertain. But frankly, not opening parks can cause economic disaster-65% of the winter economy of southwestern Colorado towns depends on the business it generates.

Most importantly, the winter of 2021-22 will be the busiest year in the history of the park. Three major competitions and festivals fill the calendar, including the International Climbing and Mountaineering Association (UIAA) North American Championships.

Repairs will be necessary. The two separate issues of who will perform the work and remuneration are not simple, because the stakeholder groups in the park are diverse and complex.

Peter O'Neil is the executive director of Ouray Ice Park, Inc. (OIPI), which manages the park under a contract from the city of Ouray. His assessment of the damage was "catastrophic," which gave some local climbing professionals the wrong view. However, OIPI successfully raised US$101,000 for repairs. Eric Jacobson, who owns a hydroelectric power pipeline that runs through the park, also invested $150,000.

Fast forward 8 months, a complex construction project, and some turbulence in the ice climbing community in Wulei, the park is ready to open as scheduled in mid-December. This process is not always easy, and not everyone is satisfied with its progress.

But for better or worse, if there is no large-scale cooperative effort, the maintenance of Wulei Ice and Snow Park will never happen.

The rockfall in March destroyed a structure that may be more complicated than we thought. In short, it is a metal footbridge with water pipes connected to it. However, the Trestle Bridge allows climbers to enter the classroom and allows "ice farmers" (ice park workers who create ice flows for the route) to use basic valves and waterline connections.

A post shared by 乌雷冰上公园(@ourayicepark)

Other functions of the bridge involve Jacobson’s hydroelectric company Ulay Hydropower West. A 30-inch pipe (called a "pressure pipe") connected to the bridge carries water from the upstream dam through the park. Therefore, plumbers often use this bridge.

When the structure is torn off the cliff, it will also damage 30-40 feet of pressure pipes and ice park pipes (and the pillars that support it) in both directions.

The consequence is that the debris on the canyon floor and the water gushing from the broken pressure pipe need to be cleaned and repaired.

It is important to understand that if Jacobson had been willing to work with ice climbers, there would be no ice park. His pressure pipe runs through the entire 1.5-mile length of the Uncompahgre River Canyon that will become the park, and he has easements within 50 feet of it. In the early 90s, the ice park was born out of a handshake between Jacobson and climbers.

OIPI board member Bill Leo has lived and climbed in Ouray since the establishment of the park. "We operated the park at the request of Eric Jacobson," he said. "If it weren't for him, there would be no ice park at all. And this relationship has been at a high level for 25 years."

Although the pressure pipe was the earliest water source in the park, this is no longer the case. This fact simplifies the two items on the repair invoice: OIPI will pay 100% of the water pipe costs, and Jacobson will pay 100% of the pressure pipes.

The next task is to decide how to share the cost of the bridge and related support work. To this end, Jacobson and OIPI turned to local engineer Chris Haaland for help. Harland completed the structural drawings of the project and agreed to act as the financial mediator between the two companies.

"The cost-sharing agreement is just to believe that Harland proposes a ratio that he considers appropriate and reasonable as an engineer and an essentially fair person," Jacobson said. "OIPI and I agree not to lobby Chris: this ratio."

Sometimes, the simplest answer is the best answer. Harland decided that OIPI and Ouray Hydro West will share the cost of any mutually beneficial work or structure on a 50/50 basis.

As the work is nearing completion, most of the financial situation has remained unchanged.

"[OIPI and Ouray Hydro West] have received and approved my report," Harland said. "The finances have been arranged. There is no hindrance; everyone thinks it is fair. In fact, it is a simple formula."

In Haaland's report, OIPI paid $89,000 for its work share. O'Neill said that the remaining $12,000 in the fundraising campaign will complete repairs and resolve some delayed maintenance issues that were discovered during the initial damage assessment.

Haaland pointed out that the relatively low cost of the project was directly attributable to the choice of OIPI and Jacobson to source locally. He estimated that if a larger company were to execute it, a quarter of a $1 million project could overshadow the $1 million. Most construction requires a helicopter, which is not cheap according to the parties involved. Welding accounts for most of the labor force.

"This was done by a group of people who are closely related to the Ice Park. The reason we can do this cheaply is that there is no profit; out of enthusiasm for participation, we all paid the price. And, because we all live in In the city, so there is no overhead.

"This project is not easy. But there are a lot of enthusiastic people involved. Jeff Skoloda of SKOL Studio and Design did a lot of welding work. [OIPI Operations Director] Pete Davis has an arm and he built it himself This trail."

Although the maintenance work on the ice park is impressive and coordinated, some famous Uray ice climbers feel deprived of their rights by this process.

Andres Marin is a world-class ice climber and guide. He has worked in the ice park, setting competition routes and climbing for nearly 2 years. He disagrees with O'Neill's language used to describe the destruction of falling rocks.

A post shared by Andresmarin (@andresmarin22)

For him, calling the incident "catastrophic" and raising funds with a request to "save" the ice park was registered as sensational. In particular, as he pointed out, there are more direct and lower-cost options.

"Of course, you can walk to the classroom on the bridge," Marin said. "But you can also take this trail, which may increase the walking time by five minutes. To reopen the Snow Park, you just need to hang a 4-inch PVC pipe and let Eric [Jacobson] Repair the water pipe."

Marin's statement is obviously correct, and none of the people I interviewed refuted it. It certainly provides a simple solution-but it may not provide the best solution.

Harland pointed out that the existing new structure "ensures the stable entry of future generations" and allows workers in Ice Park and Wulei Hydropower West to easily maintain pipelines.

Other beneficiaries include the large influx of tourists that the park will receive this year. The season will start from January 7th to 9th, with All In Ice Fest focused on inclusiveness, and keep it busy.

Ouray Ice and Snow Festival is held from January 20th to 23rd, and the first UIAA-accredited North American Championship in the park will be held from February 4th to 5th.

This is the stacked calendar of the park, and the UIAA North American Championships can attract top ice climbers from all over the world. The impact of the incident on Ouray and Ice Park will be far-reaching, but there is no guarantee of a positive result.

Despite hosting top events, the popularity of the ice park is getting higher and higher. Last winter, it reported 22,000 visitors—an increase of 5,000 from the previous year.

O'Neal talks vigorously and expectantly about upcoming festivals, especially UIAA games. He also quickly pointed out that the rapid growth of the park requires corresponding management and infrastructure, and Marin also acknowledged this.

Compared to simpler alternatives, when O'Neill talked about Trestle bridge repairs, he was not vague.

"We could have put it back with tape and baling line. I said,'Let's rebuild,'" he pointed out. "The trestle bridge is a great way to enter the park. We want to bring it back and make it the iconic entrance to the classroom as before."

For the parks and cities that will host the first UIAA event, O’Neill’s words sound appropriate. According to Marin and other professional ice climbers, the cost of UIAA may be more than the cost it brings to the US host.

Ice climbing is more prevalent in Europe and Russia, and UIAA's stay in US destinations is often rare and short-lived in history. The UIAA season usually includes events held in five or six host cities each year. In its 15-year history, only four UIAA events have been held in three American cities.

Athletes from all over the world went to Denver to climb the city center. This is the first time the United States has hosted the UIAA Ice Climbing World Championship. read more…

It is worth noting that the UIAA stops scheduled for Vail, Colorado and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan this winter were cancelled.

Marin publicly appreciates O'Neill's motivation and initiative, but hopes to urge the executive director of OIPI (who held this position 15 months ago) to be more diplomatic in his approach.

"[Past UIAA] tournaments are a capital pit for the host city, it's no secret," Marin said. "According to the record, people like me want this sport to flourish. But Peter, or anyone, will get stuck because of their tone of voice and the way they encounter it. With someone like him who is motivated and has a fundraising background. , Which is so cool. But at the same time, he has been here for 20 years like some of us.

"When you work together for the same goal, how you treat the local community will make a big difference-in this case, make the ice and snow park a sustainable resource."

GearJunkie contacted Marcus Garcia, who hosted the 2017 UIAA Ice Climbing World Championships in Durango, Colorado, but he could not comment.

Marin's criticism-OIPI's language and methods may cause the division of the Ulay community-was also reflected in the chaos of social media, initially to demand transparency.

On October 26th, Dawn Glanc, our ice climbing butler, resolved on Facebook the problem she believed was opaque in bridge repair funds. Using the term "misinformation", she ended her post by asking OIPI to "provide the public with a report showing the project budget and results."

On October 29, Pete Davis gave a positive reply: "[o] After the work is completed, OIPI will definitely provide a detailed report to the public," he wrote.

Then, things are a bit messy:

"Your oversimplification of the problem and how to solve it in the narrative above shows that you know little about the complexity and severity of the bridge collapse and its ripple effect on the trestle and classroom area near the bridge. You don't know Dawn at all. The fact that this issue is more complicated than you realize, so don’t dig for yourself. Once we have a final solution, we will publish a public report."

Davis' stern tone conflicted with Grank's established reputation. As an AMGA-certified rock and mountain guide, she has been working full-time in the San Juan Mountain Guide's Ice Park since 2012.

His commitment to a detailed report is also somewhat skeptical about O'Neill's statement on this topic.

"I know the details. Do I want to make all of it public? This will be the decision of the board of directors," O'Neill said. "Our cost-sharing was raised at the last board meeting. But does the public need to know how much we spent on our helicopter share? It won't change anything."

Then he reiterated the 50/50 arrangement stipulated by Harland. He also stated that once the repair is completed, OIPI will thank the donors and communicate with the donors through the GoFundMe activity, but he did not elaborate further. Finally, he expressed his willingness to have one-on-one meetings with community members.

Despite comments, the Wulei Ice Park will be open as usual in mid-December. Taking into account the cold overnight conditions in the San Juan Mountains this winter, the park’s ice farmers will start work in time to prepare for the All In Ice Fest.

OIPI looks forward to a season that is expected to bring more awareness and diversity to the park. Local veterans like Marin prepare for the impact, prepare for the impact of UIAA and more tourist traffic.

A post shared by 乌雷冰上公园(@ourayicepark)

Bill Rio sold Wureshan Sports on November 1st, and after 25 years of working behind the counter, he is looking forward to more climbs.

"I will spend more time skiing and climbing-living a life as long as I have time," Leo said. "With all the activities in the park this year, it will be an interesting winter."

To learn all about Ice Park, including information about the busy schedule this winter, please visit OIPI's website.

Sam roams the American continent, following adventures, exploring natural wonders and finding good stories. After going to college to become a writer, he was distracted (or rescued) by rock climbing, and spent most of the next ten years on the road, supporting himself by trade work. He has addresses in the Adirondack Mountains, Las Vegas, and Kansas, but his heart belongs to the mountains of Texas.

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