The Ouray Ice Park sits at the mouth of a narrow box canyon sculpted by the Uncompahgre River. As we picked our way up the canyon, Davis, operations manager at the park, pointed out the various projects his staff were rushing to complete before opening day. There was signage to build, a new bridge to check, and of course, lots of ice to grow.
He showed. me the lines of water pipes and sprinklers (洒水器) located along the cliff edge. There are more than 200 of these sprinklers, which spray water directly onto the rock, creating walls of ice containing 100-plus climbs. Starting in November when the temperature drops, the ice farmers wet the rock with water to cool it, essentially building a canvas for the waterfalls. They use existing features on the rock to grow a variety of routes for all skill levels. Though the job involves much labour in freezing weather, Davis described growing ice as a kind of art form. If half an ice farmer's job is creation, the other half is upkeep. Exposed water pipes in the mountains are easy to freeze and break and it is up to those farmers to fix them.
This winter has been unusually warm and temperatures, even in December, were not cold enough to make sufficient ice. It even rained a day before the park was set to open, destroying 30% of the ice farmers' efforts. "Winter climate is less certain due to the warming of our planet," said Heidi Steltzer, a professor of environment and sustainability. "Human-made ice may not be possible every year, but in years when it is, the ice park offers joy, a gathering place and opportunities of earning money to sustain rural mountain life."
