Mija Lee
The day starts in the dark. We shuffle through our condo making coffee, eating breakfast, and coiling ropes. A ten-minute drive up the hill puts us a short walk to the Ouray Ice Park entrance, where people begin slipping into their harnesses and strapping on helmets and crampons by headlamp. Everyone is bundled against the cold Colorado air. We paid to be Ice Park members, which affords us entrance into the park 30 minutes early to have first pick at the routes.
We decide to go to the “School Room,” an area close to the park’s entrance where more than a dozen water ice routes hang below a metal walkway, 30 meters above the canyon floor. A creek runs through the canyon and sometimes freezes over, but today we gingerly pick our way across a few precariously placed boards, which allows us to belay from the relative safety of the other side of the canyon wall and avoid the occasional barrage of ice projectiles knocked down by other climbers.
An ice screw, used in ice climbing to protect the climber.
Routes cultivated with care
Set in the rugged mountains of southwest Colorado, Ouray Ice Park offers some of the easiest access to ice climbing - no long approaches, little risk of avalanche, and emergency support and cappuccinos nearby. There are over 200 routes in the park, which are maintained by “ice farmers” who – when the temperatures are right (meaning cold, but not too cold) – spray water from pipes lining the top of the canyon each night to create ice pillars and curtains that grow from the top down.
Our trip includes three instructors and six students. While half of the group continues for another 15 minutes on to “South Park” (which boasts route names such as “Mr. Hanky” and “Cartlandia”), we remain at the “School Room” to set up two top ropes on routes graded as water ice 3 and 4. The grading system is based on how steep the ice is, and whether there are spots to “shake out” and rest. Many of the routes require extended anchors to ensure the power point is well below the pipes that carry the water to build the ice.
We take a short but steep trail to the bottom of the canyon. The climbers gear up with waterproof gloves, two ice tools (which have sharp picks and aggressively curved shafts that look like medieval weapons), helmets, and eye wear to protect from falling ice. The belayers don big, puffy jackets and thick gloves to keep warm in the shadow of the canyon walls. Above us, spindrift blows from the top of the canyon.
Ice climbing from the climber's perspective.
Water ice flows cultivated by Ouray's "ice farmers."
Scaling the walls
After our group has completed safety checks, we watch each other climb, shouting advice and praise. To climb water ice efficiently, there are a few fundamentals to focus on: swinging your tools so you can embed the pick in the ice with minimal effort, kicking the front points of your crampons into the ice so you can use your legs to propel yourself upward from a squat to standing, and moving in an A-frame position to improve stability and conserve energy. Getting a good “stick” of your tools is incredibly satisfying, but it also takes mental and physical stamina.
We climb hard and keep warm with jumping jacks, sugary snacks, and thermoses of hot drinks. The temperatures are low, but the group stoke remains high through the day. At 4pm the park closes so the ice farmers can work their magic, but most people – us included – wind down before then, with pumped forearms and ruddy cheeks. The day ends with eating a calorie-dense dinner, drying our gear, and sharpening tools with a bastard cut file. We are ready for tomorrow!
Light shining on a climber at Ouray Ice Park.
Learn to ice climb with The Mountaineers
The Mountaineers Seattle Branch offers two ice climbing classes in Ouray: one introductory course focused on top roping water ice, and one course on leading ice, which teaches students how to place ice screws while on top rope until they are ready to be on the sharp end. The bulk of instruction happens in Ouray, but local sessions are offered to cover gear and practice technique on the Seattle Program Center foam wall. The course usually takes place in early January, when we can enjoy prime conditions while avoiding Ouray’s busy ice festival.
In addition to Seattle’s Water Ice courses, multiple branches offer Alpine Ice courses in the fall where students can learn to climb glacier ice (which has a different consistency from water ice). This year, the Everett Branch is offering a similar top roping water ice course in Hyalite Canyon, outside of Bozeman, Montana. The Alpine Ambassadors, a group of Mountaineers climbers from all branches, also organizes an annual trip to climb naturally formed ice in the Canadian Rockies with guides and a few expert volunteers.
Emily Goren, 2025 Intro to Water Ice course graduate (as well as sport climb leader, scramble leader, and primary instructor for the Leading on Bolts course), describes her experience in the course:
“Water ice is spectacularly beautiful, and its ephemeral nature means that few people will ever experience the same climb. That uniqueness is what drew me to ice climbing, though it initially felt intimidating to learn. Fortunately, The Mountaineers Intro to Water Ice course provided a great introduction. The Ouray Ice Park offered an ideal learning environment, and the instructors were both helpful and supportive.”
Kimberly Glock, another 2025 Intro to Water Ice course graduate, adds:
“I am so thankful that The Mountaineers offers this class! The instructors in the course are solid and seasoned, and will have you going up and down beautiful water ice safely. If you like rope work and winter and want to add some more skills to your alpine bag, take this course! Listen to the course instructors and you will be hanging comfortably from some ice, taking in the views, and living the good ‘go frozen or go home’ life.”
While not for everyone, water ice climbing is far more accessible than people think. You don’t have to be a badass to climb ice, but climbing ice inevitably turns you into one!
For more information on water ice climbing, visit our course webpage at: www.mountaineers.org/water-ice-climbing-course.
This article originally appeared in our 2026: Issue 1 of Mountaineer magazine. To view the original article in magazine form and read more stories from our publication, visit our magazine archive.
