Ogden Ice Tower

So what do the Ogden locals think of the tower? Viable plan? Silly scheme? Maybe a good idea but not what the city needs to spend money on (the $300,000 so far given to this project = $100,000 city grant + $200,000 RAMP tax)?

On a slightly different track, is there any chance that general public resistance to the tower is due to the fact that it is associated with the impetus among the powers that be try to make Ogden successful (at any cost?) and the impacts that will actually have on the quality of life - i.e. development in the foothills east of town that might actually restrict recreational access?

Is the tower really part of the environmental/quality of life issues some Ogden residents might feel are threatened?

Also, is there a real proposal for an outdoor ice park?

There have been a few posts on this lately here, so I'll just reiterate my thoughts...as a climber I think it's pretty sweet, and if it were built I'd support it; financially though I can't really see it working out. Kudos to the Lowe crew though for getting something like this going...

I think it would have a much better chance of succeeding if it were anchored to a full service indoor climbing gym. For example, could you imagine if Momentum climbing gym had a separate building in the back where you could just gear up and ice climb? This would really allow climbers to have a diversity of work outs (of course the ice wall would be included in your normal monthly membership).

I think it would be super sweet to go indoors ice climbing when it's 100 degrees outside, but I would think the energy costs to keep the ice wall frozen in the summer would be astronomical. At one time I heard a big corporate sponsor (someone such as Black Diamond) balked at throwing corporate dollars due to the energy needs of the facility. When everyone else is bragging about going green, sponsoring an ice wall could work against a corporation's public relations.

I'm sure if the ice wall is built, the city of Ogden will showcase it. Apparently the city does a great job of marketing -- it seems like every outdoor magazine lists Ogden as one of the top outdoor cities to live. How the ice wall would survive after the novelty wore off is anyone's guess. If it were closed on Sunday like the Solomon Center, I'm sure usage would drop quickly [out-of-towners would say WTF? and return home].

Although I am personally excited about the ice wall, I can understand why most people in Ogden are upset by the thought of using so much cash to fund a huge project that only a small fraction of locals will use. There are plenty of decaying buildings there on 25th street and the nearby vicinity which could use funding to improve/remodel.

Jeff has a "preserve the local crag" seminar during the High Adventure Film Fest in two weeks. I am planning on attending much of the festival. Perhaps they will discuss full range plans for Ogden Climbing Parks during the seminar(s). I don't have any insider knowledge on Jeff's Ice Park plans.

On the opening night of the Film Festival, there was a member of Ogden's city council. He said that the RAMP fund gave $200,000 for the ice tower. He said another sponsor who he "could not yet name" pledged $500,000. It sounds like after two years, they've only raised 50% of what they need to get the ice tower started. But this is only my speculation from what was said -- I don't know for sure.