Creating home ice wall

Do you think its possible to create a 'home' ice wall? Perhaps some boards suspended between two trees, with runing water up top. Will the ice bond? Is it to heavy?

Anyone ever have sucess?
Ideas?

Anyone want to combine efforts and make it happen?

Jon

I've heard chain-link fence works great as a seed material. I'm wondering how you keep your pipes/hoses from freezing. Do you run the water 24/7?

I think you would have to... at least to start. Otherwise I think a large PVC pipe with airation, (like in small yard ponds) would help keep it from freezing.

Colorado Mountain College had one built with a chain link fence a couple years ago at the leadville campus. It worked OK but I'm not sure abou the running of the water.

http://www.iceholdz.com/

This is what you want. Yes it's not real ice, but the holds work the same with your tools.

I've seen numerous people here do it that way, by running a drip system from up in big trees and even getting creative by building a bigger platform up high or platforms that connect two trees, then farming the ice off that, and you can also usually tie off higher on the tree, giving you a permanent toprope/fixed rope. I don't really know much about it, but it seems like it helps to have a climate that is very cold or sheltered from the sun, it takes a while to form the ice.

First it depends on what you have to work with for the main structure. We have about a 15'-20' foot North facing wall on our house with about two foot section of roof hanging out. We took two long wood poles and stapled chicken fencing to them and leaned them up against the the overhanging roof. Then we hooked the hose up brought it up the roof made a tripod and dripped it over the the pole and chicken fence and let it trip for about 4 days 24 hrs a day and it fromed a nice fat pillar. When it gets fat enough the ice supports its self. As long as the water is flowing and dosent stop the hose shouldn't freeze to bad, but the spray nozzle can and will freeze which will then stop up the hose and freeze it. An extra hose is a good idea in case the first hose freezes. There are many ways to make an ice wall with the first ingredient being creativity o yeah and cold.

You should check this out:
supertopo.com/climbing/thre…;tn=20

This is how they do it up in Fairbanks. Looks wild, but I don't think we have the climate for it most places in the lower 48.

alaskaalpineclub.org/IceTow…

Nick Sandstrom wrote:Colorado Mountain College had one built with a chain link fence a couple years ago at the leadville campus. It worked OK but I'm not sure abou the running of the water.

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I was going to school there when this wall was up?
It was ok.

Some pals there had also made one behind their house.

They hung big nets between two solid trees and turned on a rotating sprinkler every night and it did in fact work.

If you get a high powered sprinkler that can spray up 30 or 40 ft and rotate left to right you will be money to get it forming.

Some folks back east took two telephone poles set them in the ground, and they ran a water line and I think some shower nozzles (like those in Ouray) Their gimmick was to constantly unscrew the head assembly and extend the pipe, I want to say that they just ran the line up the middle of the tower and some electric heat-tape. It worked pretty well, they ended up with some large towers (70-80') and it stuck around for a while to boot. Granted it is much colder in NE, similar to living in the high country. Personally I liked draping heavy chains down my father in laws grain silo's. That worked well till the ice started growing into the road, and then it became a headache. Or if you're very desperate you can find an open faced drain on a large building, they're always fun, steep, sustained, and narrow. There are a few to be had around the front range if you know where to look but bring a crash pad.