Lake City Ice Climbs, Lake City, CO (2025)

03/30/2025

Ice Report 3/30/25 and a Word from your Ice Farmer 🧊🚜

Lake City Ice is STILL OPEN!

Does anyone remember that strange sport from the depths of the cold mountain winter? It is a dark and ancient craft where people swing cruel iron implements and kick with many small daggers on their feet. This pursuit of the Dark Ages or maybe even the Ice Ages whereby people (are they people?) climb frozen water falls bears the archaic name of “Ice Climbing”. You may think that this occupation has gone the way of the Viking, but let me inform you: It is still happening right here in Lake City, now, in this present day.

If you like out-of-season, incongruous challenges like playing disc golf in a blizzard or climbing the Third Flatiron in roller skates, this is the ice season for you! Swing that new Hydra tool and it will sink deep into some formerly blue ice the consistency of extra crunchy peanut butter or an orange snow cone! Try all our various planks and ladders if you want a full course in crevasse crossing experience (hold the crevasse)! Bring your waders! Fly fishing paired with Ice Climbing could become the next Olympic Biathlon!

Ok, now lets get serious!

Lake City Ice is STILL OPEN and much of our ice is still climbable!

Rocky areas with some southern exposure and the tops of some climbs have started to melt. Expect ice in direct sun to turn soft, especially late in the day. We have had a lot of days with highs in the 50s and even 60s.
Remember, this is late season climbing. It it best to avoid any stand alone pillars, curtains, and probably anything truly vertical or over hanging. Keep a lookout for those continuous horizontal cracks on any face. There is a 100 ft wide section of the Beer Garden where the ice lands directly on the main channel of Henson Creek. The bottom 5-30 feet of that section is cracked or fallen.

Henson Creek is only crossable at Beer Garden for now. There are 2 ice bridges still at Beer Garden, not sure how long they will last.

The top of ALL AREAS are accessible from the top. We only allow this access very early and late season. To access the top go back to Highway 149 and turn right, (South) go about 1/2 a mile and take a right on Vine St, Follow Vine up to the water tank. You can ignore all the No Trespassing signs, they are not valid. Do not park near the house or shipping container that is up there. Park before the last hill or to the left of the municipal water tank. Pumphouse is right below the water tank and the other areas are accessed by the hiking trail that heads up the valley. For more information on accessing the top call�Ben (970-403-6301).

Watch your feet! Avoid stepping on the main line as it emerges from the snow.

Remember, these are imperfect assessments. Make sure you do your own homework. As always, all the ice climbing in Lake City is truly CLIMB AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Thanks for coming to Lake City!

03/17/2025

Ice Report 3/16 and a Word from your Ice Farmer 🧊🧑‍🌾

As of a week ago, all the pumps are turned off. As I reported last year, this in no way means that the ice climbing season is over. We have more ice now than any other time in the season! All 4 areas have lots of thick blue ice. As temperatures warm the ice wall gets a nice refresh daily from the afternoon melt. There are a couple things that you do need to be aware of this time of year, though. As temps climb over 40 you should be increasingly suspicious of any curtain, dagger, or pillar. They tend to break at very cold temps or very warm temps. If you are concerned, stay on something a little less steep; all that ice has the ground or cliff to help support it. Also, look out for ice in trees or bushes (more on that latter). When it gets warm the ice at the top of the wall tends to get soft. Sometimes it turns in to something akin to snow. It’s not easy to get an ice screw to hold in that stuff!

🧊 Pumphouse:
There is still a wide ice bridge leading straight to the main wall. There is another wide ice bridge at the lower point. The trail to the top of Pumphouse an Devil’s Kitchen is still accessible.

🧊 Devil’s Kitchen:
You have to go to the left end of this area to get across the ice.

🧊 Dynamite Shack:
The river is completely open at this area. There is a ladder with a board on it across the open water.

🧊 Beer Garden:
There are still several large areas where you can cross the river and many areas where you can belay on the river.

To summarize: At this point all climbs and trails to the top are completely accessible!

Keep a look out for any trees or rocks above your climb that have ice in them. Warm afternoons will often cause that stuff to release. Best practice is to knock any loose ice down when you are at the top setting up. Have someone in your party at the bottom of your climb to make sure no one in within 50’ and remove any ice that looks precarious while rappelling down.

Remember to look out for hollow spots right at the top of the cliff from where we spray the water especially when leading. Remember these are imperfect assessments. Make sure you do your own homework.

03/01/2025

Ice Report 3/1/25 and a word from your Ice Farmer 🧊🚜

Goodbye February. Hello March! We ended February with some beautiful winter weather and lots of ice. We have been hitting some daily highs anywhere from low 30s to high 40s. Despite the warmer days, the ice still looks thick and mostly in good shape!

There are some holes in our water lines and hoses from people stepping on them that are not really fixable until we shut the system down for the season. So, look out for ice on the access trails and up top! Put your crampons on before you head up the trail!

Keep a look out for any trees or rocks above your climb that have ice in them. Warm afternoons will often cause that stuff to release. Best practice is to knock any loose ice down when you are at the top setting up. Have someone in your party at the bottom of your climb to make sure no one in within 50’ and remove any ice that looks precarious while rappelling down.

🧊 Pumphouse:
All the ice here looks good. There is not any water flowing on the climber’s left side so a few routes there might be stepped out.

🧊 Devil’s Kitchen:
This area gets a lot of sun, but there is still so much thick ice. The river is breaking up in a few spots, but there are still multiple places to access the bottom.

🧊 Dynamite Shack:
Everything here looks great! The river has completely broken up at this area and our ladder crossing is unusable. We may get another ladder across the river as soon as tomorrow. In the meantime, you can walk to the near end of Beer Garden and cut through to Dynamite Shack.

🧊 Beer Garden:
There are so many great pillars and curtains to climb right now! Remember, head to the left end if you want to climb with less people!

⚠️ Safety Notes:
WATCH WHERE YOU STEP when you are at the top of the wall! There can be hoses and lines under the snow.
Remember to look out for hollow spots right at the top of the cliff from where we spray the water especially when leading.
Remember these are imperfect assessments. Make sure you do your own homework. As always, all the climbing in Lake City is truly CLIMB AT YOUR OWN RISK.

02/18/2025

Ice Report 2/17/25 and a Word from your Ice Farmer 🧊🚜

Since the last report, the weather has normalized some, but we continue to have a variety of temps. 40 degrees and sunny today with a dump of snow over the weekend. We had a busy holiday weekend with traffic on some less-popular routes got some action, but there was still plenty to climb. The water is still on, so we are still making more ice all the time. There are a lot of places that have ice or slick spots from melted snow under the snow. Look out for these areas especially at the top and especially at Pumphouse. Wear your crampons! Keep a look out for any trees or rocks above your climb that have ice in them. Warm afternoons will often cause that stuff to release. Best practice is to knock that stuff down when setting up. Have someone in your party at the bottom of your climb to make sure no one is within 50’ and remove any ice that looks precarious.

🧊 Pumphouse:
The ice looks good! We have had some trouble with the hoses above the (climber’s) left side, so there are a few spots that have not been refreshed as much as we would like. The path has been chopped out where there was ice flowing. Therefore, it is totally accessible again. Put those crampons on at the bottom!

🧊 Devil’s Kitchen:
Everything looks good in this area! There are some very sunny afternoon climbing spots. That has a huge upside. T-shirt laps are such a nice switch from deciding if you are going to leave 2 or 3 puffies on while you climb.

🧊 Dynamite Shack:
All the ice here is looking great! Great for lead. Great for multi-pitch too!

🧊 Beer Garden:
The water has finally been flowing here without issues! Everything is coming in nicely. Climb something on the left end, you won’t regret it! Yesterday, all the anchor ropes at the right end looked like a spider web or an obstacle course. No one was climbing the left side.

⚠️ Safety Notes:
WATCH WHERE YOU STEP when you are at the top of the wall! There can be hoses and lines under the snow. Remember to look out for hollow spots right at the top of the cliff from where we spray the water, especially when leading.

02/07/2025

Lake City Ice Report 2/6/25 and a Word from your Ice Farmer 🧊🚜

Talk about wild weather swings! After a month of sub-zero nights, we’re hitting record warmth at 58° this week. Even those with PhDs in Iceology can’t grow ice at those temps! For the first time ever, we’re shutting pumps off during the day mid-season. Don’t worry though - we’ll keep this up until early/mid-March and still have great ice for another month!

Despite our new “tropical” status, we still have mega tons of ice! It’s Phat, it’s blue, and not going anywhere. Many walls remain in permanent shade for 6+ weeks. Watch for melting near exposed rocks/trees. The best practice is to have someone in your party at the bottom of your climb to make sure no one is within 50’ and remove any ice that looks precarious.

🧊 Pumphouse: Plenty of ice everywhere, but a few routes have been picking up some sun. We have had several punctures in the main line from crampons. Unfortunately, these are not a quick fix and have caused water to flow down the trail in a few places. Now more than ever, it is imperative that you put your crampons on before you head up the trail!

🧊 Devil’s Kitchen: Everything looks good in this area! There are some very sunny afternoon climbing spots. That has a huge upside. T-shirt laps are such a nice switch from wearing multiple jackets.

🧊 Dynamite Shack: Still Amazing. Still Thick. Still Awe Inspiring. Even if you are not going to climb this area, you owe it to yourself to walk across the river and stare up at those walls.

🧊 Beer Garden: This pump system has been evil toward us all year, but we still love the Beer Garden. Just after my last Ice Report, the pump died suddenly. Was it a heart attack? Was it cancer? Or was it...murder?!? We’re not sure, but we have already installed a new pump, and it’s trucking right along. Maybe by the time we shut the pumps down for the season, we’ll have all those daggers touching down and those pillars fattened up.

⚠️ 🦶 WATCH WHERE YOU STEP at the top of the wall! There can be hoses and lines under the snow. Look out for hollow spots right at the top of the cliff from where we spray the water, especially when leading.

01/28/2025

Want to boost your ice climbing skills at Lake City Ice Fest? Join the Colorado Climbing Company’s expert-led clinics!

Half-day clinics include Intro to Ice (learn what this ice climbing thing is all about!), Intro to Mixed (scratching up rock is different - we’ll help you figure it out), and Steep Ice Technique (gain confidence for longer, steeper climbs).

Full-day clinics include Learn to Lead (focused on getting you leading) and Backcountry & Multipitch (all about skills for bigger climbs).

Book your spot at LakeCityIce.com/festival 🧊

01/27/2025

🧊 THIS IS IT - Lake City Ice Fest is THIS SATURDAY, Feb 1st! 🧊⛏️ Whether you’re new to ice or a seasoned crusher, this is a fun, low-key event for everyone. We’re hoping to see 50 climbers out there this weekend! Plus catch highliner Sean Englund crossing Henson Creek Canyon above CR 20 in a special 1:00 PM demonstration!

📆 THIS Saturday, February 1st
⏰ 9:30AM Registration
🏔️ Beer Garden @ Lake City Ice Park
💪 Lead & Top Rope divisions available
🎟️ $35 to compete for the chance to win great prizes

Join us after at Lake City Arts for awards, food, and hanging with the climbing community! Meal tickets ($20) available at registration or at the door if not sold out.

01/26/2025

This week’s Lake City Ice Recap and a word from your ice farmer!

Wow it’s been a cold week! Even before the much heralded Arctic Blast we hit -20°! We had a few hoses freeze, but relatively few problems for such cold temps. We had a busy 3 day weekend, but we’ve been able to refresh almost everything.

🧊 Pumphouse:
Great Ice from the access trail all the way to the lower point. That’s the whole wall.

🧊 Devil’s Kitchen:
Everything is fat and blue! Check out the secret climb at the far upstream end around the rock point. Most likely, it’s still unclimbed.

🧊 Dynamite Shack:
160+ feet of vertical blue ice in some places. 200’ WI 3 climbs. What could be wrong with that!
We had a huge 40-50 foot dagger collapse on a cold night on the left or downstream end of Dynamite Shack. Literal tons of ice! This was a good reminder to be careful what you climb, especially when the ice is brittle from extreme cold!

🧊 Beer Garden:
After days of thawing the pump pit and a hectic afternoon of pulling the pump to clean it and replacing 8 frozen hoses (from low flow rather than extra cold temps) the pump here is running great! It’s been nice to have full water flow again. We are getting things filled in quickly!

WATCH WHERE YOU STEP when you are at the top of the wall! There can be hoses and lines under the snow. We had a few more hoses punctured and another hole in the main line.

Remember to look out for hollow spots right at the top of the cliff from where we spray the water, this is especially important when leading. Remember these are imperfect assessments. Make sure you do your own homework. As always, all the climbing in Lake City is truly CLIMB AT YOUR OWN RISK.

And don’t forget - Lake City Ice Fest is just around the corner on February 1st! Come join us for a day of climbing, community, and good times. Sign up at the Beer Garden at 9:30AM - all skill levels welcome. Head to LakeCityIce.com for more details! 🧊⛏️

01/17/2025

Lake City Ice Conditions 1/16/25 & a word from your ice farmer:

We’ve had some very cold nights lately with temperatures dropping to -5°F to -10°F, and the ice is looking good!

🧊 Pumphouse:
Water is flowing again at the lower point, so it’s getting fat. All the routes at Pumphouse are looking good and very little has been stepped out.

🧊 Devil’s Kitchen:
Most of the rampy climbs are getting thick and blue and smooth. The steeper climbs are some of the fattest of any at the park.

🧊 Dynamite Shack:
There are more routes at Dynamite Shack than ever before! Everything is looking really good and we’ve been able to refresh the most used routes.

🧊 Beer Garden:
There are still a few cliffs that need more ice. We have had some flow issues with the pump at this area. But, most of the routes are climbable with a lot of variety in ice formation. There are some fun skinny pillar lines and daggers right now.

Please WATCH WHERE YOU STEP when you are at the top of the wall! There can be hoses and lines under the snow.

Remember to look out for hollow spots right at the top of the cliff from where we spray the water especially when leading. Remember these are imperfect assessments. Make sure you do your own homework. As always, all the climbing in Lake City is truly CLIMB AT YOUR OWN RISK.

And don’t forget - Lake City Ice Fest is just around the corner on February 1st! Come join us for a day of climbing, community, and good times. Head to LakeCityIce.com for more details! 🧊⛏️

01/08/2025

Lake City Ice Conditions 1/7/25 & a word from your ice farmer.

Welcome to 2025! The ice is getting thick, and we are still forming new routes every week. We have had plenty of people climbing over the holidays, yet I have not seen anything that looks stepped out. Over the holidays, we had a wide range of high and low temps - highs anywhere from 20-45°! This created varied conditions with some areas being smooth and blue, while others look sun-melted, and others have a lot of chandeliers.

There’s almost no openings in the river ice, creating a lot of room for hanging out and belaying below most climbs. WATCH WHERE YOU STEP when you are at the top of the wall! There can be hoses and lines under the snow. We have had 5 hoses and one main line punctured in just the last week. Remember to look out for hollow spots right at the top of the cliff from where we spray the water, especially when leading.

There are many routes that still have not been climbed this year. When at the top of the wall, look for cliff tops with undisturbed snow. Some of those areas may not have easy routes below them, but some have great unclimbed routes. Think outside the box!

At Pumphouse all routes are in.

Dynamite Shack is bursting with routes! There are some crazy pillars and hanging daggers there that we have never had before this season. All of the challenging and tall routes are in.

Beer Garden is looking good! Remember to look at the left end for some lower angle climbs that rarely have people on them. Just left of center, there are some great spaced-out daggers and skinny pillars for the more adventurous climbers.

Remember these are imperfect assessments. Make sure you do your own homework. As always, all the climbing in Lake City is truly CLIMB AT YOUR OWN RISK.

📸 1/5/25

12/26/2024

Join us for Lake City Ice Fest 2025! 🧊⛏️ A friendly competition for all levels of ice climbers, from weekend warriors to seasoned locals. Our goal is to host 50 climbers this year - so grab your tools and bring your friends.

📆 February 1, 2025
🏔️ Registration @ 9:30AM | Competition @ 11:00AM
📍 Lake City Ice Park @ Beer Garden
💪 Lead & Top Rope divisions
🎟️ $35/climber

Wrap up the day at Lake City Arts for awards, food, and hanging with the climbing community. Meal tickets available for $20 at registration or if available at the door.

Want to help support? Learn more at LakeCityIce.com

📸 Travis Hodges

Lake City Ice Climbs

03/30/2025

03/17/2025

03/01/2025

02/18/2025

02/07/2025

01/28/2025

01/27/2025

01/26/2025

01/17/2025

01/08/2025

12/26/2024

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