Being in Southern California, Dustin and I have always been intrigued by activities that involve snow and ice. When we were in Ouray, Colorado, to do Via Ferrata in the Uncompahgre Gorge, we found out that this place turns into a playground for ice climbing in the winter. This wonderful playground is called the Ouray Ice Park. Of course, ice climbing was added to our long bucket list. Recently, we assembled our adventure group for an unforgettable ice-climbing trip in the Ouray Ice Park. I have to say, it was very different from what we were expecting, but in a good way. We can’t wait to tell you all about it. In this blog, we will go over all the need-to-know and tips so you can have an unforgettable ice-climbing adventure as well.
Ouray Ice Park is a human-made ice climbing park, built in a beautiful natural gorge right at the outskirts of the quaint little town of Ouray, Colorado. In the summer, this place is known for its 2 free Via Ferrata routes, Downstream and Upstream. In the winter, ice farmers use the water pipes that run along the top of the gorge to turn this place into a haven of climbable ice. There are over 150 ice and mixed routes, spanning across 2 miles of the Uncompahgre Gorge. Because this place is man-made, the ice conditions are consistent of a wide variety of climbing routes. This means Ouray Ice Park is perfect for climbers with all skill levels, whether you’re a first-timer or looking to hone your skills.
Ouray Ice Park Location: 38.015604, -107.673494
Closest Parking: 38.016305, -107.672173
Alternative Parking: 38.018011, -107.675035
Ouray Ice Park is completely free for the public. It is created and operated by the nonprofit organization Ouray Ice Park, Inc. (OIPI). If you want to support the park, you can sign up for their membership. Depending on the membership level, you’ll get different perks, including early access to the Ice Park.
By the way, the park itself doesn’t have guided trips or gear rentals. If you need a guide or rental, there are a few different companies in Ouray that offer these services, such as Basecamp Ouray, San Juan Mountain Guide, or Mountain Trip.
Ouray Ice Park operates depending on the weather conditions, typically from mid-December to late March. Usually, the best time to visit is January and February. This year, the ice park didn’t open until late January due to having a very warm winter. We were worried that we wouldn’t have any ice to climb on when we scheduled our ice climbing trip at the end of January. Therefore, it is very important to check current ice reports before you go.
When open, Ouray Ice Park’s hours are from 8 am – 4 pm on weekdays and 7:30 am – 4 pm on weekends. If you’re an ice park member, you can access the park 30 minutes earlier than the opening hour. By the way, the park closes exactly at 4 pm. This means the ice farmers will turn on the water right at 4 pm, whether you’re still on the wall or not. So, make sure to plan your climb accordingly.
This depends on your abilities and experience. If you’re a beginner and don’t know how to set an anchor properly, you will need a guide. Without a guide, not only do you need to know how to set anchors and belay, but you’ll also need to bring your own ropes and gear. Almost everyone in our group is a rock climber, and we still have a guide for our first day. Ice climbing is so much different than rock climbing, including how to set anchors. We were glad that we had a guide to show us all the tips and tricks.
If you need a guide, we highly recommend going with Basecamp Ouray. We actually used Basecamp Ouray a few times for the Gold Mountain Via Ferrata and Telluride Via Ferrata, and everyone there was amazing. This ice climbing trip was no different. Alex and Spencer, our guides, were not only knowledgeable but they were also very patient. They made sure that each and every one of us was safe and comfortable.
Winter clothing! We recommend layering your clothes. This way, you can take it off if it gets too warm when you climb.
If you don’t have a guide, you will need all the gear above and the gear below. You can rent some of the gear below. Most rental shops in Ouray, CO, only rent ice climbing boots, crampons, ice tools, and helmets. You will need to have the rest of the gear. Basecamp Ouray has a day-of-gear rental. You cannot reserve the gear in advance. If you want to reserve in advance, you can do so with Ouray Mountain Sports. If you’re not sure what you need, we recommend going to the shop or calling to ask. We rented our boots and crampons from Ouray Mountain Sports for our second day of ice climbing. They were very nice and helpful.
Please obey the rules and etiquette when ice climbing at Ouray Ice Park. They are there to make sure everyone has a safe and wonderful day climbing.
If you’re a beginner, once again, we highly recommend getting a guide. However, if you have all the gear already, here are some of the recommendations for beginner-friendly areas within Ouray Ice Park.
Kids Wall
This is the perfect spot for your first day of practice. It is easy access, right at the entrance of the Ouray Ice Park. The wall is easy and less steep. This is meant to be an area for kids. However, you’ll see more adults here than kids.
South Park
South Park has gentle terrain, great for first-timers. Most of the routes here are short and friendly, graded WI2-WI3 (moderate difficulty). This area also has easy access.
School Room
School Room is another area that is perfect for learning techniques with top-rope setups. The routes here are graded WI3-WI4.
New Funtier
This is one of the less crowded beginner-friendly areas in Ouray Ice Park. The routes here are graded WI3-WI4.
Our group spent two full days ice climbing at the Ouray Ice Park. For our first day, we hired our guides from Basecamp Ouray. Even though most of us are experienced rock climbers, none of us had ice climbed before. At the end of the day, we were very glad that we got our guides, Alex and Spencer. We learned a lot, including what gear we need, climbing techniques, and how to build anchors. On our second day, we ventured out on our own, armed with the knowledge we had learned from Alex and Spencer, tons of prior research, and rock climbing experiences.
Our first day started at the office of Basecamp Ouray. Here, we met with Alex and Spencer for gear fitting, from boots and crampons to helmets, harnesses, and gloves. There were 8 of us in our group, so we had both Alex and Spencer to make sure each of us had enough attention. After the gear fitting, Alex and Spencer shuttled us to the Ouray Ice Park. I have to say, it was definitely nice to have our own shuttles. They dropped us right in front of the Ouray Ice Park, so we didn’t have to walk up the hill as we did on the second day.
We started at the Kids’ Wall. This area is located right next to the entrance of the Ouray Ice Park, just past the bridge. The Kids’ Wall is a wonderful practice area for first-timers at Ouray Ice Park. Here, Alex went over the proper techniques for ice climbing, including how to kick the ice and how to swing the ice tool, while Spencer went and set up the ropes for us. After watching the demonstration from Alex, we all took turns practicing our footwork. I have to admit, we were all struggling at first. It was much harder than we were expecting.
After a few rounds of practice on the ground, Alex let us get on the rope to start our first climb. It was a mix of a struggle fest. Phil, Nancy, Mila, and Dustin did great. Aaron, with his busted knee from skiing, also did great. Raymond and Anh struggled, but they got it done. I gave up halfway through the first climb because I couldn’t seem to get the kick right. Seeing me deflated, Alex stepped in and patiently identified the problem with my kick. After that, I was able to get my footwork right and finish my climb. We each did a total of 4 climbs on the Kids’ Wall before Alex and Spencer deemed that we were ready for something more difficult.
By the way, the most important thing about ice climbing is learning how to walk with crampons on. We kid you not, most of our injuries were from falling from the crampons, being caught on a rope, or on clothes. So, be careful when walking!
Since everyone in our group did great, Spencer and Alex decided to let us try the climbs at the Pic O’ the Vic area. This area is a lot more advanced and about 150 ft deep. Here, you have to belay from the top, not the bottom. So, once you get down, you have to get back up yourself. Spencer and Alex lowered everyone in our group as far as we wanted. Phil got down the furthest, while Raymond and Aaron dropped about 10 ft. Even so, the Pic O’ the Vic area climbs are quite difficult for our first day. But it was worth it because it was so beautiful. And just like that, our first day of ice climbing was over.
Even though we were sore from the day before, our group was excited to try ice climbing on our own. Since we didn’t have our awesome shuttles from Alex and Spencer, we had to park at the parking lot along the Million Dollar Highway and walk up to the Ouray Ice Park. By the way, we were so impressed with how safe Ouray was. Dustin left the door to our Jeep WIDE OPEN for the entire day, and it was still there when we got back. Nothing missing!!
Today, we wanted to try the School Room area. However, all the routes are taken. So, we made our way to South Park. South Park is located past the start of the Ouray Via Ferrata. Even though it was considered easy access, the walk still took our breath away because we weren’t used to the altitude. Also, with the bulky clothing and gear, it was quite difficult to walk. South Park has two canyon accesses. We set up our climbing routes in the Deep South area, near the farthest canyon access.
Half of our group stayed at the top of the canyon to set up the anchor, while the other half went down to the bottom to make sure the routes were available and good. We recommend using walkie-talkies to communicate. In the canyon, you won’t have much cell reception. We use Rocky-talkies. It works great in the Ouray Ice Park. By the way, the canyon access is pretty steep. There are ropes to assist, but it was still a bit challenging, especially with gear. Be careful descending and ascending.
The bottom of the canyon was breathtaking. It was so beautiful with icicles cascading down the wall. They really remind us of the big chandeliers or schools of jellyfish. While admiring the scenery, we were also excited to put our ice climbing knowledge from yesterday into more practice. We all did better on day 2 than on day 1. On day 1, we were too busy learning. So now, after marinating for a full day, our skills were ready to be put into practice. If you want to learn ice climbing, we really think that you’ll need at least 2 or 3 days. Basecamp Ouray offers 2 and 3-day courses if you want to learn more.
We did 4 routes total. By the time we were done, it was about 3:30 pm. It was the perfect time to wrap up. We had such an amazing time, and we can’t wait to go back for more.
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
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Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of Live That Adventure. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
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