ice…
The ice wall is a jaw dropping facility which simply has no rival in the world. It is more than 5 times bigger than any other indoor ice wall. The wall contains nearly 500 tonnes of snow, which has been packed, and maintained, by hand to create a variety of routes from easy angled snow slope through to monster overhangs.
The ice walls have provided the first experience of steep ice climbing for tens of thousands of visitors, ensuring that our staff have developed some of the best instructional procedures in the industry. The wall offers nearly 1400m2 of varying ice climbing routes to a height of 15m, all designed to emulate the type of problems mountaineers may encounter on an outdoor route.
The indoor ice climbing offers 20 top rope lines which range from simple, easy angled slopes for the beginner through to Gully features, water ice pinnacles, hanging bollards and dry tooling boards for the experienced climber looking to hone and refine their skills before taking to the hills.
Using the Ice Wall
To use the ice wall you must either be a competant winter climber (and registered as a member) or under instruction . Unless you have done a great deal of Grade III and above ice climbing, we would always advocate an instructed session – this is guaranteed to significantly improve your technique and abilities, ensuring you get a lot more from your visit. We run a 3hr introduction to ice climbing class almost every day and private lessions for 1.5hrs on demand.
The ice wall runs in 2 hour sessions, there is space for 18 people in each session. The first session starts at 9.00am. Please note, the ice slots book up incredibly quickly at peak times so telephone booking is always advisable.
We reserve the right to book further slots for our own needs if they are available, or to reduce the number of slots available if we need to close part of the wall to repack the ice.
Please note: The wall operates significantly below freezing, so appropriate clothing (ideally three layers and gloves should be worn). Proper equipment is compulsory on the ice wall –i.e. full shank boots, crampons and axes (with leashes)suitable for climbing steep ice. Walking axes and bendy boots can lead to excessive damage to the ice which can present a danger to other users. You may be asked to come and rent appropriate equipment at your own cost. Leashless climbing is completely banned owing to the risk a dropped axe presents to others. The new dry tooling routes require a visored helmet – these can be collected from reception free of charge. All routes are top rope only, although our staff can advise fellow mountaineering instructors on the use of ice screws for demonstration only.
We have removed the roof of the cave, to create 5 new full height, lines, all of which bulge or overhang significantly.
How the Ice is Made
Simulating what nature provides is actually extremely difficult. The best climbing conditions are achieved by a process of repeat 'freeze/thaw'. This process is bolstered by the surface of the rock being frozen and water/snow freezing hard on the surface. In order to re-create this, as closely as the 'real thing' takes a number of separate steps:
- Under the floor of the ice room is approximately 15m of concrete - below the surface of the bay. This is needed to hold the massive weight of the ice.
- The floor carries a heat membrane to prevent the ice breaking into the foundations of the building.
- The entire room is insulated with single piece panel. Essentially building a gigantic fridge.
- The room is laid out in a steel frame (as for conventional climbing walls) to support the weight/loads of the climbing walls
- The steel frame then has rebar (as for motorway construction) over-laid. This is shapes to form the arretes, edges, gully features etc.
- Behind the rebar, a maize of coolant pipes are laid. These pipes carry the industrial Glycol coolant, which allows us to rapidly cool the room.
- We can bring the temperature down to 50 degree below zero!
- Concrete is sprayed over the top of the pipes/rebar. This gives additional strength and provides an excellent surface for the ice to bond and adhere to.
- The industrial coolants and fans then provide the temperature flexibility to create real ice/snow/frozen turf/neve. Easy!