WINONA, Minn. – When Eric Barnard looked up at the 600-foot bluffs over Winona, he saw what no one else did – a winter ice park. This winter his vision is n its fifth season with 50 climbers scaling vertical ice walls on a typical weekend. From Wapasha Prairie down below, where the city sits, the climbers look like ants clawing their way inch by inch to the bluff-top crown. Ice parks are rare, fewer than a dozen in the world. Barnard learned the sport in Idaho. After a few practice startups in Winona, including an abandoned quarry, Barnard convinced the city Parks-Rec Department to let him flood cliffs in Sugar Loaf Park and let the icicles build – and build. It starts after the first freeze. A crew runs 2,000 feet of hose off a nearby fire hydrant. That creates an ice infrastructure. Low-volume showerheads mist a spray for a fresh sheen when temperatures are optimum. After the first layer of ice, it grows and grows – until mid-March, when it all goes away until the next winter.
Sugar Loaf Park. Adjacent to the landmark Sugarloaf landmark. Cleats are essential for the 15-minute hike to the base of the ice wall. Image: Winona Parks and Recreation Department
Barnard. On a summer climb to examine the how to shape the following winter’s ice park. It’s never the same.