UKH

Does anywhere know of any indoor ice climbing still open in the UK?

Going to miss having a preseason warm up at Kinlochleven. I think they’re all closed now but interested in hearing if anyone’s heard any plans for reopening. 

I don't know of anywhere but it seems surprising that nobody has managed to make an indoor ice wall a commercial success.

I think they did up until energy costs increased significantly? I'm aware that there was some unpleasant business with staff claiming they hadn't been paid before the Ice Factor closed, but my understanding is that was after the costs had increased massively.

Unless the ice wall is colocated with something which needs heat its energy costs are going to be a significant liability for the business.

It's like a climbing wall, but a less accessible sport with a much, much smaller customer base and enormous energy bills, on top of all the other staff and safety costs, I can't fathom why people aren't falling over themselves to invest! 

I can understand why with increased business rates, then COVID then sky high electricity bills this just didn't work out. But I miss occasionally using places like vertical chill Covent Garden (back of Ellis Brigham shop)

Let's change the subject though before anyone asks about the carbon footprint 🤐

I've often wondered why nobody puts an ice wall at the back of an indoor skiing venue, like Snowdome. That way the cooling costs are shared by a much larger customer base. Apparently that's where the Ellis Brigham ice wall sourced its snow from to pack the wall anyway.

I was chatting to an employee of Ellis Brigham whilst purchasing some snowboard boots for the upcoming season. She was saying Snow Factor in Braehead, the one with the ice wall at the back, has still got snow and is still being chilled and maintained everyday. The people that built the complex didn't factor in shutting the place down completely and so has no contingency plan for the ice melt which would flood the Braehead Xcite complex. The person who owned it previously is a crook and took off to Greece with people's wages and washed his hands of it. The Scottish government should step in. If it's still running, but not open, that just seems mental. 

The one in Glasgow did have an ice wall for a bit.

Update - looks like Kinlochleven’s reopening 👍 wonder if it’ll include the ice wall?

https://www.obantimes.co.uk/2023/09/12/new-tenants-for-national-climbing-ce...

Sounds like it, from today's BBC story:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-66795586

Hmm, I'm very very skeptical about that - imagine the running costs just to maintain the mothballed place

There was one in Yorkshire, Castleford I think.  It didn't last long.  The marginal cost of keeping the wall frozen is probably negligible, so I suspect the reason was staff costs.  I doubt there is a large enough base of ice climbers in Yorkshire to sustain it, but they'd have to keep it staffed during opening hours. whether or not anyone turned up.

I visited when it first opened. I had to pay £30 for an hour's assessement, which once I'd shown I knew what I was doing turned into an hour's climbing with a paid belayer. However as it had just opened they had a promotion on, and I came away with a technical T-shirt, RRP £29.99.  So an hour's climbing for a net cost of 1p!

Is an ice wall really required for a pre-season warm up? I built myself a 'system board' that hangs off of a ladder. a few trips up and down that in my boots crampons and ice axes soon got me fit for winter climbing. 

I’ve always found the pump from dry tooling different from the pump from whacking tools into ice (which is worse). Still worth doing what you say though. 

thats why you incorporate some end grain wood to thwack into!

Surprisingly realistic in my opinion, and different woods simulate different ice conditions.

that is a good idea - I'll add that 

Word is they have found a new operator to run the icefactor.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-66795586