Sandstone Ice Park

The Midwest's premiere ice climbing park, managed by the Minnesota Climbers Association.

The Sandstone Ice Park is a partnership between the city of Sandstone, MN and the MCA. The Sandstone Ice Park is located in the city-owned Robinson Park. All maintenance and upkeep of the ice farming effort is conducted by a dedicated crew of creative and resourceful volunteers. A labor of love, for the joy of winter climbing. The ice park has four farmed areas: the Upper Schoolroom, the Lower Schoolroom, the Stage Wall, and the North End (also called the Main Flow Area). A system of water pipes, pex tubes, misting nozzles, and low-flow showerheads creates ice flows on the quarried sandstone walls in Robinson Park for WI 3 - 5 climbs ranging from 30 - 80 feet tall.

The Ice Park typically sees climbable ice from late December to early March. The Ice Park is free and open to the public. All climbing is at your own risk. You are responsible for yourself. Cliff-top access is available via a short hike. Top-rope anchors can be set using trees and bolts.

Do not turn off the nozzles during active farming! The farming system relies on flow and pressure to keep the lines from freezing. Please take care to not step on or puncture the farming system. Please report any obvious issues you see with the farming system by contacting us here.

All guiding in The Sandstone Ice Park requires a mandatory seasonal permit available through Sandstone City Hall - (320) 245-5241.

Every January, the Sandstone Ice Park kicks off the new year with the Sandstone Ice Festival, hosted by the MCA.

History

Covert and stealth ice farming was taking place as early as 2004. Ice Farming became official in 2010 when the city installed a water source a few hundred feet from the cliff edge. The MCA requested this at a city council meeting and the city covered the initial investment of $3000. The MCA has purchased and coordinated efforts to install and maintain the pipe and shower head infrastructure of the Ice Park.

In general, or, historically, before any ice farming occurred, ice was ephemeral, only forming one to two times per year on average. Main flows centered on the Matrix Wall from the far left corner (Quick Silver), across the main flows on Matrix and Wahtusi Crack and then more sporadically across the wall to the north until it reaches Turf Wars in the Reservoir Dogs area. From time to time, less reliably forming routes pop up to the south of Matrix Wall and to between Reservoir Dogs area and the last mixed line at the junction of Sigma Wall (Soggy Bottom Boys). There were two years in recent history were ideal condition sled to well over 20 distinct and continuous ice pillars along the entire east-facing walls. Most of the first ascents of the now ephemeral, thin, or non-existent ice lines were claimed in those years (mid-1990s). 

Restrictions

Ice tools are allowed, as of 2010, from well right of the Historic Stage area, all along the Matrix wall and Reservoir Dogs areas and onto the last mixed line to the north, Soggy Bottom Boys. Historically, folks warmed up to the ice season by dry tooling the Diagonal Wall and Muskrat Wall (what has been recently referred to as Sax Wall). This trend continues. In general, crampons are frowned on outside of the winter season, so stick to ice climbing boots or rock climbing shoes in other seasons to reduce scratching of the rock surface.

There is absolutely no ice tool climbing allowed on Sigma Wall, The Relationship Wall, or any route designated a rock climb other than those routes on the Diagonal and Muskrat (Sax) Walls.

Sandstone ice and mixed climbing can be the absolute hardest un-steep climbing you’ll find. Enjoy it responsibly.

Beta

As far as the mixed scene goes, when the main flows grew thin, or when the 20 plus pillars didn’t form, every inch of sandstone from Quicksilver down to Soggy Bottom Boys were either top roped or led and you’d be very surprised, and maybe a little nauseous, looking up from the bottom of some of the mixed routes that have been led on natural gear at Sandstone in the winter by the likes of Mike Dahlberg, Scott Backes , their rope mates and a few others over the decades of climbing in this area. Mixed trad-leading at Sandstone doesn’t leave a lot of options for anyone other than the absolutely honed, however. For starters, one might have a go at Quicksilver, but you’d better have plenty of trad M6 under your belt to safely lead this run out and somewhat un-dependable gear route (and in the Midwest that’s a tall order). After that, maybe consider Wahtusi Crack. But be forewarned, at least two folks have ripped off near the top onto gear in that iced up exit crack: Scott Backes and Carter Stritch. Even these two moderate leads have their tricks and regardless of your current talent and fitness, be careful selecting trad mixed routes here. Rock breaks, ice shatters, turf rips…all independent of how bad-ass you feel that day.