Illinois man engineers tower for ice climbing
Avid ice climber Joel Taylor grew frustrated when two warm winters in a row meant he couldn’t climb at his favorite nearby spot in Starved Rock State Park in Illinois. So he decided to create his own ice wall.
He reached out to his friend in Frankfort who had a farm silo on his property. Could they somehow ice up the silo for climbing?
Taylor’s plan worked. He engineered a piping system to spray water from the top of the silo, and on the right day the result was a huge wall of ice and icicles.
“That’s how it started,” Taylor said. “It was out of necessity, out of frustration.”
But, he learned, the temperature has to be just right.
Even at 32 or 31 degrees, around the freezing temperature, Taylor found the water wouldn’t freeze fast enough to achieve the result he was looking for.
He said to build a climbable ice wall, temperature readings have to be at highest in the mid-20s, but teens are better and single digits are best.
But there were enough cold days for Taylor to start offering guided ice climbing experiences on the silo in Frankfort, Illinois, until his friend’s family grew tired of hosting dozens of visitors showing up each weekend.
So four years ago he built a climbing wall on his property in Monee, Illinois, and used the techniques he learned to create an ice wall when temperatures permit. This is the second season he is using the 32-foot wall he built.
About 10 people showed at his home Feb. 1. All had already done some rock climbing and wanted to try it on ice, including Jorge Maldonado, of Chicago.
“I’m a rock climber and ice climbing was something I wanted to do, so I can do it all year long,” he said. “For me, it’s a great way to work out and to challenge myself mentally and physically.”
Taylor said rock climbing differs from ice climbing because instead of finding holes or crevasses in the rock to latch into you can make your own holes in the ice with an ice hook or with spikes attached to the bottom of your boots.
Some people were firsttime ice climbers, so Taylor provided a basic lesson.
“When you swing the tool, you’re looking for certain spots in the ice,” Taylor told the climbers. “You don’t want to hit the bulges because they’ll break off. You’re looking for bowls, concave areas or ledges. That’s where you’re going to swing into the ice.”
While one person climbs with a rope attached to their waist, a partner is on the ground belaying the rope that’s looped around a wheel at the top of the wall.
“Squat, spring, swing,” Taylor shouted at the climbers during their intense workout up the ice. “Squat, spring, swing.”
This was Chicago resident Michelle Davis’ second time ice climbing.
She said she almost gave up the first time after slipping so much, but she kept at it and eventually learned how to work with the ice.
Davis said when she finally reached the top and rung that bell it felt like an amazing accomplishment.
Taylor, on the other hand, has been rock climbing for more than 30 years. He said he makes trips to different parts of the country to climb ice, especially in Michigan’s upper peninsula and in Colorado.
With warming temperatures this past weekend melting the ice on his wall and with not much hope for sustained temperatures in the mid-20s or lower the rest of this winter he said ice climbing is likely done this season.
Taylor charges climbers $15 to climb his wall if they have their own gear and $60 for the gear, rental and climb package.
He said he’s not making a lot of money and the fees just help pay for operating costs.
Taylor said he does it just for the love of the sport and sharing it with others.
His website is verticaladventure.org.