How to make a 100 foot Frozen Waterfall, My gift to you!

[cliftongifford]

I've been making frozen falls for several years now, the best thing I've found to use is metal fencing. If you hang 100ft of chain link or similar fencing over the edge you might have a climbable flow in just a few cold days. You'll be surprised at how fast it'll become self-supporting. If you do this, don't make the fence perfectly level, bring it out away from the fall at the bottom a couple feet or so creating a 'slab', if not you'll end up with a difficult overhanging waterfall with deathcicles everywhere. Good luck... it's a process of trial and error.

[Eric Cox]

Roger and I discussed chain link fence but all I had was the ropes. Thanks a ton for the bata on bringing out the bottom. As impressive as a 100 foot column would be, it's sort of not practicable for climbing in this environment. I don't know of that many flows that are sizeable and accessible down here, but I'm sure they are around. Next fall, I wouldn't mind at all doing some work to prepare a few if some people want to try get something going. I'll donate what resources I can come up with and throw in a few days of sweat. Plugging gear, clipping bolts, or swinging axes, it's all good!

[Eric Cox]

I think I figured out why the middle section always melts first. This was a new formation. It's about two times thicker but not connect in several places.
I had not been out to check anything for a few days.
As the sun came around the edge of the rock house, it hit the coulmn right where it is always thin.






Direct sunlight and running water. Two things your ice column is better off with out.
I threw several rocks at the column and the best I could do was knock off a fist sized chunk.

[RRO]

nice. my gues is if we could get enough bored hillbillys together bet we can create one that is climbable. this one is a kick ass installation for sure !

[dmw]

Eric, remember that I have a couch and Hyalite Canyon has lots of frozen waterfalls!!

[pigsteak]

updates on this during the cols snap we've had?

[tomdarch]

Redirecting water where you can control the flow might help as well.

There is a choke point about 40 feet from the edge that I can dam. If the water continues to flow at the rate that it is now, I'll do that.

It seems like you want to make water flow when it's coldest - exactly the opposite of what would happen naturally. It isn't very "green", but the thought I had would be that you would want to dam the stream at the top in the summer/fall to create a reservoir of water. Then, when it's cold, you would release the water to build up on the rope/cable/fencing. You would also be able to cut off the flow when it's warm, and the new water would erode the formation. Building dams is usually labor and material intensive, and I have no idea how to create a good, controlled way to release water from the bottom (not frozen) part of the reservoir...

[ynot]

the top of that fall is pretty flat.

[Eric Cox]

Right now there isn't much to see but with the lows in the teens later this week there should be something cool to see.

[Eric Cox]

Well folks, I figured the ice farming season was over and it was time to clean up the mess. I knew at least one rope had failed, but I was suprized to see that everything nylon had failed. The black 2" webbing was new and rated for 8000 pounds.















This group is some what fell to the bottom of the waterfall under the tonnage of ice.
It was a cluster F^#% of tangled muddy rope. After an hour or so, I got it all pulled loose and carried it inside to dry.

It seems like I remember a thread on here not too long ago about someone looking for used rope to guide Boy Scouts with. You all think I could sell him this left over stuff for some cash???