Big Snow And Safer Ice Climbing Venue

Heavy snow has fallen over much of Utah during the past two days. The town of Liberty (in Ogden Valley east of the city of Ogden) reports more than two feet. Show showers will taper off overnight but pick up again tomorrow. Another foot could fall in favored locations.

Needless to say, our ski resorts have absolutely fabulous conditions. If you love powder skiing, get here now.

Snow will continue to affect travel throughout Utah. Crews are working around the clock but there may be snowpack on major highways and secondary roads at times. Roads to ski resorts may be closed for short periods to accommodate avalanche control work.

Ice Climbing

Utah offers several spots that are considered world class for ice climbing. With this cold winter, climbing conditions have never been better.

Ice climbing carried inherent risks. Last week a Park City woman died from injuries sustained while ice climbing at Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon.

Now a climbing venue has opened near Heber City where a man-made ice climbing tower affords a safer, controlled experience. KSL.com has this report about the facility. Below are excerpts.

The man-made tower of ice is located at 800 South and Main Street in Midway. Nearly 7 feet thick in some places, the ice captures the beauty of Mother Nature as it sits and waits to be conquered by climbers.

Ice climber John Powers, was at the ice tower Tuesday, anxious to conquer it for a third time. He's an avid rock climber but a beginner when it comes to ice climbing.

"There's a little more skill to it than just normal rock climbing," Powers said. "You have a lot more muscle that you're using to hold onto your ice axes, and actually climbing the wall itself."

Visit www.midwayadventure.com/ice-climbing for more information.