Cold Play at three of Minnesota's Ice Parks (including one in Duluth)
Jan 08, 2023 06:13AM ● By Content Editor
Photo: MN DNR - MN Conservation Magazine
By Ryan Rodgers- MN Conservation Magazine - Jan - Feb 2023 Issue
Duluth’s New Ice. The state’s newest ice park, Quarry Park in Duluth, was slated to open last season. Like Sandstone, Duluth Ice Park occupies a former quarry. This quarry sits 400 feet up the lakeside hills above the St. Louis River, overlooking West Duluth and the Bong Bridge. Many years ago, investors in the quarry were disappointed to discover that under a cap of hard basalt lurked crumbly anorthosite gabbro. For decades the pit sat forgotten, hidden in the overgrowth behind a neighborhood. In the 1970s, ice climbers discovered the sloppy rock froze into place during winter, and 100-foot-tall icefalls formed. Ice climbing was in its wild infancy, and climbers began discreetly plying their trade, affectionately dubbing the venue Casket Quarry after the concrete burial vaults made by a nearby company.
To read the full story, visit the Minnesota Conservation online website here.
By Ryan Rodgers- MN Conservation Magazine - Jan - Feb 2023 Issue
Duluth’s New Ice. The state’s newest ice park, Quarry Park in Duluth, was slated to open last season. Like Sandstone, Duluth Ice Park occupies a former quarry. This quarry sits 400 feet up the lakeside hills above the St. Louis River, overlooking West Duluth and the Bong Bridge. Many years ago, investors in the quarry were disappointed to discover that under a cap of hard basalt lurked crumbly anorthosite gabbro. For decades the pit sat forgotten, hidden in the overgrowth behind a neighborhood. In the 1970s, ice climbers discovered the sloppy rock froze into place during winter, and 100-foot-tall icefalls formed. Ice climbing was in its wild infancy, and climbers began discreetly plying their trade, affectionately dubbing the venue Casket Quarry after the concrete burial vaults made by a nearby company.
To read the full story, visit the Minnesota Conservation online website here.
