The Ouray Ice Park opened Saturday, a week later than originally anticipated but still before Christmas.

Ice farmers have been hard at work since November, according to the park’s Facebook page, spraying water down the cliffs of the Uncompahgre River gorge to create the streams of frozen water that attract ice climbers from all over the world.

The park has over 125 ice climbing routes and is renown as a training ground for experienced and new ice climbers alike. This year, the park will host at least two major events, including the ALL IN Ice Fest and the Ouray Ice Festival.

The former, which will be held Jan. 6-8, 2023, is targeted toward serving traditionally marginalized communities in outdoor spaces.

“ALL IN's mission is to elevate and highlight people from marginalized communities – including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA2S+ communities, and adaptive climbers,” the description reads.

The annual Ouray Ice Festival will be held Jan. 19-22 in the park. The event features clinics, gear demos and competitions.

The ice park drew about 20,600 visitors during the 2021-22, 95% of which were visitors to Ouray. The park has become the lifeblood of the small town’s winter economy, as those visitors infused an estimated $17.3 million into Ouray’s hotels, restaurants and guiding services.

The park is free to visit, although frequent users are encouraged to become members of the nonprofit that runs it. Operating hours are Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekends. Members of the Ouray ice Park, Inc. may enter a half-hour earlier each day.

rschafir@durangoherald.com