ICE-OSCELES PINNACLE

As the winter wraps up, I thought we should make a little ice tower wrap up (there is also a video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wySFtKUOm10) so who better to explain it then our Adventures Director, so here it is... 

by CC

One of the Midwest’s hidden gems, the Ice-osceles Pinnacle (ice tower) at Camp Shamineau has awed spectators for years. Whether looking up closely; getting sprayed with ice as you climb, or walking by and seeing it get explained as a big popsicle in the woods. However you view the tower, it's one of a kind. This massive tower stands at a whopping 43 feet tall with three outside faces to climb and an inside cave to tackle. It has been in operation since the late 90’s as a winter fixture here at Shamineau. The first ice tower in the midwest and one of only few we know about.

The ice tower was made from three class 2 telephone poles donated from Crow Wing Power and made stable with galvanized angle iron. This year’s tower took about a week and a half of spraying for 24 hours a day to construct.  The tower is formed by running a water hose up the tower by way of a pulley system to six separate sprayer nozzles with very fine tips. Ideally spraying the tower from top down, the pulley system also allows us to move the sprayer to fill in open spots.

To climb this monster, you'd use two ice axes and twelve-point crampons for your feet. It's quite a difficult challenge but equally as unique.  It's another experience at camp that most people just can't do anywhere else.  Next time you are up at camp in the winter, you will have to try it!