From Deseret News archives:
'90s ice climbing tower may be rebuilt in Ogden
"I'm going to go out on a limb and say it will be (ready this winter)," said Jeff Lowe, who designed the tower in the mid-1990s for the ESPN X Games and has been orchestrating its revival.
John Patterson, chief administrative officer for the city, said the Holographic Ice Tower, which has been lying dormant in a west Ogden parking lot for two years, will go up again some time this year.
Ogden Climbing Parks has already been approved for $200,000 in tax money, half the estimated $400,000 it will take to upgrade and reconstruct the 65-foot tower.
Lowe and Patterson said the group is applying for other grants to cover the last $200,000. The rebuilt tower will feature improved insulation and cooling systems that will make it more efficient and extend its ice season to at least five months a year, Lowe said.
Patterson is hoping the tower can be set up downtown.
"Because of the iconic nature of this tower, it should be downtown, where it's seen by our community and helps to add to that high adventure extreme sport flavor that were trying to create," Patterson said.
Money raised at the Ogden Climb Fest on Saturday will support the ice tower project.
