"I had to make some hard decisions; we had a really hard winter last year." Tres Barbatelli said that to the Montrose Press about his first weeks as executive director of the Ouray Ice Park. In the same interview he put a number on that hard winter. The park opened late and closed early, so it ran for about six weeks instead of the usual 12 to 14.
The repairs that could make another season like that less likely are now scheduled. The independent water system has a test target of next summer. The City's 2027 budget hasn't had its public hearing yet. Ideas for reworking the Ice Festival are still on a staff to-do list. None of them will change what happens in the Uncompahgre Gorge this winter. The 2026-27 season is a bridge year. It runs on a smaller team and the existing water setup, and a single January weekend has to carry most of the money.
How the Short Season Played Out
Last January's Ouray County Plaindealer report described a season saved at the last minute. After an unusually warm start, the ice farmers went back to spraying. Then-executive director Peter O'Neil said he first saw promising ice on Jan. 8, and the park opened on Wednesday, Jan. 21. Organizers had already planned an "Ice(less)" version of the festival and cancelled its ice-climbing clinics. A cold snap opened the park just before the event.
Those weeks without ice showed up in the budget months later. On June 3 the Plaindealer reported that Ouray Ice Park Inc., the nonprofit that runs the park, had told the City it was at an "inflection point." Operating costs kept rising, its funding sources were saturated, and it was asking the City for help. Notes from a May 8 work session of the Ice Park Advisory Team said more plainly that OIPI had reached the practical limit of what its current fundraising could raise without new revenue. Scaling back operations was listed as a risk.
OIPI's donation page shows the scale of the problem. It still describes the park as free and open to the public, and it estimates the operating cost at $30 per climber per day.
A New Director With a Smaller Team
O'Neil gave his final report as executive director and was due to retire April 15. The OIPI Board picked Barbatelli as his successor, and he started Sept. 7. That opened a board seat, and the advisory team said it hoped to fill it by an Oct. 21 meeting.
Barbatelli told the Montrose Press his first job was getting the staff in place. That meant hiring a management team that includes some longtime park staff and planning for seasonal employees to return. He also said the park will run with a smaller administrative and operations team this year. A smaller crew matters most at the start of the season, when farming depends on people being in the gorge as soon as the cold arrives.
The Water System Arrives Next Summer, Not This Winter
"Our Water Our Future" is OIPI's multiyear campaign to secure an independent water source and build the infrastructure to pump it into the park. Barbatelli said the project has already secured water rights and built a new water main. According to the Aug. 12 advisory team minutes, the Colorado Water Conservation Board approved a grant that brings the project about $70,000 closer to completion. Electrical conduit now runs from the Oak Street bridge substation to the Canyon Creek point of diversion. The wet well was expected to be finished with the City and contractors "in the next few months."
Barbatelli expects the system to be ready to test by next summer. "We are in the final phases of it," he said. "There's light at the end of the tunnel." He was also clear that it won't be ready for this season.
So this winter's opening depends on weather and the current setup. Ice farming usually starts in November. If all goes well, Barbatelli said, the ice will be climbable before Christmas. "When the stars align with water and cold temperatures, we're able to build a lot of ice very quickly," he said. That is a goal, not an announced opening date. Last season it slipped to Jan. 21.
What's Settled and What's Still Under Discussion
Most of the Ice Park news since June has been proposals, not decisions. Here is where each item stood as of late October 2026.
Item | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
General park access | Unchanged | Still described by OIPI as a free, public park |
Memberships | Current | Community $50, Basic $90, Pro $225, Ambassador $500. Family tier discontinued |
South Park warming hut | Purchased | Delivery planned for Nov. 1 |
32nd Ouray Ice Festival | Scheduled | Jan. 28 to 31, 2027 |
City 2027 budget lines | Proposed | $16,000 "Ice Park Fees" revenue, $35,000 "Ice Park Expenses" in the Parks fund |
City management fee, capital support, water cost review, required busy-season membership | Discussed in May | No adoption recorded |
Ice Fest clinic price, quantity and schedule changes | Referred to staff and Board | Not recorded as adopted |
Ice Fest competition and evening format | Brainstormed in August | Staff to "roll in what works" |
In the proposed City budget, the $35,000 expense line is a City account. The budget table does not list it as a grant or management payment to OIPI. The City's Tourism fund projects $675,000 in lodging tax revenue and $129,500 for promotions and sponsorships, with no line set aside for the Ice Park. An "OIPI Pre-Season Report 2026-2027" was on the Oct. 19 City Council agenda under the City Administrator's report, not as a funding vote.
Why So Much Rides on Ice Fest
The festival matters more than its January dates suggest. June work-session notes say Ice Fest supplies about 60% of OIPI's budget. After a season that ran about half its normal length, the January weekend carries even more of the year.
The published 2027 listing keeps the familiar pieces: clinics, Vendor Village and gear demos, an ice and mixed climbing competition, presentations and movies downtown, a RAB pool party and a Saturday night event. Under the heading "Reimagining Ice Fest," the August advisory meeting produced a longer list of ideas:
- Bring back speed, youth and enduro events, and use more of the park than just the tower
- Run clinics until 2 p.m., then shift into competition sessions and exhibition climbs into the evening
- Add a leader board, more places to watch and possibly a broadcast partner
- Hold a spaghetti dinner at the Ouray Community Center and a gala-style fundraiser at the Wright
- Spread smaller evening programs across local businesses and restaurants, including athlete slide shows or a scavenger hunt around town
- Offer night climbing in the park for members, on limited routes with vetted belayers
The minutes also flag a scheduling problem. OIPI checked with other festivals before picking its dates, but every weekend of the season has a competition somewhere in the world. Some local climbers will be away during the festival, and the team floated a separate regional event with Ouray, Durango and Salt Lake teams for when they are home. Beyond the festival, Barbatelli told the Montrose Press he plans several free stewardship and educational events, plus fundraisers and membership drives with local partners.
Upcoming Dates for Ice Park Regulars
The warming hut for the park's South Park area is due Nov. 1. The advisory team says it was bought with help from a donor. OIPI is still asking for donations toward a catalytic propane heater and a carbon monoxide detector, and toward installing the temporary structure to code. A volunteer party will anchor the hut on a platform once staff sign off.
On Nov. 2, City Council holds its public hearing on the proposed 2027 budget, with adoption scheduled for Nov. 16. Those two meetings are the public's chance to weigh in before the City's Ice Park numbers are final.
Members renewing for the season should check their account. OIPI says the Family level has been discontinued. Some auto-renewals set up on its old platform no longer work, so those members need to buy again for the coming season. The membership page lists the Community tier at $50 and Basic at $90. Basic adds early-morning access and entry to night-climbing events. At $30 per climber per day in operating cost, a $50 membership covers about two days of a climber's time in the gorge.
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