If You Go:
When: Jan. 8 – TBD
Where: 2002 Soldier Hollow Rd., Midway, UT, 84049
Cost: $6.95–$12.95 (Need to pre-order tickets)
Site: icecastles.com
After a disappointing 2015 season, the Midway Ice Castle finally opens in Soldier Hollow on Friday, Jan. 8.
Last year the weather wouldn’t cooperate for the ice castle team and it was only open for one weekend. With unusually high winter temperatures reaching the 40s, it was too warm during the day and the ice castle would melt as it was being built.
“It never really got cold enough, so we tried and tried and tried,” said Brent Christensen, designer and founder of Midway Ice Castle. “We never really ended with a product we liked.”
The goal for 2016 is to stay open through February, but Christensen has enough experience with finicky weather to know to take it one day at a time.
“At this point, I know all to well that things can turn south in a hurry. We’ll be open as long as we can,” Christensen said.
Because of inconsistent weather, the Midway Ice Castle only releases tickets online for about a week at a time.
Luckily, Christensen says the 10-day forecast is looking good for the ice castle sitting on an acre of land in Soldier’s Hollow, 2002 Soldier Hollow Road in Midway. Originally Christensen looked at Park City, but it didn’t have the right feel for the ice castle.
“I think Midway is a really awesome town and it is a great destination,” Christensen said. “People enjoy coming up here. It is mellower than Park City. I think most people coming up to the valley like the pace of Midway since it is a charming little town.”
This year the ice castle design is the best yet, according to Christensen. Based on a slide in Canada, they added a 30-foot ice slide. In addition, there are fountains, waterfalls and caves all made up of ice.
Christensen recommends coming dressed for the cold weather: he suggests wearing boots with a good sole and enough layers to endure the cold.
Tickets are available online at icecastles.com. Tickets cost $9.95 for adults and $6.95 for children Monday–Thursday and $12.95 for adults and $8.95 for children on weekends. It is open from 3–9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 3–11 p.m. on Fridays and 12–11 p.m. on Saturdays. Check the site regularly for ticket availability as only a few tickets are released a time.