Hamik has a great idea: let's build an ice wall for Ditch Day! Hamik realizes he can't build things. Ben Reinhardt builds ice wall.
We built wooden, caulked, waterproof troughs which we filled and froze in Caltech Dining Services walk-in freezers. Ben spent a total of several hours carting water into the 0F freezer.
We (Ben) built scaffolding to hold the blocks in place. After getting lowered into place from a 4:1 pulley attached to the 4x4 at the top of the orange scaffolding, each piece was bolted onto the frame (through the wood of the trough, not the ice).
Each trough had bolts, old ropes, and lots of random things on the inside to increase surface area for ice bonding.
This was the general setup. Each block weighed 4-500 lbs, but there was enough friction in the system that it took some effort to lift them.
Before the campus climbed it...
One stack has passed through at this point and another has started.
