March Ice Climbing Adventures!

The last month has been action packed & full of great ice climbing with lots of fun guests!  Starting with an Ice Skills Week then moving into a bunch of custom trips, it was great to get out with so many enthusiastic climbers!  Here's some photo's from some of the climbs!

Malignant Mushroom (WI5) in the Ghost with Trent & Chris 

 Shawn P. in Johnston Canyon on the Ice Skills Week

Scott doing some mixed climbing on the Ice Skills Week.

  

And some leading the next day!

 Tyler D. leading on Nothing But The Breast (WI4+) near Nordegg on a rainy day.  The next day we climbed Whiteman Falls (WI5) & Redman Soars (M5+) but my camera wasn't working (perhaps due to getting rained on the day before!). 

 Looking up at Good Luck & Bad Dreams (WI4), another Nordegg classic.

 Climbing at Rehab Wall way up Evan Thomas Creek.

Looking up at the last pitch on Professor Falls (WI4).

 Kevin R. rappelling down after we climbed the Central Pillar on the Weeping Wall in very difficult conditions.

 And Kevin leading the next day on Guinness Gully.

 Shawn P. nearing the top of Whiteman Falls (WI5).

 Rick S. doing his first ice lead in King Creek!

 Laura top-roping in Haffner Creek on the Intro Ice Course.

 Shawn part way up Redman Soars (M5+)

 And a day off from the ice to go skiing.  Not as fun, but gets you to some rad places like the Rockwall in Kootenay National Park.

 Climbing in King Creek with Kyle & Landon, three days before Landon's wedding in Banff!

With them again the next day in Haffner.  We also climbed Guinness Gully but I didn't get any pics.  

J. Mills
CRAG Head Guide
www.cdnalpine.com

Whiteman Falls (W6) & Redman Soars (M5+) with Chris

Whiteman's & Redman's are two of the best climbs in the Kananaskis area, and I always enjoy heading into climb them.  Chris joined me for the day and was keen to get on some steep ice & mixed terrain!

The day starts with an hour long ski down a closed road, and we were treated to a beautiful sunrise along the way.  After the ski, we entered the canyon where a couple short bits of ice and some skirting around waterholes brought us to the routes. 

 

Skiing down the road at dawn.

We started with Whiteman Falls, and found it to be in excellent shape with good plastic ice and easy climbing for the grade.  The first pitch had some very cool climbing on ice mushrooms, and the second pitch was more sustained steep ice.  We were up and down the climb in no time, so we turned our attention to the harder Redman Soars (5.10 mixed or M5+). 

 

Rappelling back down Whiteman Falls.

Redmans is a sweet mixed route with about 55m of sustained drytooling & thin ice climbing.  The crux sections involve torquing the picks in thin cracks and hooking some small edges.  Chris hadn't climbed much of this type of terrain before, but didn't seem to have any trouble getting up it. 

Chris climbing through the slot on the 2nd pitch of Redmans.

After slogging back down the road we arrived at the car tired but psyched with the day!

J. Mills

Professor Falls & Water Hole with Jarrid

Shortly after returning from a climbing trip to Patagonia, I met up with Jarrid from Edmonton for a couple of days on the ice.  We had nice mild temperatures & plastic ice, always a treat when ice climbing! 

 

Jarrid approaching a very wet pitch on Professor's.

 

On the first day we climbed on our bicycles and pedaled into Professor Falls near Banff.  Despite the great weather we were surprised to be alone on the climb all day.  The first couple pitches offered some steep but hooked out climbing on great ice.  A number of easier pitches brought us to the final crux pillar.  It was in great WI4 shape and we were soon shaking hands on top.  I usually rappel the route, but since many of the anchors are buried under ice this year we decided to do the walk off instead.  Back at the bikes we completed the sketchier part of the day by pedaling back down the icy trail to the car. 

 

Jarrid leading a short section on Professors

The next day Jarrid had to drive back to Edmonton so we chose a shorter objective and headed up to the Water Hole.  The second pitch had melted out quite a bit since I was last there in December, but we managed to hook our way up the section of manky ice to thicker ice above.  We then climbed a 5.4 pitch to reach the mixed climb above.  The mixed pitch (M4ish) isn't too pumpy but has some very thin & balancy moves which make it rather challenging. 

 

Rappelling over the thin section on The Water Hole.

Jay Mills
CRAG Head Guide
www.cdnalpine.com

Guinness, Bourgeau L. & Coire Dubh with Kenji!

To finish off 2012, I was joined by Kenji from Japan for a few days of classic ice climbing!  He had climbed lots of ice in Japan, so we were able to do some great routes.  He was very impressed with the quality of the climbing the Canadian Rockies and by the end of the trip was even talking about trying to move here!

We started out by climbing Guinness Gully & Guinness Stout which was a great way to get know each other and climb some fun ice!  Kenji had no problems with the climbing so I knew we would want to find something harder for the next day.

Kenji approaching Guinness Stout

Up early, we hiked in to Bourgeau Left Hand by headlamp and were soon launching up the first 70 meter pitch of sustained WI4.  The ice was in great shape and was really enjoyable.  The upper tier of ice is the WI5 crux and was soaking wet on the normal line.  Fortunately it is wide enough this year that there was a good dry line on the left which we climbed in two pitches.  The final pitch starts off with several body lengths of very steep ice and we both got a good pump as we picked our way up it.  We had only planned on doing the two days of climbing, but Kenji was keen for more so we decided to do another climb a couple days later. 

 Looking up at the steep upper pitches of Bourgeau Left.

Kenji nearing the top of the second pitch on Bourgeau Left Hand.

For our final route we chose the excellent mixed route of Coire Dubh Integral just East of Canmore.  The lower ice section is relatively easy, but the climb has about 8 excellent pitches of mixed climbing up nice rock features.  Kenji had never done a mixed climb before, but by this point I wasn't at all surprised that he was able to pick it up quickly and cruise up pitch after pitch of climbing!  As usual it was really windy on the top so we hiked down the backside into the canyons of Jura Creek instead of walking down the ridge.

 Coming up through the challenging chimney on the 1st mixed pitch.

 Cruising up a nice corner higher on the route.

Kenji & I on top of the route, trying not to get blown over by the wind!

I had a great few days with Kenji and hope to be able to climb with him again in the future.  Perhaps he will even find a way to move to the Rockies someday!

J. Mills
CRAG Head Guide
www.cdnalpine.com

Ice Climbing at King Creek

After a nice Christmas break in Manitoba, I was back in the Rockies for a day of climbing with a group of guys who work together & who's company flew them down from Houston, TX for some ice climbing & team building.  It was organized by Shawn P (Shawn's Blog) whom I have climbed with a bunch of times over the last few years.  The others had never ice climbed, and for one of them it was his first introduction to Canada!  Everyone was really enthusiastic and we were soon taking turns on all the ice climbs at King Creek.  We even finished the day by top roping a challenging mixed route that has formed in a corner this year and is a really hard climb for your first day of ice climbing! 

It was fun day of climbing & I hope they have been inspired to try some more in the future!

J. Mills
CRAG Head Guide
www.cdnalpine.com

Ice Skills Clinic

After a great Ice Skills Week, I was joined by another great group of guys for a 2 days Ice Skills Clinic.  Again I had met all three of them before so knew it would be a fun weekend with Mark, Chris, & Steven!

Saturday we headed into Haffner Creek and as usual got pumped silly on the steep ice & mixed routes.  It was a good chance for everyone to work on both movement techniques, and leading skills like placing screws and building anchors. 
 

 Steven leading on The Water Hole.

The next day we went to The Water Hole and a couple of fun pitches above.  Since two of the guys had already done some leading in the past, they were able to lead us up the first two pitches of climbing and did a great job.  Above we climbed the same thin ice pitch that I had done earlier in the week, but instead of scrambling around to the side we set up a toprope on a short but steep mixed corner which ended up being really cool climbing.  So far this season The Water Hole has provided a lot of variety for a roadside route! 

Chris taking his turn leading on The Water Hole.

 On Monday, Chris stayed for a day of multi pitch climbing so we drove out to Field to check out some steep ice.  Pilsner Pillar looked to be in great shape so we decided to give it a go.  The climb was really sweet and involved some steep climbing on variable ice with lots of stemming onto the rock.  Chris had never been on a WI6 before but didn't seem to have any problems and was able to follow me up it in no time!  Since it was still early in the day, we headed across to Carlesbourg Column for some more climbing.  The first two easier pitches went smoothly, but the main upper part of the route was mostly pouring with water.  I made it part way up the edge of the ice but after 15 meters with no useful screws decided to call it a day.  Despite not making it up Carlesbourg we still managed to get lots of good climbing into the day and were psyched! 

Pilsner Pillar in great shape!

J. Mills
CRAG Head Guide
www.cdnalpine.com

Ice Skills Week

Spent an awesome 5 days ice climbing in December with Aaron, Tyler, and Kory on the Ice Skills Week.  I had spent time in the mountains with all three of them before on various climbs & courses, and knew it would be a super fun week with lots of enthusiasm, laughter, and perhaps the occasional crude joke.  Everyone was keen to get some experience leading on both single pitch and multi pitch terrain, and the avalanche hazard was nice and low so we had lots of great options. 

On Monday we started out by getting nice and pumped at Haffner Creek.  Most of the day was spent top-roping and honing movement techniques as well as working on strategies for placing ice screws in steep terrain.  We also worked on some of the other critical leading skills like downclimbing, clipping draws with big gloves on, anchor building, and consciously relaxing on the ice tools.  Downclimbing in particular is a skill that most climbers neglect to practice but is super important to get yourself out of a tight spot without falling.  We finished the day dangling from our arms on some of Haffner's classic mixed climbs. 

 

Mixed climbing at Haffner

Doing some practice leading on the steep ice at Haffner

Tuesday we took advantage of a rarely formed climb called The Water Hole, as well as a new climb higher up the mountain side.  The day involved 4 fun pitches of climbing as was a great way to go through all the multi pitch skills such as anchor building, choosing safe belay locations, double rope techniques, multi pitch rappels, and generally avoiding rope clusters with climbing teams of 3 or more.  The first two pitches were fun WI 3 ice, which was followed by a very cool but unprotectable pitch of really thin ice.  A short rock scramble and half hour hike led us up to a great pitch of WI 4 above treeline with good views over the Bow Valley.  This upper pitch may be a new route this year and was first climbed a few weeks before we were there.  Descending back down the climb gave us more opportunity to work on various skills.

                                                   Climbing the ice above The Water Hole

With everyone feeling strong and confident about their climbing techniques we decided to spend the day doing as much lead climbing as possible.  We headed into King Creek in Kananaskis and surprisingly had the place to ourselves.  There are a number of nice WI2 & WI3 climbs and everyone took advantage and did some lead climbing.  Leading on ice is a serious proposition with potentially high consequences in case of a fall, so I never pressure anyone to lead, but these guys were keen.  Everyone climbed with really solid pick placements, placed good screws, and kept a cool head, the keys to doing it safely.

Leading into a cool little cave on a route at King Creek

Wanting to put all the new skills to work we headed up to the multi pitch climb Rogans Gully near Banff on Thursday.  Most of the climbing is reasonably moderate so it was a great place to give everyone the chance to lead on a multi pitch route.  After the short approach, Kory took the front and did a great job leading up the first long pitch of ice.  A few lower angle but really neat pitches up a winding canyon brought us to the next steep section.  Aaron took over and cruised up the next harder pitch, which involved two steep sections of ice and a tricky topout on snow covered rock.  Some more low angle climbing brought us to the final 45m pitch where Tyler took over and was faced with some surprisingly rotten ice near the top of the pitch.  Despite the lack of good ice for screws near the top, he kept a cool head and looked solid as he took us to the end of the route.  A fun scramble and rappel down the rocks to the right took us back to the car. 

Belaying below the first steeper pitch on Rogan's Gully.

Leading the steep middle steps on Rogan's Gully.

For the final day we decided that finishing off with a good pump on steep ice was the priority.  We headed up to the mega classic Guinness Gully (WI4) and moved quickly up the main pitches of the route.  Wanting more, we continued up the gully to Guinness Stout (WI4+).  A couple of easier pitches brought us to the main attraction, a sustained 45m section of near vertical ice.  After 5 days of climbing it was a good challenge and workout for the arms, but the techniques we practiced throughout the week allowed everyone to do really well on it and enjoy the climb.  

I look forward to doing more climbing with these guys in the future, and wish them luck on their continued ice climbing adventures!

J. Mills
CRAG Head Guide
www.cdnalpine.com

Thriller (M9) & Dancing With Chaos (WI5+)

Let the ice bashing begin!  After a bit of a slow start (by my standards) and a few days of drytooling up at the Playground Crag, I finally made it out to practice my favorite sport, ice climbing!

For my first attempted day out at the start of November, my friend Cian & I set our sites on the rarely formed Silver Lining (WI6, 5.9) which he had scouted out earlier in the week.  After a campfire night on the David Thompson Highway, we get up early and headed out to the Icefields where we met our other buddy Jody Sutherland who had driven all the way from Squamish that evening!  A casual 2 hour hike brought us to the base of the route wondering how we would get off the ground.  It was super frustrating because the entire route looked fat for hundreds of meters, except for the 15 meters of slightly overhanging & unprotectable rubble at the start.  A few false starts and half driven pitons later, we headed back to the car.  It's rare to have an ice season that doesn't start with taking the gear for a few big walks! 

A couple weeks later, I headed out with Cian again for some climbing on the Stanley Headwall.  The route we had hoped to try didn't look well enough formed, so we opted to play on the ridiculously steep "Thriller" (M9) instead.  After a few attempts we finally made it to the ice, which felt kinda challenging for the first ice of the year after climbing a big rock roof! 

 

The Thriller Cave with it's selection of hard mixed climbs.  

Cian hooking his way through the big roof on Thriller.  

 And pulling onto the hanging icicle. 

Although bolted mixed climbs can be fun, my real inspiration comes from multipitch ice climbs in wild places.  So, I was psyched when my buddy Chris Delworth was in town and suggested we check out Mt. Wilson.  Mt. Wilson has perhaps the best selection of ice climbs on the planet, and this year things are looking fat!  We opted to try the rarely formed "Dancing With Chaos" and weren't disappointed.  The route was in great shape, and was much easier than the guidebook grade of WI6. 

Approaching Dancing With Chaos, the second thin line on the right is "Frigging With Gear".

 Chris starting up the first pitch on beautiful quality ice!

Afterwards we made a short drive down the highway to the Weeping Wall to scope out conditions.  Among others, the following routes appeared to be in good shape along the Icefields Parkway:

• The Icicle Fairy
• Bow Falls & surrounding routes
• The Shadow
• Murchison Falls
• Virtual Reality
• Balfour Wall
• Transparent Fool
• Virgin No More
• Chocksondik
• Cosmic Messenger
• Oh Le Tabernac and all the climbs above!
• Near Death
• Dancing With Chaos
• Shooting Star (not sure about upper pitches)
• Suntori (looks as fat as I've ever seen it)
• Wilson Major
• Phil Specter's Nightmare
• Cadeau Cache
• Polar Circus
• Lower Weeping Wall - Central Pillar & Right Hand Side
• Upper Weeping Wall - pretty much everything
• Whimper Wall

Enjoy!

J. Mills
www.cdnalpine.com

California Rock Climbing

After a very busy and action packed summer, my wife Jody & I decided to pack up the Corolla and head down to California for our off season.  Along the way we visited City of Rock, ID, which I would highly recommend for it's great climbing & camping among the crags.  From there we did the marathon drive to Bishop, CA where we spent a couple weeks sampling the various crags near town, and doing some multipitch climbing in Yosemite.  Jody is a photographer so her photo's are far superior to mine, check out her facebook page for a few shots from our trip! 

Here's a few of my own from our adventures!

Jody taking photos in Yosemite during a break from belaying her single minded husband...

Cathedral Spire from a climb we did on Upper Cathedral Rock in Yosemite.

Jody on Braille Book, a really fun 5 pitch climb in Yosemite.

It was a great way to wind down after the summer, now for 6 months of ice!

J. Mills
www.cdnalpine.com

Mt. Robson - Infinite Patience

Alpine climbing in the Canadian Rockies takes a lot of patience.  Years ago I lost track of how many times I've taken my pack for a hike to the base of big routes, or retreated from high on those same routes leaving behind yet another set of nuts & pitons, or even  going for a long drive and ending the "attempt" without even leaving the parking lot.  In the case of Mount Robson, I turned tail and drove away on both my 18th and 19th birthdays, which in light of having 90 pound packs and little experience was probably a good thing!  Since then I have managed to summit Robson via both the Emperor Ridge & the Furher Ridge, but have also spent a night shivering in the scree at 8000ft before descending off the Emperor Ridge, wisely turned around at the Shieser Ledges on the South Face during a winter solo attempt, and just this year got shut down by conditions on the North Face.  However, all this just makes it even sweeter when things work out and you are able to complete one of the routes you have long dreamed about.  In this case, the combination of perfect weather, perfect conditions, and the perfect partner, led to one of the most enjoyable trips I've ever had. 

Raphael showed up in Canmore his customary 1 hour late, and along with Eammon Walsh, who had his own alpine plans for the obscure Mt. Quincy, we made the drive out to Jasper & Mt. Robson. We arrived at the Robson parking lot eager to get going, but road construction delayed us for a few hours and we were barely able to make it to Berg Lake before dark.  We decided to camp at the river and start early the next morning.  Given the summer temps, we knew that the ice pitch which had been used by other parties to access the Emperor Face wouldn't be formed, so instead we scrambled around to the right and traversed back into Infinite Patience where it steepens. 

Once on the route, the climbing went much faster than we anticipated, and the climbing was relatively moderate.  A couple brief mixed sections up to about M4 provided some good quality climbing, and most of the rest of it was on 60 to 70 degree ice gullies.  Much earlier than anticipated we reached the Emperor Ridge, and climbed up a few pitches of rock & mixed terrain before finding a beautiful bivi site.  At this point we realized that it would have been reasonable to climb the route as a single-push, but didn't regret our choice to camp as we gazed out on an incredible sunset on a clear & windless evening. 

The next morning we continued up the ridge and soon reached the infamous gargoyles (crazy double cornices on a very exposed ridge).  I'd climbed them once before, and was looking forward to going through them again.  Raph took the lead and set a blistering pace as we simulclimbed up, over, and through them to the summit.  Only 2 or 3 hours later we stood on the summit feeling elated, although a bit winded from the fast pace! 

The descent down the South Face is undeniably dangerous due to serac hazard, but we were able to move really quick and were only exposed for brief periods and it went smoothly.  We spent a lovely night at the hut and then down to the trail the next morning.  We arrived back at the car feeling psyched about our climb, and keen to return to the Emperor Face for a shot at one of the harder routes in the future!

For more pictures & a different perspective on the climb, check out the writeup on Raph's blog as well.  Here's some of the pictures I got:

The North Face & Emperor Face on Mt. Robson.  (Taken on an earlier trip in August).  Infinite Patience takes the rightmost snow & ice gullies on the rocky Emperor Face on the right.

 Raph leading into the start of the ice gullies.

And traversing out of the gully on 5.7 rock.

 A bit more rock.

And following me up a great mixed pitch about 2/3rds of the way up the route.

Raph continuing up some fun veins of thin ice.

Our kick-ass campsite perched above the Emperor Face with Mt. Whitehorn in the background.

Moving along the Emperor Ridge.

Raph contemplating the long stretch of gargoyles ahead!

And shortly thereafter finishing them off!

All smiles on the sunshiny summit.

 Only 10000 feet to descend.

One for the ladies!  Raph never misses a chance to walk around in his underwear.  

J. Mills
CRAG Head Guide
www.cdnalpine.com