Favorite Moderate Canadian Rockies Ice Climbs

[TimL]

I am interested in hearing peoples opinions on their favorite CA Rockies moderate (WI3/easy WI4) ice climbs around the Banff, Field, Canmore and Icefields Parkway areas?

 

Thanks

[PaulB]

Guinness Gully

- easy access

- moderate climbing

- fun glisssade descent

[Alex]

Here's my list:

 

Field:

 

Without a doubt Guiness Gully. The first pitch can be brittle and picked out, and is typically the crux, but the entire route is really fun, easily approached, minimal av hazard, and a giveaway 4.

 

Masseys offers a short pitch of easy 4 (was 3-3+ the year I did it) to several pitches of 2 rambling terrain, with no av hazard and fairly short approach along the tracks. Visible from the road, a good "first climb" on your first day there coming across from Golden.

 

Louise Area:

 

Linda Ice Nine. Did it for the first time this year, not to be missed. Miles of easy and enjoyable cruiser terrain leads to 2 more difficult pitches at the top, WI3+ and WI4.

 

Louise Falls First 2 pitches or complete. The first 2 pitches are easy cruiser 2 or 3, while the final pitch often comes in at a committing 4 in later season. I usually do this route as a warm up on the first day, or when I want to only do a half day on the way home.

 

Parkway:

 

Bow Falls. Classic setting, your option of easier or harder climbing on the final pitch. Comes in early, stays in late.

 

Snivelling Gully. For the easy Weeping Wall experience, on a weekday, Snivelling Gully is a really fun route that is very different in character from the routes just to the right.

 

Banff:

Cascade, if avalanche conditions permit. Do not underestimate av conditions on this route. Too many dead people. Do it on a weekday to avoid crowds.

 

I would also recommend Professors, however its got several pitches of real 4 on it, so isnt exactly the easiest outing. Do it on a weekday to avoid crowds.

[Dru]

not in the area you define but gibraltar wall.

 

moonlight in the kananaskis.

 

kidd falls is on my list of to dos i have only heard good things about it. ditto this house of sky and beowulf in the ghost.

 

coire dubh integral if you like 700m M3's.

[jdog]

hey tim are you planning on heading up there in the next couple of weeks?

[Alex]

* not in the area you define but gibraltar wall.

* moonlight in the kananaskis.

 

I didnt think either of those two were easy 4s. I found the 3rd pitch of Gibraltar to be as hard as anything on Weeping Left or Murchison. I climbed Moonlight in anemic conditions on like a -20some day, so maybe its easier when its fatter.

 

* coire dubh integral if you like 700m M3's.

 

I found coire dubh to be one of the lamest ice routes around. 30 feet of 3, followed by a long slog to 80 feet of 2. There are better uses of your time. If you do the integrale, go where there is actually ice on it.

[Dru]

not in the area you define but gibraltar wall.

 

moonlight in the kananaskis.

[\quote]

 

I didnt think either of those two were easy 4s. I found the 3rd pitch of Gibraltar to be as hard as anything on Weeping Left or Murchison. I climbed Moonlight in anemic conditions on like a -20some day, so maybe its easier when its fatter.

 

coire dubh integral if you like 700m M3's.

 

I found coire dubh to be one of the lamest ice routes around. 30 feet of 3, followed by a long slog to 80 feet of 2. There are better uses of your time. If you do the integrale, go where there is actually ice on it.

 

moonlight is a pitch of 3/3+ slabby ice (70-75 degree) to 2nd pitch of 10m of steep 4 then back to more 3 whenever i have done it. i think its only marginally harder than say, oregon jack.

 

gibraltar wall was the second 4 i ever led and it was not any harder than the weeping wall left side which was the first 4 i led, and none of the pitches was harder than the first pitch of icy bc which is my definition of easy 4 - several short steep sections with good rests on easier ice in between.

 

as for coire dubh i guess it depends. its a great route to go solo with m3/5.6/short wi3 cruxes and lots easier. i would rather do a long route like this and get the milage in, than do a bogus whacked out short 4 like his n hers.

[TimL]

Thanks both Alex and Dru. Done most of the ones you mentioned with the exception of Linda Ice Nine, Bow and Sniveling.

 

I'm interested in doing longer routes but it looks like avy danger might be high so I'm also trying to check out routes were the danger is low.

 

I was looking at coire dubh integral. Looks easy but fun and interesting. Musta been a good solo. And I think I gotta climb This House of Sky.

 

Anyone climb Midnight Rambler or Elliot Left?

[Dru]

i heard bearspirit and the little gem, up the drainage between cory & edith, are both good 4s. theres a couple of caves with routes to m9 in there too (not in the guidebook). bountiful drought is supposed to be really fun but never comes in, ditto tout les matins du monde. rock on and off is a good m4/5.8 wi3 but it might not be in this yr, it wasnt at new years.

[JoshK]

I found both midnight rambler and lady wilsons cleavage+right tit quite fun. shades of beauty was also a very nice climb in my opinion.

[J_Fisher]

Elliot Left Hand is a very nice 4, if a bit rambly. Starts with a long pitch of 3, some rambly stuff with a short WI3 step, then finishes with a nice WI4 curtain. The position is cool too, as you're in a box canyon sort of thing. Can have high avy danger though: you're in a narrow canyon with all of Mt. Elliot above. We were hit by what I assumed was a windslab (no recent snow in days) that released above Kitty Hawk (which is in the next gully right of Elliot LH) that would have been ugly had we been elsewhere on the route when it hit. (as it was, we were clipped to anchors during the descent: took a pummeling but no harm done).

 

570 is a good 4 in that neighbor hood with little avy danger.

[wade_meyer]

Have to give a thumbs up for This House of Sky. Nice long climb relatively easy, you can solo most of it if you have climbed any ice at all. Does have a couple of steep parts. One suggestion is to rappel the route. The walkoff is not all that fun, and hard to find if someone hasnt made tracks.

[TimL]

Thanks Wade.

 

Are This House of Sky and Midnight Rambler threatened by avys from bowls or terrain above or are they fairly safe when conditions are high? Thanks,

[specialed]

This pitch in attached photo is by far the sickest, phattest, best ice I've ever seen in Field!!

[erik]

This pitch in attached photo is by far the sickest, phattest, best ice I've ever seen in Field!!

 

if i remeber right you styled that shit too! danimal and i took the fairy bypass and you and micro handled it!!! dumb!!!

 

[JoshK]

As I recall midnight rambler probably wouldn't have been the best place to be in high avy. It goes up a thin cleft underneath fairly big slopes on either side. I get all the climbs and their surroundings somewhat mixed up, so perhaps I am mistaken. the waterfall ice in cdn rockies book is a good purchase if you are heading up that way, and it will mention avy concerns.

[Dru]

for midnight rambler, you have to worry about mixed climbers on stairway to heaven detaching a 20m hanging dagger and riding down on top of you as well

[TimL]

Not if I ride it down first

[wade_meyer]

Dont Know about Midnight Rambler but This house of Sky has probably zero avi danger unless you do the pitches up in the bowl and I have never seen the snow that deep up there. It is usually pretty bare from the chinooks. The only trouble I have had is access, the drifts in the ghost are pretty bad. If you can make it as far as the good the bad and the ugly you have it made. Most of the climb is in a real tight gully similar to grotto falls. Make it a point to go in there. The drive is long. but the area is really cool.

By the way how many post to get off of Lurker

Wade