Girlfriend Routes in Canmore Area

[JayB]

I'm heading to Canmore December 28- Jan 1 with the girlfriend/fiance (same person) and we're hoping to do some skiing and climbing while we are there - with the conditions determing which we do more of.

 

If the conditions are right - I'd like to spend two of the three days we'll have available to us on the ice, as I can ski just about every weekend of the year down here. I'm looking for some stuff that has the following attributes:

 

1) Relatively close to town. Reasonable approach. No objective hazards (avalanches etc). Very little potential for epics. Grade 3 or thereabouts. 2-4 pitches.

 

Or at least as close as I can get to that combination. She only had one chance to hit the ice last year, which happened to be on the -20C freeze-a-thon, and I made the mistake of seeking out Salmon (Mis) Stakes - so our last ice-climbing outing consisted of The Rambles, and a walk up and down the Salmon Stakes gulley, the highlight of which involved me getting absolutely kertwanged on the head/helmet by a grapefruit sized missile launched from the big wall above us, and our exit from the gulley shortly thereafter. So - needless to say I am hoping to put together an itinerary that will involve more climbing and less character building this time around.

 

I have "Waterfall Ice," but on a trip like this I'd like to keep the trial and error to a minimum. Any suggestions will be most appreciated.

 

P.S. We will be staying at the Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge (assuming our reservations go through) so give me a holler if you will be in the area during those dates.

 

PS - any recos on which ski resort in the area gives the best bang for the buck will also be appreciated.

[kurthicks]

Cascade. occasional avys though.

Professors. same. longer approach

 

We'll be up there the same time if, say, she wants to go ski and you want to climb...

 

Kurt

[Dru]

Sea of Vapours.

[layton]

dude, i thought I was un P.C.

I'm with dru, get them to put up the hard shit

[JayB]

The mellow aspect has way more to do with me than her. I've found through trial and error that I never have much fun when we try to do more challenging routes together. She'd probably be game for harder stuff if she had a studlier partner but unfortunately she's stuck with me on these trips so cough up the deets on the casual shit.

Edited December 17, 2004 by JayB

[TimL]

If you have a good vehicle, try This House of Sky in the Ghost. You won't be dissapointed. The Balfour Wall on the Icefields Parkway is good. Guiness Gulley is really good with a hard WI3 pitch at the end. Grotto Falls is nice, with a good walk to the area, but it will likely be packed with people. 2 o'clock Falls is a nice WI2 and SARS thru 5.7.0 gives a couple of good lines to climb in a day. Lady Wilsons Clevage thru Wilson Major would be good, but has serious avy hazard. Have fun!

[NYC007]

Heart Creek, Junkyards, King Creek, Sinatra Falls, Louise Falls, Grotto Falls..

[Dru]

Sea of Vapurs is WI-4 right now man, it'll be super mellow. Oh except someone apparently took a shit down the route from the top belay on the weekend so there is a frozen brown streak running the length of the climb. Look out when you blow out the cores from your screws!!!!!

 

The beauty of Internet conditions reports

[JayB]

Hey Tim & All:

 

Many thanks for the suggestions. Sounds like good stuff.

 

How long would you guess that T.H.O.S. takes an average party with average conditions? Also - how long does the descent normally take?

 

I have a 95 Taco with 31" tires, tow strap, chains, come along, shovel, etc - is that enough to get into the TH for T.H.O.S. or does it normally require mods like a locking diff, extra lift, etc?

[iain]

I got in there with a stock Tacoma. Had to get a tug from another truck once when we high centered in a drift (we had two trucks). This was in Feb. Less capable vehicles have made it in there before. All depends on how much snow and the flow of the channels you have to cross. We did not make it to GBU, but were pretty close. Others made it to the entrance to THOS but it required some sketchy crossings on ice covered river. The Tacoma truck should be all you need. If you need more maybe it's not the best time to go. I think it is nice to have another vehicle with you so you can try things out.

[specialed]

[iain]

THOS was more of a scramble in a great setting. I think we were on there about 2 hours? Very short 20-40' bumps on ledges to the upper area. Then it turns on a bit above (4?) but you don't have to do this part if time is short. You could also go up the Valley of the Birds across the way. That place is way cool. Plenty of things lurking up there to swing at.

 

The Ghost! Just getting in there was a fun adventure. What a forbidding place it can be. Worth the visit.

[ChocChick]

These are all good suggestions! Fun routes indeed! If the girlfriend is feeling really mellow, Grotto or Two O'Clock will be the mellowest I think.

 

I'm SO DAMN happy it's ice season!!!!

[mike_m]

Just got back late Tuesday. Did THOS, was in easy shape, we solo'd the main gully in about an hour. The walk off was well beaten in, took about 45 minutes to get down. If you're contemplating the walk off, carry all your gear up and over. The walkoff drops you into the main Ghost valley about 1/4 mile upstream from the THOS drainage, leading to another slog up to the base of the ice to retrieve your gear. The first upper pitch was a chandeliery 4, the upper tier a more laid back 3.

 

Spent a day in Valley of the Birds, all the routes are in, including Dead Bird (WI3), which the guidebook says isn't always in. Albatross (2-pitch 3) was fat, as was Yellow Bird (wet chandeliery 4) and the unnamed 2 upstream and across from YB. Great place for a day of moderates.

 

Cascade was in good shape too

[Dru]

"About an hour"? Where is the GPS log and 3 witnesses for your speed claim?

[Crack]

cascade -there's a reason we do this so many times

lady killer -on the way to and from

oregon jack -towards icy bc

gibraltor -the ultimate warm up

snivelling gully -stands on it's own

maligne canyon -trypnotic fun for everyone

and always worth the drive: the fuckin' new seward highway!

 

classics

[scrambled_legs]

Grotto is pretty ugly right now. The main falls is basically ice covered water and his and hers are really wet. You might be better off going to a seep unless the temperature changes. The Water Hole was excellent and the best casual climb that I've seen so far. Both seeps are in fat and dry. It's a short walk in and right near Canmore. The Junkyards are ugly too and usually packed with people regardless of the conditions.

[snoboy]

Sinatra Falls is worth the drive. Super mellow, fun, easy walk off, and it's long. It fails on the no avy hazard requirement though...

[JayB]

Well as it turns out - between getting worked by Amtrack cuisine related food poisoning (day before departure) limiting my endurance on the drive, and the artic snap that settled over most of Canada once we got there - we did absolutely no climbing after arriving in Canmore, and hit the slopes instead. Gave it a thought in the morning - briefly - but quickly concluded that we'd have a hell of a lot more fun skiing than whaling away at plaster-of-paris-brittle ice and generally freezing our asses of in the process. That was a shame, but I suspect we'll be back before too long.

 

The only reason I'm dredging this thread up again is to thank everyone for the recos - and to hand out some props to a couple of businesses in the Canmore area. The first is the Rocky Mountain Ski lodge, which another poster recommended at the Slideshow. The rates, the rooms, and the service were fantastic. They even declined to charge us for a room on Tuesday night - which they totally could have given the rental agreement, after we called in at about 10:00 and notified them that I was too sick to continue. I didn't even ask - I showed up at the desk, the person their asked how I was feeling, and notified us that we wouldn't be charged for that night. Awesome. The hot tub and sauna were also definite plusses, as was the fact that the kitchenette was stocked with real pots, pans, and utensils that you could actually cook a decent meal with.

 

Another thumbs up for Musashi. Friendly staff - and I got absolutely stuffed on sushi for $13 Canadian - and had leftovers to take back to the room.

 

The only thumbs down of the trip goes to Patrinos. Stopped in for a drink and dessert on New Years in clean-but-casual clothing that was hardly out of place in a town like Canmore, and got grilled by some middle-aged greek looking chick with an East Coast accent about our attire "Why aren't you dressed for New Years?!," acted like she wasn't going to seat us, then put on a pained look and reluctantly led us to a dark, corner table outside the main dining area and disdainfully jetted off - just before my fiance and I gave each other the "WTF was that?" look and bailed on that joint. May not be typical, but I'd look elsewhere if you are in town to climb and looking for a place to eat at the end of the day.