SilverGoat Posted October 20, 2005 Posted October 20, 2005 How soon is the ice usually suitable for climbing in the Palmer area? I will be travelling to Alaska on business during the first week of November and would like to check it out, if possible. Quote
treknclime Posted October 20, 2005 Posted October 20, 2005 I've seen the ice along Turnagain Arm...what's in Palmer? I'll be up there a few times again this year...and hope to get out on some ice while there. Temps have been mild at times in the past couple of years. Last year they had a pretty normal snowfall. I was up there the year before, in January, and the ice was pretty slim...since it wasn't all that cold...and there wasn't a lot of run-off (not much snow, at least along the Arm). Would like to hear more about Palmer. Quote
Kraken Posted October 20, 2005 Posted October 20, 2005 last year was a GREAT year for ice. All of the lines on the Turnagain Arm (Seward Highway), which is right next to the ocean, were as fat as ever. We had a mid season melt, but everything came back fatter and thicker. There is already a little ice high up. I've heard reports of ice in the Ram Valley, Eagle River, etc. It's getting cold here fast and the snow level is dropping rapidly. There is already snow down to about 2000 feet in the Western Chugach and I'd reckon that we will have solid ice here by the third week in November at the latest. The common agreement around here this year is that it is going to be a good season. I hope our optimism is infact true. SilverGoat, if you are able to drive a little bit from Palmer, I'd suggest going North on the Glenn Parks Highway and head to Caribou Creek. That little canyon gets next to no sunlight and is always the first to freeze up there. It just depends on if the creek is frozen enough to walk on. I'd check out http://www.alaskaiceclimbing.com. There's a lot of good info on that site. Also, if you can find it, I'd suggest scouring every online resource and used book store down there for "fat city" a book about ice climbs around the periphial of Anchorage. It is long out of print and very hard to find, but is an alaskan ice climber's bible. Get ahold of me when you come up, if there isn't ice in anywhere else, we could always go to the Matanuska Glacier and climb some overhanging lines there. Quote
sobo Posted October 21, 2005 Posted October 21, 2005 You should also check out the Eklutna River Canyon near the town of Eagle Creek. The "wine" climbs are pretty fun. I have a copy of the Fat City Ice guide that Clint refers to. I could burn some pages for you if you can't find it anywhere else. Quote
Kraken Posted October 21, 2005 Posted October 21, 2005 Yeah, The Eklutna canyon (AKA Thunderbird Falls) has lots of good waterfalls. Again, the problem with getting back there is access. The river needs to be frozen before you can really walk back there, but it is a great place to climb, lots of 1-2 pitch climbs ranging from WI3-5. It's on the alaskaiceclimbing.com website too. Quote
SilverGoat Posted October 24, 2005 Author Posted October 24, 2005 Thanks for the info, clintoris. I did discover alaskaiceclimbing.com. Good stuff. I'll be free to do something either 11/4 or 11/5. Not sure which, just yet. If you want to get together either of those days, send me your telephone number in an email to kbilling(at)direcpc.com and I'll give you a call when I'm up there. I'm also kicking around the idea of taking a Denali flight instead since some of us down here are thinking of taking on the West Rib next year. Quote
wfinley Posted October 25, 2005 Posted October 25, 2005 The hardmen are all out doing routes right now... however most are sitting around town pretending it's still summer. There is an overland trail to the routes in Eklutna. You can rap to the base of most of these routes and not have to worry about getting your feet wet on the hike in. Likewise the Eagle River area typically has good early season ice. Caribou Creek is a good bet... but it's a long drive if you don't know for sure what's in or out. The safest bet (if ave conditions permit) are the Hillside pillars up at Hatcher Pass as these are up pretty high and in a dark gully. For ave reports watch the AK Ave thread on Teletips - many locals post ave condition reports weekly. Quote
johnkelley Posted February 15, 2006 Posted February 15, 2006 The Chugach ice season starts on the 1st of January and end on the 1st of January the following year. Quote
Weekend_Climberz Posted February 15, 2006 Posted February 15, 2006 The Chugach ice season starts on the 1st of January and end on the 1st of January the following year. Better question would have been when does it end. Quote
johnkelley Posted February 15, 2006 Posted February 15, 2006 You can climb ice every day of the year without ever having to drive more than a half hour from Anchorage. Quote
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