New Rockies Ice Route and Slow Start to Season

After an early freeze down to the valley in the Canadian Rockies, the warmer temps have ice climbers searching high and low. Many popular routes had started to form, including Murchison Falls, Cascade Falls and routes in the Ghost. Some of them had a few ascents before they melted out.

Other routes like VSOP up Ribbon Creek have been climbed, but require a big approach. Sam Lambert and Kurt Ross just climbed the big 400-metre M4 WI5+ in a 19-hour car-to-car trip. The classic R&D WI4+ in Ranger Creek has seen many ascents, but beware of avalanche hazards. If you’re looking for ice conditions reports, join the Rockies ice climbing Facebook group here and visit Gravsports-ice.com here. Visit Avalanche.ca for avalanche reports this winter here.

@sav.cummins gets her winter game on today at Murchison Falls. ?☃. Fantastic day out in the Canadian Rockies with @drewsplan #lindseyfixmer and @pierotly ?

A photo posted by Anna Pfaff (@pfaff_anna) on Nov 15, 2016 at 3:51pm PST

Maarten Van Haeren and Ryan Strohmaier reported a new route that appears to not have been climbed before. They are calling it Socks and ‘stocks WI4+ 60m. The route is near Peyto Lake on the Icefields Parkway north of Lake Louise. The first pitch is 30 metres of WI3 and the second is 30 metres of WI4+. For a map and more info see here.