Big New Ice Climbs in British Columbia

Two big new ice climbs in the B.C. Peace Region west of Jasper.

Tumbler Ridge is on the western edge of the Canadian Rockies and is known for its backcountry skiing and ice climbing.

Craig Waters reported on the B.C. Peace Region Climbers page that he and Jesse Coonce made the first ascent of Physical Graffiti WI4 60 metres on Dec. 21. The route climbs a steep curtain for 50 metres and ends with easier climbing.

On Dec. 27, Waters and Coonce were at it again and were joined by Tyler Doeleman. They made the first ascent of Quantum Mechanics WI4 90 metres, one of the lines on the new Quantum Falls. The three-pitch route has a first and third pitch of WI3ish climbing with a steep middle pitch.

“We found the climb quite wet with a fair amount of hollow, partially unconsolidated ice, either fresh fragile ice or very plastic wet ice. Protection was a little tricky but good screws were definitely there looking hard enough,” Waters wrote on the Facebook page.

“The other lines on the falls are the pillar on the left and a couple thin ice/mixed line to the right. The right hand lines can extend the bottom falls by about 20 more metres. Have at ‘er but please let me know if you bag em before I do.”

Watch this short film by Brandon Braam with footage from Quantum Mechanics. For access info and photos of the new routes, visit the Facebook page here.