End of Season Winter Ice

Winter ice is over for me for this year.  I'm heading to France today for spend some quality time with Ann in Paris and then onto Chamonix.  We were nominated for this year's Piolet d'Or for the Sasser Kangri II climb in India last year - but more on that later.  Here is a summary of some great ice climbs in the Canadian Rockies this winter.

Steve Holeczi leading first pitch of Fang and Fist

Blessed Rage

Looking up at the crux of Blessed Rage

J Mills pulling around the crux

J Mills leading final bit on Blessed Rage

Hydrophobia

Dylan Johnson following second pitch on Hydrophobia

We traversed on the ridge top over to the Sorcerer

Castle Mtn at dawn heading up to the T-Wall

Juan following second pitch of the Replicant

Juan again

Rapelling off the Replicant

Mark Kroese following His in Grotto Canyon

Hiking out from Grotto Canyon

The Pencil pitch on Polar Circus

Leading the Pencil

Near the top of the steep bit

Upper pitches on Polar Circus

The Pencil - Notice the Crack

Whiteman Falls

Lynx along Evan Thomas Creek

Last pitchs of the season!













































Dry Tooling

Dry tooling is when you use your ice tools and crampons to climb on rock usually (but not always) as part of an ascent that includes getting onto ice as well.  When the climb involves both rock and ice in this way it is called mixed climbing.  Here are some photos of me, and then Josh Wharton doing some dry tooling at a crag outside of Banff called Bear Spirit. 

Steve on a climb rated M6

same climb

Josh on a much harder climb rated M9 or M10