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Heli-Ice Climbing in the Canadian Rockies
Ice climbing in the Canadian Rockies generally means
long approaches. In the Ghost River, however, these long approaches
are also couples with tedious and sketchy 4WD adventures as well.Getting
a vehicle stuck in the Ghost River can end your dreams of climbing
one of the area's plum routes--and also mean hours of shovelling
and pushing or even a hefty four-figure tow bill.
Use of a helicopter to access some of the Ghost's finest
routes—such as The Sorcerer and Hydrophobia--removes most of the
uncertainty (and almost all of the time!) from the approach, and leaves
the adventure where it belongs—on the ice.
Imagine waking up for a leisurely breakfast in Canmore,
driving two or three minutes from your hotel to the Canmore Heli-Pad,
and then being transported in a matter of minutes to the base of one of
these world-class Ghost River routes! Concentrate your time and energy
on climbing, and not on the hassles of driving a 4WD over treacherous
rutted paths.
The Routes
The Sorcerer,
WI 5 200 m. A four-pitch mega-classic. Often called "the best WI
5 in the Rockies"—and the Canadian Rockies are known for being
the best in the world when it comes to steep ice.
Hydrophobia, WI
5+ 180 m. Similar ambience to The Sorcerer but steeper and more sustained.
Dates
Any time from late November to late March! These routes are north facing,
which means they form early and stay late. An added bonus is that they
are very seldom subject to avalanche hazard.
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