For last week (Feb 8-14), Environment Canada had warned of extreme cold conditions across British Columbia (BC) as the Arctic air moved through the province. For Ice Climbers in BC, this was welcome news. Slawomir and I decided to make a day trip to Marble Canyon for Ice Climbing based on the weather forecast and West Coast Ice Facebook group discussions.
Marble Canyon Provincial Park
There are two Marble Canyons in BC. One is in the Kootenay National Park and has some amazing ice climbs as well. Marble Canyon Provincial Park that we went to is in the Pavillion Mountain Range, around 50 km north of Lillooet, BC. Over the last few years, I have been here a couple of times, and it provides easy access to some ice climbing routes. It is a five-minute walk across the frozen Crown Lake to access the cliffs from the parking lot.
The challenge is the long drive, especially if you are planning to make a day trip. It is about 340 km drive one-way from my home to Marble Canyon. It takes about four hours if I go via Hope and five hours if I drive through Whistler. Since I was carpooling with Slawomir and Beata, we took the Whistler route. After all this driving, there is another 1600 km of driving to get to the BC-Yukon border.
340 km is about the same distance as driving from Columbus, IN (where I lived before) to Red River Gorge, a popular rock climbing destination. I would not have imagined making a day trip to Red River Gorge for climbing. But driving such distances is common in BC, especially for ice climbing.
My bags were packed the previous night and I left home at 4:30 am on Feb 13. I met Slawomir and Beata at David’s Church around 5 am and started driving north. It was snowing in Vancouver, but the Sea to Sky highway was pretty clear.
The plan was to climb at Marble Canyon, but we made a quick stop at the Rambles parking lot. Rambles area has several ice climbs, including Closet Secret that I had done last year with Farbod. I took some pictures to post on West Coast Ice for an update on current conditions.
Deeping Wall – WI4/5
We arrived at Marble Canyon around 9:20 am. There was already a group with two vehicles at the parking lot. They had camped at the parking lot and were planning to do some climbs after breakfast.
It was almost 10 am by the time we geared up and made our way to the wall. The temperature was -13C. I had climbed here before in -20C, so I was better prepared this time with layers and extra gloves.
A quick walk across the Crown Lake brought us to the wall. The conditions looked good.
I accompanied Slawomir to set up the top rope. We had 70 m ropes, and the climbs on Deeping Wall are close to 40 m. We have used two ropes in the past, but this time, Slawomir had extra anchor material, so we just extended the anchor.
Slawomir went up first.
Beata was up next. It was just her second-time ice climbing, and Slawomir shared some tips on swinging tools and body position. She remained strong throughout the day and did a couple of laps on the wall.
Later, I climbed the route and took several rests as I made my way up the route.
We did another lap on the same route, and then Slawomir set up a directional for us to do another climb to the left.
Slawomir did the last climb of the day, and as he got closer to the top, I hiked up the trail to get some pictures.
We wrapped up around 5 pm and made our way back to the car.
640 km Driving, 110 m of Ice Climbing
On our way back, we stopped at the Chevron gas station around 5 km before Whistler. It’s relatively new, and the food options are good. I was starving and shared a pizza with Beata.
It was past 11 pm by the time I reached home. In 18+ hours, I had spent more than 10 hours driving for maybe an hour of climbing. I was exhausted the next day and questioned if it was really worth the effort. I think it was, but next time I will try to make a 2-day trip instead of just a day trip.
Gear
Layers:
Top: Thermal layer, Full-Sleeve Synthetic Shirt, Fleece Jacket, Insulated Shell Jacket, Balaclava, 2 Sets of Gloves and Mitten (didn’t end up using it)
Bottom: Thermal layer, Soft-Shell Pant, Shell Pant, Thick Merino Wool Socks
Climbing Gear:
Helmet, Mountaineering Boots, Crampons, Ice Tools, Climbing Harness, Personal Anchor System, Belay Device, Locking Carabiners, Ice Screws, Anchor Material (Cordellete, Webbing)
Resources:
Marble Canyon Provincial Park: BC Parks
Glossary of climbing terms and Alpinist page on climbing grades
Climbing tips and other resources – Alpine Savvy
West Coast Ice Facebook Group is an excellent resource for route conditions
Watch this video of an ice climb and then read Will Gadd’s excellent analysis of everything that went wrong in this climb. You will likely enjoy his follow-up post as well
If you are in Metro Vancouver and looking for a group to climb with, check out British Columbia Mountaineering Club
Disclosure: I am a member of BCMC, but I am not affiliated with any of the above individuals or organizations.
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