Link to pics of Moonlight, King Creek, Junkyards, Haffner Creek and Sunshine Village.Frank came over for his annual winter visit, and we headed out for a few days of fantastic ice and skiing. We had been worried that by late March our options would be limited, but in truth it was the best climbing I've had all winter.
As I write this up on April 18, reports are still appearing of fantastic conditions on low altitude Rockies ice - but I'm off out for a sunny bike ride!
The week started with a trip to King Creek (above) in Kananaskis Country. The three seeps were in good condition at around WI2+ to WI3, although fresh snow made climbing the easy-angled First Seep less fun.
Day two saw us in Evan Thomas Creek, where we joined Grant for an ascent of Moonlight (WI4). Superb, sustained climbing and we saw two moose in the woods.
On day three we headed to the Junkyards and climbed the Scottish Gully, amongst others. The ice was super-fat and there were lines available that weren't formed on previous visits. The following day we skied at Lake Louise, and enjoyed the Rock Garden....great fun unless you miss a turn, then it's time to learn about the reason behind the name....
Our fourth day was spent at Haffner Creek. Again, the ice was superb and we climbed several good, short lines. After that, we decided to relax with a day at Sunshine Village. It was completely empty, and we had some great skiing, including a full descent of my first double black run - actually easier than many of the local single blacks, but longer and in a more remote position off the side of Goat's Eye Mountain. All in all, a great week!
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