Nate Soloing Devil's Staircase January of this year I moved to Fernie, British Columbia, mostly for snowboarding. Learning to climb ice was not my primary interest when I moved to Canada, but Michael was excited about it and he needed a partner, so I bought some axes, crampons, and boots. The lack of snow in Fernie when we arrived, however, made it a primary activity.

Canada is a paradise for ice climbers. The guide we have lists over 800 climbs, mostly in Alberta and British Columbia, and the author notes that there are dozens, if not hundreds, more to be discovered. All that is required is an area of drainage with a drop where the water can freeze from the top down, forming a curtain or pillar of ice. And the climbs can range anywhere from 50 feet long to over 3000.

This was my first season and all the climbs we did are listed below in chronological order. If you're just going to look at a few, I recommend looking at Louise Falls, Weeping Wall, and The Professor Falls.

This picture to the left is me soloing one of the steps on Devil's staircase. Sometimes it can be safer to climb a short pitch without protecting it because the riskiest and most likely place to fall is while placing protection.

A Brief Intro to Ice Climbing
A quick introduction to the gear and ratings for ice climbing.

Echo Sadness
This is the closest climb to our house and a good place to practice. There was a curtain and a pillar right next to each other, but the warm weather has prematurely melted them.

Devil's Staircase, a.k.a. Valley of the Sun
This was a great intro climb with a number of short pitches that made the "steps" of the staircase. We went with a few members of a club in Calgary and were able to learn a few things from those much more experienced than us.

Coal Miner's Slut
Another climb near Fernie, and an amusing name.

Lady Wilson's Cleavage
Another staircase type climb on the Icefield Parkway.

Louise Falls
A very popular climb in a spectacular setting.

Weeping Wall Ascent
This is the story of our ascent of the most famous ice climb in Canada, and maybe the world.

Weeping Wall Photos
The photos from our climb.

William Fernie Was A Dick
This one's almost not worth mentioning but since I'm documenting all the climbs of our first season, it gets a page.

The Professor Falls
We had a friend up for a few days and this was the stiff introduction to waterfall ice climbing we gave him.

This House of Sky
A very popular climb, and for good reason. It's another rambling series of steps in a house full of sky.

Beowulf
Our second climb with the Calgary Mountain Club.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
A very prominent climb in Ghost Valley, which we did with a new friend.

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