Crampons, check;
Ice axes, check;
Harness, check;
Bike....check!
There's nothing quite like biking over a frozen river to go Ice Climbing in January. This was a couple weeks ago on a sunny day in January. My friend Cory lent me a mountain bike with studded tires and we left from his house in Quispamsis to go ice climbing for the day at a crag called Mount Misery on the Kingston Peninsula. I'm pretty envious that Cory can bike right from his back door to this excellent ice climbing area.
Cory biking on the Kennebecasis River with Mount Misery in the background.
The highlight of the day was leading a mixed route that was just put up this winter, "When in Doubt Deck". It starts off under a gnarly rock overhang with just tiny patch of ice to hook you crampons on. Powerful reaches lead to desperate ice ledge that you could swing a pick into, thank god, but then you have to pull an awkward mantel to get onto it. The route then follows technical rock before finishing on fat vertical ice. We were lucky to have our friend Steve join us to take photos. Below is a photo he posted on the local climbing forum.
Graham on the overhanging start of When in Doubt Deck
(Photo Credit Steve Adamson)
Mixed climbing is such a wonderful combination of rock and ice climbing and it even has its own unique movement. It was my first experience mixed climbing and I'm hooked. This opens up a whole new world of climbing to me. I'm looking forward to lots of more Mixed Routes in our area.
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