run fast and step high!

ahhh, the ghost valley. located between calgary and canmore towards the north, it's a somewhat isolated area (e.g. not near any real roads) with a high concentration of high-quality ice routes, generally low avalanche hazard, and approaches that aren't too long, depending on how far you dare to try to drive in. i was told going in that it was a very unique place with lots of good "adventure climbing", and that although a truck or 4x4 is ideal, that "many people get by with tire chains and a prayer." they were right...





with four ice climbers plus gear piled all inside a little echo, we managed to swerve, plow, skid, dig, and push our way into ghost valley. well, most of the way in. after busting one of the two (crucial) snow chains for the tires, we gave up and hitched a ride in with some guys in a big truck. the truck bed was filled with gasoline, empty kokanee cans, and deer antlers. admittedly, i may have mocked rednecks in the past, but when they save me an hour+ of approach in each direction and several river crossing in up to knee-deep water i am in no position to be anything but grateful!


we climbed 'this house of sky,' ~500m, III, WI2-3, a beautiful rolling climb with small ice steps separated by little snow walks. it was a good long outing as my first climb of the season, and with jeremy and i simul-climbing on each end of a 60m rope it was good practice for the soloing that was to come on several other ghost climbs.





we checked out the good, the bad, and the ugly (45m, II, WI4-5+) on the way back but it seemed a little strenuous post-THOS, so we opted instead for a return ride in the same truck back to the stranded echo. which in the end (and after a little improvised tire chain repair with climbing rope) managed to make it out without major problems!

the ghost definitely is my favourite ice climbing place, hands down!! (i went back on subsequent days with jeremy in his sweet newly purchased '90 nissan truck, and we climbed beowulf (670m WI4), valley of the sun (~300m WI4), and the indifferent (40m WI3)).