Jensen's

Dave and i ran out to Jensen's last nite for a couple of hours and i was amazed at the ice quality. It's been so warm in Lethbridge the last week i expected very poor ice out there but there is still lots of snow on the ground and the ice is in excellent shape.
Good ice, mediocre climbing, still beats the heck out of watching T.V.

Blair

Experts Choice

Climbed the left hand route on Experts today with Dave and another young couple from Calgary. Conditions were awesome. There's an excellent trail in so the approach was very easy. The ice was in good shape all the way up but was getting very soft in the afternoon sun (basically hero ice on the top third). There was a couple of guides from Barcelona Spain that showed up and did the middle route and were very impressed with the ice quality but said it was getting very wet. All in all, a stellar day with warm temps and bluebird skies. Hope it doesn't stay this warm for to long or our ice will be dissapearing rapidly.....
Blair

Conditions

Climbed at Quick and Dirty yesterday. French Kiss is really getting sun affected, especially the top third but is still very climbable. The "Pillar" has some sun affect on it but is still really good. The lower half of Pearl Necklace looks like its slowly wilting away but the upper half is in really good shape and the whole climb is actually taking protection better than it has all winter. Quick & Dirty is in excellent shape.
Talked to a couple from Calgary who climbed the lower half of the right compound gully. They said it was an awful slog in to get to the ice with all the fresh snow and although the ice looked good from the road they said that is was pretty sun affected as well. I personally would be a little concerned about playing the gullies right now with all the snow and wind Waterton has been getting lately. Just my opinion....
After reading Chris's report earlier in the week i thought we might be able to get on Kill Kiesha in the near future but all that is left of it is a wet spot on the rock.
Ran into Dexter Hale and party yesterday. They tried to slog into Experts Friday but turned around at the last open slope before the ice but were going back to try again today. Sound's like snowshoes would be in order. Dave and i are planning on heading in there tomorrow so i'll post a report tomorrow nite.
Has anybody been up to Summit Lake this winter?? Curious what the ice is like. How about the skiing??.....or how about Lineham Falls??

Blair

Kill Akesha Kill

Went for a hike up to Kill akisha kill with Tom and Morgan on Monday. It looked good from the road so we slogged up. It was a litle too unconsolidated for our likings but give it a week and it will be climbable. hope the photos work
Chris M

Sleepy Hollow Access

Tried to drive up the 940 from Coleman yesterday to go climb Sleepy Hollow but the road was not plowed. Sleepy Hollow is a little gr2+ 30m that forms off of the road at the 24.5km mark of the 940 forestry trunk road as you head north towards the Gap, the climb is below the road and drains into Vicary Creek, watch for a small guard rail and ice on the road, below the guard rail is the ice climb. Tom Linch-Staunton first found it one day in 2003 0r 04 as he was heading home to his ranch on the HWY22 from a day of climbing in the Crowsnest pass. Tom tried to drive in from the gap side yesterday and got as far as the T intersection with the 940, he then 4x4'd until a Km from the climb and walked the rest. Tom reported that the climb was blue all the way to the creek and seemed a little extra steep this year, also when the culvert above the climb freezes, as it has this year, the water flows along the road and then down and over some cliffs1om to the left of Sleepy Hollow creating up to 6 different lines. if you are looking for an easy place to take a newbie ice climbing or you want a break from the avi hazzard go check it out.
Chris m