Section Profile: The Southern Alberta Section
Written by Stew Moss, Chairperson of the Southern Alberta Section
Despite its reputation for loose limestone, the Canadian Rockies has a lot of really good rock climbing: trad, sport, alpine rock – Sisyphus Summits on Ha Ling Peak in Canmore is the longest limestone sport climb north of Mexico.
Ryan Leavitt in the Quick and Dirty amphitheatre in Waterton Lakes National Park. Photo: Vincent Varga.
Unfortunately for those of us in Southern Alberta, very little of that high quality limestone crops up in our corner of the province. The rock down here leans heavily toward the stereotype of chossy, with a few unimpressive single pitch crags or boulders, portable handholds and a few gems here and there. It’s quite the contrast to another type of climbing we enjoy: ice.
Topping the list of best things the Canadian Rockies has to offer is its world-class ice climbing. And unlike rock, Southern Alberta has its fair share of icefalls, springs and seeps. Put simply, ice climbing is the best climbing in our neighbourhood, although it can be remote.
Jensen’s Reservoir. Photo: Vincent Varga.
The history of ice climbing in the Southern Alberta area goes back at least to the 1970s when Yvon Chouinard, Juris Karjansons among others, explored the area, putting up local classics like Blue Angel, Quick and Dirty, Expert’s Choice. They paved the way for locals like Brian Cusak and Chris Goble to discover the next generation of the Waterton classics that to this day attract a small fraction of the attention that routes on the Icefields Parkway or the Ghost Wilderness do.
With the number of climbs and quality of ice, it makes sense then that the biggest draw for the Southern Alberta Section of the ACC, and our section’s signature event is all about the ice. Held each year on the Family Day weekend in February, the Ice Fest is a one-day event when our section comes together to celebrate our club, ice climbing and being in the mountains in the wintertime. Started by local legends Chris Goble and Blair Piggot in 2002, with the intention of growing an ice climbing community in the area, Ice Fest has become a popular tradition.
The Ice Fest typically sets up for the day in the amphitheatre of Quick & Dirty where we have access to WI3+ ice and a number of mixed lines. Q&D is the perfect spot for this event: the grades and length are perfect, there’s lots of space away from falling ice and the approach is 10 minutes up the hill from the car. At least it used to be: the Kenow fire that swept through Waterton in the summer of 2017 burned much of the area and the Akamina Parkway remains closed in winter due to the danger of falling trees and erosion.
One unique aspect of ice climbing in Southern Alberta is the microclimate. Periods of warm winds often break up the periods of cold during the winter months affecting the more susceptible (south facing, lower elevation) climbs. Our Ice Fest two years ago almost didn’t happen due to the warm weather. Then last year it was -25 at the Waterton townsite but participants were rewarded with a sunny -10 day with no wind. Usually if the winds don’t affect the quality of your climb they might just add an extra essence of alpine to the day.
Lunchtime in the Quick and Dirty amphitheatre. Photo: Vincent Varga.
It’s great that the majority of those attending Ice Fest are total beginners who have never climbed ice before. The requirement is to show up dressed warmly and wearing boots that will accept crampons and the experienced section members take care of the rest. In 2020, like in years past, we set up top ropes and brought along extra harnesses, hardware and helmets. We did some teaching, belaying and encouraging. We cooked up burgers and dogs on portable BBQ and sipped hot chocolate in the snow.
It’s very satisfying to see these people take part in an Ice Fest event and then come back, start rock climbing and scrambling and become contributing members of our section. It’s really special to be able to watch the community grow, it’s hard to keep up with it all.
Stew Moss
Born in 1991, I grew up in Calgary where my Dad took me up the classic Rockies scrambles. As a teenager I started scrambling on my own and in 2015 I began paragliding which showed me I still had much to learn about being in the mountains. In 2017 I started climbing and ski touring and joined the Southern Alberta Section of the ACC. In 2018 I started ice climbing and in 2019 I took the position of Chairperson for the SAACC.
Inspired? Get involved with your local section!
We invite all national ACC members to get more involved with their local sections. Are you new to town and feeling motivated to meet mountain people? Are you good with social media, writing grant proposals, or have an interest in becoming a volunteer trip leader to help build your guiding resume? Do you like working with youth outdoors or are you interested in grassroots environmental activism to help protect our mountains? If you possess any of these skills and interest, most sections are always looking for volunteer help.
