Thrashers Weekend 2013 - Training

This year's Trashers Weekend was filled with activity even though the weather wasn't the best.

Friday was used as a training course for belaying and setting up top-rope anchors.  Many of our Section's rope leaders attended, working mostly on "D" slab at Wasootch.  It was great to see so many rope leaders out for this session.  It's taken quite a few years, but we finally have a keen nucleus of experienced, trained leaders that are able to help run weekends like this.

Paying close attention

On the Ledge, working on top rope anchors

Yamnuska Advanced Ice Systems Course

by: Kevin Esler

Date: January 21-22, 2012

Attendees: Jeff Dmytrowich, Howard Hemingson, Kevin Esler

Ice climbing is sometimes considered a dangerous sport. One of the biggest causes of danger in the sport is lack of knowledge and experience. As the three of us are finally at the age where we are slowly admitting that we are not immortal we decided to get some more experience and signed up for the Yamnuska Advanced Ice Systems Course.

The first day we met at the Yamnuska office, sorted out gear, checked weather conditions, discussed location, reviewed the avalanche report, and of course signed the customary waiver form. With all the formalities out of the way we headed out to “The Junkyard” which is located right in Canmore near the Spray Lakes Hydro Station. Our guide Nick Sharpe set a couple fixed lines so that we could demonstrate our skills and get some quick feedback on technique. After that was completed we did a set of simulated lead climbing with the protection of top rope still in place. We reviewed proper technique for setting ice screws, building anchors, rope management, and site hazard assessment. After a couple of climbs we moved to the south end of the wall and did some real lead climbing. This included setting our own “pro” on the way, and building an anchor at a belay station to set up for a multi pitch climb. After getting past a little sketchy ledge we made it up to the top and set up a tree anchor and rappelled down.

The second day took us out to Johnston Canyon. After about a 35 minute walk to get to the upper falls we quickly set up ropes and led up the first small pitch to set up for the main climb. We had two rope teams between the five participants. It was interesting how vastly different the ice conditions were between the two routes that were only separated by about 3m. After the lead climbers reached the top they set anchors and were belayed down and we set up on a more vertical section that was about 10m tall. I was able to take a video of one of that climb to help everyone get an idea of what it was like from a climber’s view. Later we practiced making V-threads and had a discussion about the rope management and protection systems.

While we were at Johnston Canyon there was a story being done about a climber that had used what he thought was an old V-thread to rappel from and fell 60ft when it failed. They later found that it wasn’t actually a V-thread but was an old piece of cording that was frozen into the ice. He was returning after surgeries and several years of recovery. It was a very good reminder of the value of making good and conservative choices when the consequences are so severe. It was surprising how many people were standing near or under overhanging ice that could have fallen at any time and how they seemed surprised or unconcerned when the hazard was pointed out. It was a great testament to the value of good education and training so that people can remain safe and control the risks and hazards to allow them to continue to enjoy the sport for many years to come.

You Want to Climb Ice, Eh?

by Jeff Dmytrowich

Climbing ice sculpted like blue glass can be one of the most demanding, exhilarating, and beautiful forms of climbing. Waterfall ice is a wonderfully varied medium, it can form in sheets, smears, pillars, bulges, grooves, icicles, roofs, cones, chandeliers and cauliflowers. It can also range in hardness from concrete to ice cream and is never the same from week to week and season to season.

Luckily for us, the geography and climate of the Canadian Rockies is perfect for frozen waterfalls, making it home to the best concentration of big, classic ice climbs in the world. The Rockies are the ice climber’s mecca with a wide range of climbing possibilities for frozen fun and adventure.

With adventure does come risk: sharp tools, falling ice, unstable formations, storms, and frigid temperatures are some of the hazards for the ice climber. One of the main things that keeps people from trying ice climbing is the cold or rather the thought of being cold and the the discomfort that comes with it. However as Will Gadd has said, “Being cold is not a mandatory ice climbing experience; suffering is a failure in planning and systems.”

There are three important factors for staying warm: stay dry, stay fed & hydrated and plan ahead. Planning ahead means just that , anticipating what the conditions will be in the near future and adjusting for them. Staying dry means keeping your clothes and skin moisture free. If you are well hydrated you will stay warmer and be happier, drink warm water or other fluids.

The dreaded “screaming barfies” (the unpleasant experience when blood flows back into cold hands and the feeling of wanting to simultaneously scream and barf occurs) can be avoided when ice climbing. Most people ice climbing wear gloves that are too heavy and just get filled with sweat. Also, thick, snug gloves can cause even a small amount of constriction that will decrease circulation. If your hands are dry and your core is warm, you won't get screaming barfies. Your core temperature is what determines your hand warmth when you are moving, not the amount of insulation. If you let your core temperature drop when belaying and then wear sweat soaked or thick gloves when you start to climb, you will definitely get the barfies. It is best to bring warm mitts, a warm belay jacket and a couple pairs of lighter Windstopper style of gloves for climbing.

Along with clothing to keep you warm and toasty there is a fair bit of gear that is needed for ice climbing: helmet, harness, boots, crampons, ice tools. Getting decked out with all this gear can be an expensive proposition; luckily almost all of the gear you need can be rented. It is often best to rent when first getting into ice climbing as it allows to try different types of gear. The gear for ice climbing, such as the ice tools become an extension of your body and it is best to find what works best for you and learn its intricacies before making a purchase decision.

So, how hard is ice climbing you may ask? Well, ice is difficult to grade accurately because it is constantly changing over the course of a season and even sometimes from morning to afternoon. Early season is usually thin and poorly bonded to the rock and these conditions can sometimes be the most demanding. As the season goes on the bottom of the climbs get fatter and so often the overall steepness decreases. Busy climbs can get chopped out creating easy axe holds and footsteps that take a difficult climb down to a beginner’s level. In the morning a climb can be brittle and strenuous but by afternoon it could be plastic or it could be plastic in the morning and slushie in the afternoon as the sun hits the ice.

Despite all these things, there is a rating system that rates water ice (WI) on a scale of 1 to 8.

• WI1 is solid, thick, low angle ice that would be easy to climb with one ice tool and crampons. This rarely gets used just like 5.1 in rock climbing.
• WI2 is rambling low-angle ice that will require a rope, especially for beginners.
• WI3 is where technical climbing begins and may have short steps of near vertical ice (about a body length) and longer sections of 50-70 degree ice.
• WI4 has a short bit of vertical ice or a longer pitch of 75-80 degrees and most beginners can top-rope but leading is now serious.
• WI5 has long sections of vertical ice so it can be technical and pumpy and may have funky ice that finding reliable screw placements may be difficult at times.
• WI6 is overhanging mushrooms, bad placements, very thin ice, free-hanging daggers, technical and brutally continuous. Only very experienced, fit climbers lead this rating.
• WI7 & WI8....lets just say it starts to get real scary with horrendous protection placements and the concern that it could all come tumbling down at anytime. Risks on ice climbs often increase with difficulty because the ice gets more precarious and difficult to protect.

Even though there are ratings, they are sometimes difficult to figure out , luckily ice routes are easier to assess from below than rock routes. This lets you see what you are getting yourself into (a WI4 route can feel like WI3 by mid-season after it has been chopped out).

There is not much left to get introduced into ice climbing except the technique. Ice climbing is not rock climbing. The technique involves the swing, the kick and linking them together. Rock climbers with less ice experience can get pumped on WI4+ more than they could on 5.12 rock and some ice climbers that send the hardest routes can barely climb rock harder than 5.10. The only way to learn and practice the technique for ice climbing is to get on the ice.

To get out on the ice to learn the technique, build some confidence and cruise up some ice routes while shedding fears, join us on the Section beginner ice climbing weekend, Choppers. The Choppers weekend takes place every February and we will have you going from absolute beginner to smoothly climbing WI3 with style.

The reward of a good ice climb is enormous, and I look forward to climbing with you at Choppers.

Ice climbing with my GoPro helmet camera at Bear Spirit Crag. Jan 2012.

Mark climbing the ice curtain at Bear Spirit Crag in Banff National Park.

If you have any questions about ice climbing or the Choppers weekend, I will be happy to answer them in the comments section.

Annual Mountaineering Camp

by Dave McCormick

From July 21 to 26, the Section held its Summer Mountaineering Camp, this year at the Peyto Hut on the Wapta Icefield.

Every imaginable weather accompanied us during the week, from rain to snow to solar furnace.

A total of 18 participants, some new to any kind of mountaineering, spent the week learning and practicing knots, rope techniques, safe glacier travel practices and putting it all to use by leading rope teams and climbing many of the peaks in the vicinity of the Hut.

We expect more stories to be posted here in the coming days and more pictures posted to the Camp's photo album, located here.

A good time was had by all.

Backcountry Skiing Camp - February 2011

The Section just completed its second Backcountry Skiing Camp in Canmore. The camp was led by Bette Boechler with five ACC SK members attending. The camp is intended to introduce members to backcountry skiing and gear with a focus on safety and route finding, The group included two new to BC skiing and two with limited experience.

Day One (Friday) had the group meet at Bow Summit on the Icefields Parkway, about 40 kms from Lake Louise. The idea was to get used to the gear and get used to plowing through powder again. The Bow Summit area is ideal for a first day on new gear. It is easily accessible by car and there are good slopes within 2 kms of the parking area. Though there is some avalanche risk on the upper slopes, the lower slopes are gentle with good tree cover so pose minimal risk. The weather was warm with light snow flurries. The first activity was beacon practice in a small open meadow. The group spent the remainder of the day skinning up and skimming down through the lighted treed slopes. Day One ended with the obligatory stop in Lake Loiuse for pastries.

Day Two (Saturday) saw the group head up the Spray Lakes road to the Burstall Pass area. It had snowed all night continuing through the day. The wind also picked up through the day. As on Day One, the day started with practice in the beacon pit. The trudge up to the pass is about 5.5 kms starting with a narrow fire road up to Burstall Lakes then along the lake to the outlet of Burstall Creek. From here the trail winds up through the trees to the meadow below the pass. Unfortunately, the snow and wind reduced visibility to under 500 m and, given the exposure on the slopes, the group decided not to advance. A quick lunch then off with the skins and back to the Burstall Creek gully. The trail though the gully can be challenging as the ski-out can be polished smooth by all the skiers. This time there was soft powdery snow, thigh deep in places, making for a slow descent. Day Two ended with the obligatory sore toes and blistered feet. Apparently this is the price you pay with rentals.

Day Three (Sunday) again saw the group head up the Spray Lakes road, this time to the Black Prince area in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. The road was an adventure as almost 300 mm of snow had accumulated over night. Despite that, an amazing number of cars were in the parking area showing the popularity of the area. The clouds moved off leaving beautiful blue skies but still lots of wind. The group split up with two members taking snowshoes to explore the surrounding slopes. The other four headed up along with numerous other groups enjoying the fresh snow. Coming down to the cirque was tricky as the snow got deeper as the trees closed in. But careful route finding and a vigilante Bette kept everyone safe. The day ended at 1:30 pm in the parking lot as the group dispersed to return gear rentals or to go off to more adventures in the Rockies.

Thanks to Bette and Bob for sharing their mountain expertise. No plans yet for next year but, blisters notwithstanding, there is strong interest to go again.

Pictures can be viewed here.

Wilderness First Aid Course (3 days)

Dates: September 27 & 28, 2010 with the 3rd day in October to be determined

Time: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm each day

Cost: $275

Instructed by: J & T First Aid Consulting

Classroom sessions will be at 1375 Lorne St, Regina with the outdoor session location to be determined.

Note: If you already have Standard First Aid/CPR, including AED, and have re-certified within the 3 months prior to the October date, you may only be required to take the outdoor portion of the course (at a cost of $175) in order to attain your Wilderness First Aid certification. Please contact Colleen at J&T First Aid Consulting at 347-1020 or email j&tfirstaidconsult@accesscomm.ca for more information or to register for the course. Note that personal cheques are not accepted. Payment can be made by cash, debit, Visa or Mastercard, Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The SK Section's contact person for this activity is Brenda Desnoyers who can be reached at vertical@accesscomm.ca if you have questions about the course.

Wilderness and Remote First Aid Course – December 2009

by Wendy White

In December 2009, the Saskatchewan section of ACC organized a 20 hour Red Cross Wilderness and Remote First Aid Course that was put on by First Aid for Life Saskatoon. There were twelve participants with diverse interests from diving to climbing to backcountry skiing.

My husband Dick and I both took the class and found it to be very valuable. The instructor provided a wealth of information in a variety of formats that kept everyone engaged. The course included an evening at Diefenbaker Park at -10 C with a brisk wind that reminded us of the challenges that weather adds to dealing with any wilderness injury. Many of the participants had taken first aid courses before and there were often comments on the changes that have been made to suggested procedures to deal with some conditions. Obviously, the course evolves over the years and this highlights the importance of obtaining recertification. The certificate from this course is valid for three years. Participants receive a course manual as well as a handy field guide that can be tucked into a first aid kit.

Taking the course confirmed many of the things that we were already doing to prepare for backcountry travel but also added some interesting changes. Our medical kit is now updated, we feel more prepared to handle an injury, we made more concrete plans for potential bad weather conditions and put more thought into how we might evacuate a person if necessary. As always we planned for how we would communicate within the group and make contact with emergency services if needed (e.g. radios, satellite phone).

Introduction to Backcountry Skiing

by Bob Hawboldt

[This post has been updated on January 14 from the original post]

This trip is intended to allow people new to backcountry skiing a chance to give it a try, and allow more experienced skiers to get out and do some skiing.

Preliminary Itinerary:

Wednesday, January 27, 1930h – 2100h

Presentation and Gear Review

Location: at the U of S - exact location to follow

Thursday, February 4

Travel to Canmore

Pick up rental gear in Calgary if renting there

Accommodation: Boswell Hut at the ACC Clubhouse location.

Friday, February 5

Pick up rental gear for rentals in Canmore

Ski at Sunshine

Morning: learn how to use gear and get some turns in

Mid-day: work in avalanche beacon basin

Afternoon: Some tours/turns within or just outside of ski area

Saturday, February 6

Tour to Burstall Pass - there is a beacon basin there for extra practice

Sunday, February 7

Tour in Kananaskis (Black Prince or Tent Ridge)

Return rental gear

Return home

Requirements:

Must be ACC member to participate.

Reasonable fitness (we will be moving most of the time).

Reasonable alpine ski ability (can ski Blue runs at a resort). Backcountry conditions are highly variable, and you will require a higher fitness level if you are a novice skier. It takes energy to dig yourself out when you fall.

Alpine touring or telemark ski gear (details below)

Avalanche safety equipment.

Detailed gear list provided at presentation.

Ski gear:

Alpine touring or telemark ski gear are recommended. Snow boarders might find the terrain frustrating in that there are often flat areas. If you have used alpine skis while resort skiing, then use alpine touring gear for backcountry skiing. If you don’t telemark, don’t start during this trip.

Gear rental:

Ski and avalanche safety gear can be rented at Gear Up in Canmore or at MEC in Calgary.

Cost:

Gear rental for three days (based on info available on web sites)

MEC Gear Up
Ski Equipment $81 $125
Avalanche Safety $35 $54
Total $116 $179

Accommodation for three nights: approximately $125

Lift ticket at Sunshine: approximately $80

Other costs will include travel, food and beverages.

Travel:

It would be worthwhile to carpool, particularly for those who would like
to rent gear from MEC in Calgary. You could stop on your way to Canmore
for gear pick-up, and we would arrange our Sunday tour so that you could
be back in Calgary prior to MEC closing at 1700h for gear drop off.

Contact Bob at: training at accsask.ca

Wilderness First Aid Course Proposed

The Section has organized a Wilderness First Aid course, a 20-hour program that will prepare participants for unexpected problems in the backcountry,

A total of 8 participants are needed for this course to run.

For more information, contact Bob Hawboldt at training@accsask.ca

Deadline for registrations is November 2nd.