Ice Climbing

(Click here to go straight to the pictures)

I have wanted to try ice climbing for a long time, but somehow was never presented with the opportunity. Last Thursday, though, I finally got the chance. Andrew and I awoke at 6am and drove to the base parking lot of the Remarkables, where we met a fellow climber from Wanaka named Mark. Andrew had contacted Mark on the internet, so it was a bit of a gamble to embark on an expedition with a total stranger, but he turned out to be a cool dude. We drove up to the resort (a 30 minute ride up a winding series of switchbacks) and began sorting out our gear. At this point I realized that there was only one snowshoe in the car. I'd rented a pair of shoes (i.e. two) the night before, but that morning, as I was fumbling around in the complete darkness, I had managed to only grab one on my way out the door. D'oh. Andrew was using an AT ski setup with skins, Mark was on a pair of snowshoes, and I stomped along in a pair of mountaineering boots borrowed from Andrew. The first 20 minutes were spent hiking up the groomed trails of the resort, then we began ascending a small bowl above the main chairlift. That's when I started post-holing into the snowpack and really wishing I had some big fat snowshoes on my feet. I managed to find a set of footprints going in the right direction, with snow that was compacted enough that I only occasionally punched through, so in the end it wasn't all that bad. We climbed ever upwards until reaching the saddle at about 5600 feet elevation. Then I took the snowboard off my pack and strapped in, while Andrew locked down his AT bindings, and we were off. It was a spectacular 2-mile cruise down a wide-open field, with a few fresh inches of dry, light snow on the surface. Eventually we dropped into a steep valley, hiked 15 minutes up the other side, and then we had reached our destination: Wye Creek.

The rock ledges before us were covered in beautiful formations of waterfall ice. Towering pillars, smooth wide terraces, and jagged icicles of all sizes reached down from unseen heights, creating a frozen, ethereal landscape like I've never seen before. We put on our harnesses and crampons and saddled up to a lower section of the wall, then Mark and Andrew gave me some basic instruction in the necessary techniques. Andrew jumped on the wall first, leading his way up, but after placing his 4th ice screw he hit the crux and didn't feel comfortable pushing through it. Mark gave it a crack but got turned back at the same spot, so Andrew walked around to the top of the route and set up a top-rope. Then it was my turn.


I was a bit tentative with my first few axe-swings, as I'd been told that most of the motion should come from the wrist and little to none from the shoulders, but below me Andrew kept yelling "HARDER! SWING HARDER!". So I did. I was working my way upwards, kicking my toe spikes into the ice, finding the small notches to plunge the axe tips into, and it felt like a smooth, almost effortless ascent. And it was ridiculously fun. I felt so exhilarated, so alive, and upon reaching the top I had an amazing sense of accomplishment. It was, after all, my first ice climb. Mark lowered me back down, me laughing and whooping the whole time, and at the base we switched up the ropes so Andrew could have a go. He climbed up at a steady pace, dropped back down, and exclaimed his satisfaction (somewhat less vocally than I did). Then Mark took his turn, undid the top anchor, and we moved on to another section of ice higher up on the face.


Lead climbing was ruled out straight-away, so Andrew hiked around to the cliffs above and set up an anchor, then belayed us from above. This area was more scenic than the previous one, with more outcropping pillars and a lot more exposure. It was my turn first. I worked my way up the flows of frozen ice, finding lots of notches for the axe points that didn't even require one to swing into them. This climb was longer and more difficult than the first, with more variations in the ice, and it was great. At the top I was, once again, smiling from ear to ear. Andrew and Mark each posted some solid climbs after me, then it was time to pack up and head out. We were pretty far from the car, and I had to be at work by 6pm. The hike out through the snowy mountains was long but very scenic. We gave each other high-fives, ate a bunch of cookies, and drove back to Queenstown. I was utterly exhausted, so work wasn't too enjoyable that evening, but you gotta pay to play.


Ice climbing is freaking sweet. I can't wait to go again, and I'm already planning to buy my own axes and mountaineering boots when I get back to Colorado. If you'd like to see more rad pictures from the trip, check out the album posted HERE . (FYI, Andrew is wearing blue, Mark is clad in black, and I'm the guy with the brown shirt).