I'm thinking of taking a week off this winter and going some place in North America where I can focus on improving my water ice skills. I'd probably want to hire an instructor/guide for at least some of the time as I'm still at the point in the learning curve where expert instruction would help me a lot. I've climbed WI4 and M6 on toprope, followed WI3 on multipitch alpine, and done some mock leading, but would like to get my technique better and eventually get to the point where I'd be reasonably comfortable leading easy ice. I'd originally thought about going to Ouray due to availability of ice and guides, but a recent thread on Banff made me realize that there are other possibilities. I'm in CA but I'd be up for going pretty much anywhere in the US, including Alaska and New England and/or the Dacks, though it would be nice if there were XC or downhill skiing or other winter activities nearby so I could take the family along. Any suggestions?

Canadian Rockies has it all.

Even though I am a serious Canadian Rockies ice climbing advocate and spend most all of my ice climbing based out of Canmore. It would be impossible to beat Ouray for pure, head down, focused learning. You spend no time on logistics, just climbing on freshly made ice, leading, top roping, mixed, whatever you are ready for, day in, day out, no matter the weather or conditions (avalanches, etc.). I can hook you up with an ice climbing guide in the Canadian Rockies if that is what you still think you want (or just check out Yamnuska guiding on line). Much more majestic and tons of multi-pitch rugged backcountry ice. Ouray is cheaper to eat and sleep. Good luck on your descision. Can't go wrong with either.

Hate to say it, but Ouray is it. If you just have a week and you don't lead yet but want to get started it is the best use of your time. Save Canada until you are better prepared to partake of all it has to offer. Ouray never gets to -30 C, harder climbing is available just up the Camp Bird road and the avalanche danger in the zoo - I mean Ice Park, is always low.

My first WI3 "lead" was in the ice park. I was with a stronger partner. I placed screws on toprope, then my partner went up on TR and inspected my placements. Then we pulled the rope and I clipped them as I, ah, "led"

No question.....OURAY !!!! You just get sooooo much time on ice. 3 days in Ouray is like a week in the back country.

Ouray is perfect for you. You can climb ice all day, from easy WI3 to impossible. Not sure about other stuff for your family, there are hot springs, Telluride is a bit over an hour away. The ice park is so user friendly your wife and kids should spend a day climbing with a guide there.
Every year I look for someplace different to ice climb, but end up going back to Ouray, it is just too convenient and fun.

Hey, man. I'd really encourage you to consider going to the Dacks. There is great downhill and cross country skiing...also snowshoeing, dogsledding, ice fishing and whatever else your family may want to do. Lake Placid is a good base with lots of interesting things to do, including all the Olympic history and activities. And the ice is awesome. There are tons of reliable routes in the WI 3-5 range. And there are areas which are very amenable to TR setups. You could hire a guide for some multi-pitch classics and then go out and TR to fill out the trip.

I've been to Ouray and I didn't like it...I doubt I'll ever go back. It's too fabricated and too crowded. I really like the way that natural ice routes form and evolve. In Ouray, they've basically flooded the place. The ice is 20 ft thick and it's often just a continuous wall of ice that offers no real sense of actually climbing a "route." Trad routes follow cracks, corners, aretes, etc and ice routes follow corners, gullies, pillars, etc. Also, I thought the ice quality was really poor in Ouray, perhaps due to the traffic or possibly because of the way they regulate the water flow.

Canada is awesome and I'm trying out Cody this winter. But I cut my teeth in the Dacks and I can tell you that it is quite a place for the WI3-4 climber.

ExcitibleBoy wrote:Canadian Rockies has it all.

I'd second the Canadian Rockies since its just a majestic place to ice climb, but I do have to agree with Dow. Even though there are a lot of venues to climb ice there, Rundle, Johnston Canyon, Haffner Creek, never to be missed , the Ghost,.... but they are all spread apart. As Dow Points out, if you really want to concentrate on ice climbing, Ouray and the surrounding San Juans have a lot of ice climbing concentrated in a small area.

Daks are nice too, but if you are travelling from Cali and you hit a warm spell the ice goes to crap (and it occurs sometimes fairly often), you'll end up wasting an airline tcket.

CClaude wrote:
Daks are nice too, but if you are travelling from Cali and you hit a warm spell the ice goes to crap (and it occurs sometimes fairly often), you'll end up wasting an airline tcket.

Sad but true.

Yeah!

OURAY.... stay away from the treasure that we will have going locally this season. There is gonna be ice all over the place this year.

And if you like crowds and are a socialite, by all means, OURAY.

Pay all that money for a plane ticket, hotels and rental car.... hee hee hee.

The Chief wrote:Yeah!

OURAY.... stay away from the treasure that we will have going locally this season. There is gonna be ice all over the place this year.

And if you like crowds and are a socialite, by all means, OURAY.

Pay all that money for a plane ticket, hotels and rental car.... hee hee hee.

Don't tell anyone, Chief, but there is great ice climbing around Ouray that is outside of the ice park. Hundreds of climbs, tens of people.

The Chief wrote:Yeah!

OURAY.... stay away from the treasure that we will have going locally this season. There is gonna be ice all over the place this year.

And if you like crowds and are a socialite, by all means, OURAY.

Pay all that money for a plane ticket, hotels and rental car.... hee hee hee.

I'm hoping to take advantage of that ice this fall and winter. Maybe I'll even give you a call and try to learn a thing or two from you. But given the local ice's unpredictability and the fact that I have a job that involves responsibility, and a family that involves the same, I have to plan ahead and I'm willing to trade a little cash for predictable conditions. I bet I hate crowds and socialites just as much as you, but as I'm not yet retired I have to make some compromises.

Ouray isn't bad on the weekdays. The last couple of times I've gone it's been after the festival, in early February. It does get crowded on weekends though.

And you have to check out Ouray Mountain Sports while you're there - they have a Grivel ice screw sharpening machine and plenty of nice toys to look at

People come from all over the country to practice / learn the sport there. One day we watched an amputee learning to ice climb. On one foot she was wearing a plastic boot, and on the other a prosthesis. It was pretty inspiring.

The first year I went we found ourselves rapping down into the canyon next to a Chicks With Picks group, led by expert female ice climbers. Kind of cool listening to them teach.

chief: isn't there like one ice climbing area in CA?