Miller's Thriller is one of the longer ice climbs in Provo Canyon, slightly off the beaten track from the Bridal Veil Falls-Stairway to Heaven center of climbing in the canyon.

It is typically done in 3 pitches and has a very reasonable approach (slightly longer by Provo Canyon standards). It is not done as frequently as other routes in the canyon, so the chance of having the route to yourself is high.

Getting There

To get to Provo Canyon:

From Salt Lake City and all points North, drive south on I-15 until you reach the 8th North exit in Orem (Exit 272, or UT-52). There should be a sign for Provo Canyon and Sundance Ski Resort.

Drive east (toward the big mountains) until 8th North divides (approximately 3.7 miles). The right lane will go to Provo, down University Avenue, and the left lane will curve left into Provo Canyon. Check your mileage here, so that you will know where the turnoff for the climb is. (Take the left fork obviously).

From the ramp into Provo Canyon, the primary climbing center's parking lot is 4.7 miles up canyon on the right at Bridal Veil Park/Nunn's Park (most people park in front of the gate on the right side of the highway after exiting). If you want to climb Miller's Thriller, continue an additional 1.5 miles up canyon from this turnoff to another turnout on the right.

Turn off the highway and follow this road back down canyon for around a half mile until it dead-ends at a gate. The road should be plowed to here.

Approach Description:

Walk past the gate and down the road into a parking lot that will not be plowed. Snow depth in the bottom of Provo Canyon is usually minimal. On the left you will see a bridge crossing the Provo River. Cross the river and turn right (down canyon, west) on the Provo River Parkway (also covered in snow most likely). Follow the obvious path until you see a wooden railing begin on your right (this should take 5-10 minutes with a bit of snow). From the start of this wooden railing, walk ~100 feet and look for a clearing to enter the woods on your left. Dave Black's Ice Climbing Utah guidebook states that you ascend a gully to the base of the climb, but I was unable to find this gully. On the descent, I also found that it was easier to go through the woods then descend a bouldery stream bed with running water and 6 inches of snow covering the holes. Your mileage may vary.

You may be lucky enough to find tracks in this section. Meander up the hill in the general direction of the buttress that you spotted from the road. There are three prominent ice climbs attainable from this parking lot (The Fang, Miller's Thriller, Finger of Fate). If you miss the climb and end up too far left or right, it is simple to traverse to your climb.

The bottom of Miller's Thriller is an obvious wide curtain that is occasionally missing a section in the middle.

Route Description

Pitch 1 ascends the wide curtain previously mentioned (WI3) and continues up through a narrow runnel. Follow the obvious line until you run out of rope. This climb may be done in two pitches if you have a 60m rope. The last part of the 1st pitch (or the second pitch if consulting Dave Black's guidebook) is a small snowslope where the crux face comes into view above. There should be two bolts on your left, with wires and webbing attached. Belay here. Be aware that the runnel can have running water, and there are sections of very thin ice at times. On January 5 I encountered a section just below the belay that was running on the right and ~1 inch thick on the left, above smooth rock slabs. Protection would have been impossible and the climbing was delicate, although not difficult at all (WI2).

The crux face seen from below.

Pitch 2 is the crux face above. Approach on the snow slope and choose the line of least resistance. This portion goes at WI3-4 but can feel slightly harder when crumbly and wet. I chose to start on the right and trend left away from the running water, which seemed to be the easiest method.

Belay from bolts or the plethora of trees at the top.

Descent: To the right there appear to be fixed ropes which will bring you all the way to the ground. The other option is to rappel back to the bolted belay below the crux and rappel one more time to near the bottom of the climb. This can be done with a 60m rope. From the bottom of the second rappel, traverse climber's right unroped to the fixed rope and descend the rest of the way. Or bring two 60's and go to the ground in two easy rappels.

Essential Gear

60m rope
crampons
2 technical ice tools
helmet
harness and slings
4-6 ice screws of varying lengths (include 2 stubbies).

Miscellaneous Information

Typically the most reliable time to climb ice in the lower portions of Provo Canyon (Bridal Veil, Stairway to Heaven, Miller's Thriller, etc), is late December to mid January. Some routes are climbable earlier and later than that. Most notably, the first pitch of Stairway to Heaven is often still fat into February, and provides a great place to practice leading lots of different variations or top-roping.

All supplies can be purchased in Provo, including gear at either Hansen's Mountaineering in Orem (1799 N. State in Orem, phone number (801) 226-7498) or at Mountainworks next to the Quarry Climbing Gym in Provo. Both shops stock tools, screws, crampons, a few pairs of boots (including rentals at Hansen's) and anything else you might need. Hansen's is probably the best place to call to inquire about conditions in Provo Canyon and the mixed lines that exist there.

If miller's thriller is not "in," the best place to look is Stairway to Heaven and the Bridal Veil drainage (see upcoming route page for White Nightmare). Reliable ice can also be found in Joe's Valley in central Utah, Little Cottonwood Canyon (Great White Icicle) or higher in Provo CAnyon near the Sundance resort--although avalanche danger can be extreme here and the approaches are lengthy).

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