Most of the ice climbs in western Montana are based on either seeps or waterfalls and are shaped by snowfall and recurring thaw/freeze cycles. ROBIN CARLETON

Old-weather climbing available around Missoula

By MICHAEL MOORE
of the Missoulian

Last Christmas, amid the clatter of reindeer hooves and fat men in the chimney, we had ourselves a strange and ultimately wonderful moment wherein I received a new K2 snowboard from my loving family.

Ordinarily, such a gift would be met with open arms and anxious feet. But the fact was, I'd just bought a new snowboard the season before – a development known to my sweetie but somehow overlooked – and didn't need another.

The question then immediately became what might be an acceptable swap. Despite her reluctance to contribute to my preference for extreme sports, Jakki wound up giving me new technical ice tools, which was great, as I was climbing on ancient tools.

Note, I am not talking about ice axes, by which I mean long, straight-shafted axes for mountaineering.

Ice tools are for vertical ice, the climbing of which exists on the outer edge of climbing in general.

It's less risky than free soloing on rock – climbing without a rope – but not by much. The mantra of ice climbers everywhere is simple – Don't fall!

The reason is the medium – ice. Some ice is super-solid, and falling on an ice screw sunk in such ice is relatively safe. Not nearly as safe as falling on a bolt
or a cam placed in rock, but not utterly terrifying, either.

But lots of ice is sketchy – climbable but hardly the stuff you'd want to weight with a fall. Thus the no-fall maxim.

That goes double for early season ice, particularly in El Nino-ed western Montana.

Although most of the climbing here in western Montana is based on either seeps or waterfalls, ice climbs are invariably shaped by snowfall and recurring thaw/freeze cycles.

And that is where we're lacking right now. Some of the ice climbs are starting to come "in,"but most are still a ways off, due in part to lack of snow. They're just not fat.

Bozeman, on the other hand, got hammered by early season snows and Hyalite Canyon, the state's premier ice-climbing destination, is off to an incredible start.

A recent post by Montana ice ace Joe Josephson, author of "Winter Dance," a guide to ice climbing in Hyalite and elsewhere, suggests that just about the whole canyon is in good shape.

JoJo recently posted a solid report on MontanaIce.com, and it sounds like conditions set up perfectly for the Bozeman Ice Fest.

While rock hounds routinely debate whether Missoula or Bozeman is better located for rock climbing, Missoulians have to cede the ice title to Cat Country. We just don't have anything that approximates either the density of climbs or the routinely better, east-of-the-Divide conditions in Hyalite.

That said, there's plenty of ice to be had within an hour or so's drive of Missoula.

The premier learning area is Finley Creek, in the mountains west of U.S. Highway 93 between Evaro and Arlee. Finley has some climbs that can be top-roped, taking much of the danger out of those initial forays up steep ice.

The Swan Slabs on the north-facing side of Blodgett Canyon near Hamilton offer some relatively easy climbing. If the weather has been cold for a while, Blodgett Falls, which flows between the Nez Perce and Shoshone spires, can be worth the effort. It's a three-mile hike in, but that generally keeps roadside climbers at bay. Once you've climbed the falls, there are numerous trees set up for rappels, so you can top-rope to your heart's content.

There's good climbing at the far end of Lake Como, as well as up Bear Creek, near Victor. The ice is on the south-facing side of Bear Creek, so you have to cross the creek then work your way northwest to reach the climbs.

When it comes to big ice, Missoula-area climbers turn to Mission Falls, which provides numerous routes and an arduous approach. The falls freezes solidly in a run of
unbroken cold weather, but it can stay pretty wet until winter really hunkers down.

Once the falls comes in, though, it's as good as it gets in western Montana.

With the cold temps that set in around Thanksgiving and early December, western Montana ice should be shaping up pretty well. The El Nino weather pattern that leaves us short on snow won't work in our favor, but with enough cold, we'll be climbing soon.

Worst case scenario? Head for the ever-dependable Hyalite.

Reporter Michael Moore can be reached at 523-5252 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .