First Freeze Ice Camp

Climb Early, Climb Right

First Freeze Ice Camp

Climb Early, Climb Right

Focus on safety techniques and best practices around the ice

Guided by top of the line, ice climbing specialists

Learn to climb multi-pitch objectives at a 1:2 ratio

Experience hands-on learning at some of the Bow Valley's most popular ice climbing crags

Trip Description

This five-day early season ice climbing camp offers personalized coaching from a team of ice climbing experts, designed to elevate your skills and confidence. Tailored to your goals, the course covers core techniques, dry-tooling, rope work, and multi-pitch ice climbing, providing a comprehensive foundation to tackle bigger objectives independently.

This course is designed for climbers who have some introductory experience with ice climbing and are ready to advance their skills. Whether you’ve climbed single-pitch routes and want to improve technique, or you’re eager to gain the confidence and knowledge needed for more challenging, multi-pitch climbs, this camp will help you build a solid foundation. Through personalized instruction and hands-on coaching, you’ll refine core skills, learn advanced rope work, and develop the techniques necessary to tackle bigger, more complex ice routes safely and efficiently.

In addition to expert instruction, the course provides all essential group gear, including first aid kits and emergency equipment. Participants are responsible for bringing their own lunch and snacks each day, as well as all personal climbing gear. Please note that transportation to and from climbing locations is not included, so you’ll need to arrange your own travel for each day. A complete gear list and equipment rental information can be found here.

Itinerary

This course will tackle a variety of instruction, building on existing skill as well as introducing new ones such as:

Ice and mixed movement skills
Steep ice techniques
Ice screw placement and stances
Resting positions
Lead climbing strategy and tactics
Dry-tooling techniques
Hazard awareness and route selection
Anchors
V-Threads
Rappelling techniques

Climbing areas will change daily and are determined by the guide(s) with the consideration of input from participants. Canmore is a world-class destination for ice and mixed climbing. Depending on what forms, regions that you may have a chance to sample include:

Ranger Creek – R & D, Chalice and the Blade, Lone Ranger
Kidd Falls
King Creek
Wedge Smear
Evan Thomas Creek
Haffner Creek – various pure ice, mixed and dry tooling, single-pitch routes
Bear Spirit
Cascade Mountain – Rogans, Cascade, Urs
Ghost Wilderness Area – Hidden Dragon/Joker, Anorexia Nervosa, Valley of the Birds, GBU, This House of Sky

Day One:

You’ll meet your group and guide team at the ACC Canmore Alpine Hostel at 7:00am. We’ll begin the course at a more relaxed venue where you can review basic skills and safety techniques, allowing you to ease back into your ice climbing rhythm.

Day Two:

Take on a new venue and try your skills at a new crag. Whether it’s ice or mixed climbing, we’ll elevate both the learning experience and the physical challenge. The focus of the day will be coaching and refining skills such as steep ice techniques, resting positions, screw placement stances, leading strategies and V-threads.

Day Three:

Day three presents a great opportunity to hone your skills learned in previous days. Later, the group will shift towards learning multi-pitch systems and rappelling techniques.

Day Four:

On multi-pitch day, extra guides will join us. You’ll partner up and collaborate with your guide to pick a climb that matches your goals and abilities.

Day Five:

On the last day of the camp, you’ll head to a final venue and leave it all on the ice! Taking full advantage of the last day with Kris, you’ll take all you’ve learned and apply it, leaving you feeling ready for a full season of climbing ahead.

Location

Climb world class ice in a world class setting

The Bow Valley is lucky to be home to some of the best and most reliable ice climbing in the world, making it the perfect place to host this camp. Early winter in the valley also compliments the course by keeping a relatively low avalanche hazard, allowing you to focus on refreshing your skills for the season.

Guides & Staff

We are thrilled to be having mixed and ice climbing specialist, Kris Irwin, join us as our lead guide for this course. Kris is a certified ACMG/IFMGA alpine, rock, ice and snow guide and has completed several first ascents and set many routes in the Canadian Rockies.

Kris Irwin

Kris is an ACMG Alpine Guide and lives in Banff with his wife Ellen and their daughters Aria and Annie....

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Kris Irwin

Kris is an ACMG Alpine Guide and lives in Banff with his wife...

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We sell Tugo® Travel Insurance suitable for both ACC Adventures and personal trips

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Details

* Camps are subject to minimum enrollment in order to run.

Adventure Hazards

Terrain

Risks include but are not limited to: Cornices and crevasses. Trees, tree wells, and tree stumps. Cliffs, creeks, rocks and boulders. Holes and depressions below the snow surface. Variable and difficult snow conditions. Snowcat roads and road ranks. Fences and other man-made structures. Impact or collision with other persons, vehicles or objects. Encounters with domestic or wild animals. Loss of balance or control. Becoming lost or separated from the group. Slips, trips, and falls.

General Hazards

Risks include but are not limited to: Slips trips and falls indoor or outdoor. Equipment failure. Infectious disease contracted through viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi which may be transmitted through direct or indirect contact. Negligence of other persons, including other guests. Negligent first aid. Negligence of the guide Including failure to take reasonable steps to safeguard or protect you from, or warn you of risk, dangers, hazards, on participating in ACC activities

Avalanche

Risks include but are not limited to: Avalanches can occur in the terrain you will be entering. Caused by natural forces, or by people travelling through the terrain (skiing/snowboarding). Anyone caught in an avalanche is at risk of personal injury, death, and/or property damage or loss.

Rockfall and Icefall

Risks include but are not limited to: Rockfall and icefall can be caused by natural forces or by people travelling through the terrain (e.g. climbing/scrambling/hiking)

Falls and Belaying

Risks include but are not limited to: Mountaineering and ice climbing present the risk of falling from the wall causing the climber to collide with the wall or ground which can lead to injury or death. The risk of a belay failure is also present which can contribute to a ground fall.

Communication and Rescue

Risks include but are not limited to: Communication can be difficult and in the event of an accident, rescue and treatment may not be available. Adverse weather may also delay the arrival of treatment and transport out of the field. If an Injury occurs in challenging terrain movement to an evacuation point may be slow.