Private Multipitch & Instructional Ice Climbing

Instruction

Discover personalized instructional ice climbing programs designed specifically to meet your objectives. Whether you’re new to ice climbing or seeking to advance your skills, Yamnuska Mountain Adventures offers leading-edge guides who are expert climbers and coaches ready to elevate your climbing abilities.

Regardless of your ice climbing background, our guides will provide comprehensive instruction tailored to your needs. Whether you want to enhance your techniques in placing and analyzing ice screws and other anchoring devices (Abalakovs), master climbing steep ice, improve lead climbing skills through mock leads, or delve into dry-tooling, we have the expertise to guide you.

Our maximum guide to guest ratio on single pitch programs is 1:6, ensuring personalized attention and optimal learning opportunities for every participant.

Guided Climbs

Our region boasts a diverse array of classic ice climbs nestled throughout the Canadian Rockies, with several just minutes away from our Canmore office. Below, you’ll find a selection of these iconic ice climbs.

When booking your adventure, you have the option to specify your preferred climbs or rely on our expert guides to recommend suitable options. Ultimately, the guide will make the final decision on which ice climbs to attempt, ensuring that participants have demonstrated the necessary ability through prior experience or by climbing less challenging routes first. must be considered reasonable. Our guides and operations staff meet daily to evaluate avalanche and climbing conditions.

Yamnuska ice climbing guides are available to lead climbs ranging from grade 2 to 6. Surcharges will be applied to more difficult and serious climbs.

Banff Area

Cascade Falls: Scenic grade 3 route right outside Banff. Best to climb December through to mid-February.
Professor Falls: Classic multi-pitch climb located near Banff beneath the imposing NE Face of Mt Rundle. Several grade 4 pitches.
Johnston Canyon Falls: These famous falls freeze over into a variety of grade 3 – 5 single pitch routes.

Kananaskis Area

Many climbs in grade 4 -5 range reached from Smith-Dorian Highway and Highway 40.

A Bridge Too Far:  300m, WI 4+
Kidd Falls: 75m, WI 4
Coire Dubh Integrale: 550m, 5.7, WI 3
Whiteman Falls:  95m, WI 6

Ghost Area

A wide range of excellent climbs reached after a 2-hour drive from Canmore. A 4WD vehicle is necessary.

This House of Sky:  500m, WI 3
Aquarius:  60m, WI 4
Sorcerer:  185m, WI 5
Hydrophobia:  150m, WI 5+

Field / Lake Louise  Area

A great area with lots of climbs in the grade 3 – 5 range in a small area.
Louise Falls: WI 3-5, 30 minutes walk from Chateau Lake Louise.
Guinness Gully: Above Field B.C. (20 min west of Lake Louise, 1 hour from Canmore), WI 4
Massey’s: Above Field, WI 4
Carlsberg Column: Above Field, WI 5

Banff-Jasper Highway

Numerous options exist along the Icefields Parkway, with many guests opting to climb these classic ice routes while lodging at the Rampart Creek Hostel.

Bow Falls: A ski access from Bow Lake of 1-2 hours. WI 4 – 5
Weeping Wall: One of the most famous ice climbs in the world, 2-hour drive from Canmore. Several lines. WI 4 – 5
Polar Circus: A world-famous WI grade 5. You need to be experienced, fast, and willing to pay a surcharge.

Guides & Guide Ratios

The “Yam Ice Team” includes some of the best ice climbers and instructors anywhere! Enthusiastic and extremely talented, they hold climbing certification from the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and from other International Federation of Mountain Guide Association (IFMGA) countries. Your safety and enjoyment are paramount to them.

The maximum guide to client ratio for guided multi-pitch climbs is 1:2 and on single-pitch instructional days, the maximum is 1:6.

Transportation

This is not included. Usually clients transport guides in their vehicles. For insurance reasons, guides cannot transport clients. We suggest you rent a car whilst in the area. If necessary transport can be arranged either using a Yamnuska van or a taxi service. If a guide has to drive beyond Canmore to meet you for the climb gas charges may apply.

Meeting Place and Time

We usually meet guests at our office in Canmore, Alberta but we can meet where it is convenient for you.

Park Passes

Please note that program venues may be within National Parks and/or Kananaskis Country. For programs where transportation is not provided by Yamnuska/Canadian Rockies Hiking by Yamnuska, guests will be required to purchase their own pass.

National Park passes are available both online at https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/admission and in-person at National park gates and some information centres.

Kananaskis Country conservation passes are available online at https://www.alberta.ca/kananaskis-conservation-pass.aspx

If climbing in Banff, Kootenay, Yoho, or Jasper National parks daily entry fees apply. These are approximately $10/day per client and can be obtained on entry.

Accommodation

Accommodation in Canmore is not included. A variety of accommodation options exist in both Canmore and Banff, including campsites, hostels, all levels of hotels as well as condo-style accommodation with kitchens or suites.  We recommend that you book your own pre and post-trip accommodations well in advance as all levels of accommodations in the Bow Valley fill quickly.

Lunches & Snacks

These are not included but can be organized by our chef. Make sure you bring plenty of high-energy snacks plus plenty to drink. A Thermos with a hot drink is a good idea.

Clothing & Gear

This is not included though we do have boots, packs & climbing gear for rent. Rental Gear Prices 

We provide our guests with only the highest quality equipment from our trusted partners at Arc’teryx, Petzl, and BCA. All of our gear is top-of-the-line, carefully selected for performance, safety, and comfort in the mountains. Each piece goes through rigorous inspection and regular inventory turnover to ensure it meets the highest standards, so you can focus on the adventure knowing you’re outfitted with reliable, professional-grade gear.

You will need to bring:

Clothing & Equipment List

There can be periods of inactivity in very cold temperatures. Don’t be afraid to bring too much! We suggest bringing light clothing of varying thicknesses that can be ‘layered’ to achieve comfort and versatility. The most important consideration for clothing is the ability to regulate temperature as you change from periods of activity to periods of rest. We discourage cotton clothing as it causes rapid heat loss when wet. Skiwear works well.

We suggest you bring:

• Long underwear (top & bottom), polypro, wool, or fleece
• Warm pants (pref. insulated or fleece)
• Warm shirt (not cotton)
• Sweater (medium or lightweight)
• Fleece Jacket (heavyweight)
• Insulated jacket or vest
• Waterproof jacket with hood (Gore-Tex or nylon)
• Waterproof pants (Gore-Tex or nylon)
• Socks (wool outer & polypro liner)
• Wool or fleece hat that will cover ears & fit under the helmet
• Waterproof climbing gloves &/or mitts plus spares
• Knee-length Gaiters
• Neck tube
• Daypack (large enough for spare clothing, your lunch & climbing gear e.g. rope & crampons)*
• Sunglasses, protective eyewear and or sports sunglasses regardless of the weather conditions
• Thermos flask and/or water bottle (full!)
• Sun cream
• Hand Sanitizer
• Mountaineering boots (plastic or synthetic Koflach, Scarpa, La Sportiva, etc.)*
• Crampons (Must fit your boots or be easily adjustable)*
• Climbing Harness*
• Climbing Helmet*
• Ice tools*

*Available to rent, but you must advise us in advance that you need them.

• Alpha SV Jacket (Men’s & Women’s)
• Rush Jacket (Men’s & Women’s)
• Rush Bib Pant (Men’s & Women’s)
• Atom Hoody (Men’s & Women’s)
• Atom SL Hoody (Men’s & Women’s)
• Cerium Down Hoody (Men’s & Women’s)
• Nuclei Hoody (Men’s & Women’s)

Contact Yamnuska with gear questions

To book guided ice climbing just call or email our office. Registration requires a deposit of 35% of the cost or, for trips of three days or less, full payment. The balance of payment is required eight weeks before trip commencement. Should you cancel more than eight weeks in advance of the trip, a $105 cancellation fee will apply. Cancellation between six and eight weeks before trip commencement will mean a loss of your deposit. Cancellation less than six weeks before trip commencement will result in a loss of all payments made.

Detailed booking instructions and conditions.

Risk is an inherent part of all mountain activities. We strive to manage and reduce it however, it is impossible to totally eliminate. Learn more about our safety and risk management approach here.  Please note that you will be required to sign our waiver before commencing the program. Please view our sample waiver copy.

To book or enquire about guided ice climbs:

Call 1 866 678 4164 (Canada, US only) or +1 403 678 4164 (other countries) or 403 678 4164 (local)

The Simpson Group offers a wide range of travel insurance options including Trip Cancellation/Interruption, Travel Medical, and Personal Effect Loss for both Canadian and International Travelers. Other providers offer similar services and we encourage you to select an appropriate level of coverage. We highly recommend purchasing this insurance to cover and protect you against unforeseen events. The two basic types of insurance that most travellers need to consider are Medical and Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance.

Insurance Risk 
One of the ways to mitigate risk is by purchasing appropriate insurance. Simpson Group Insurance Services who are travel & health risk specialists, work with technical and high-risk insurance solutions both in medical and non-medical spheres.  We highly recommend that you review your insurance needs to cover and protect you against unforeseen events. It is wise to ensure that your health plan will cover you in case of illness or accident during your trip. Simpson Group have a team standing by to answer any of your questions.

Emergency Medical Evacuation
While there is typically no charge for search & rescue in the National and Provincial Parks for active pass holders, costs such as air & ground ambulance after the rescue are not covered by your park pass. The chance of a large bill associated with this risk is a real possibility.

For Canadians
A common myth is that healthcare across provinces is fully covered. There are many things which do not carry interprovincial agreements. Ambulance services, medical evacuation, and some services which one province charges more than another you’d be responsible to pay the difference.

For Internationals
A common myth is that healthcare in Canada is free. Although it is less expensive than US healthcare, charges for non-residents can still be very high. Proper medical health insurance is essential if you were to get injured. Most coverages exclude rock climbing, mountaineering, ice climbing, backcountry skiing and the like. Simpson Group can make sure all those risks are well covered.

Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
We recognize that our guests’ schedules may change for many reasons, business, family, flight delays, injuries, and other unplanned events.  For these eventualities, Trip Cancellation/Interruption insurance is a great way to protect your investment. We can assure you that circumstances do arise that prevent guests from participating in trips or courses and trip cancellation & interruption insurance is a relatively easy way to manage your level of risk of unforeseen events.

For all your travel insurance requirements we recommend Simpson Group Insurance Services.  For more information and to purchase a plan, visit Simpson Group’s website.