Ice Station Superior - Guidebook

Anyone have a guidebook with Ice Station Superior climbs that they'd be willing to part with? I'd greatly appreciate it.

I keep hearing about great long moderates there - can't find anything online.

Hey Matthew,
I'm not willing to part with my guidebook but am more than happy to share some beta with you. I'll post some info this weekend once I dig out my guide. In the meantime you may want to check out acctbay.ca/show_ice.php as there is a conditions report on Ice Station about half way down the page.

To get to Ice Station Superior you need to head east out of Nipigon on 17. Go about 61K from the intersection where 11 heads North to Orient Bay. There's a long gradual hill that tops out right about at that 61K mark, park at the pull-off at the side of the road. From where you park head west (back toward Nipigon) just a bit till you get to the guard-rail on the south side of the road. Look for a path through the snow and follow that down to the RR tracks right on Lake Superior. When you get there, take a left at the tracks and walk till you hit the climbs. Stay alert for trains!

The first climb you see is Pocomotion. I've never climbed this one, it sits pretty high up the cliff and just doesn't look like it's worth the hike to get to. YMMV.

Second climb is Inferior Icefall (175M 3+). The ice comes straight down to the tracks on this one. You start with a short pitch of grade 3-4 depending on conditions. The fist 10 to 20 meters is the crux of the entire climb. After the first short pitch you have 3 nice long pitches of 2 to 2+ ice, hopefully in the sun. Views of the lake are superb!

Third climb is Superior icefall (75M 2+). Nice easy climb, you can stick to the left to make it harder. On warm days with plastic ice this is a great solo.

The fourth and last climb (actually a collection of climbs) is the River of Frozen Dreams. You'll see the river/creek right before you get to the train tunnel. This river is a real gem with a handful of waterfalls to climb as you wander upstream.

Hope this helps you out, PM me if you have any questions.

Steve

Thanks for the post Steve. Sounds like what I was looking for. Should be just what I needed to explore for a bit.

Anyone have a condition report on Ice Station? I'm going up in a week and half and want to know if it's worth the drive over or if I should stick to OB.