Ontario  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Lat, Long:  44.0244, -80.6836 Map Page Views:  88,356. Good page?    Administrators:  Peter Spindloe, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  Peter Spindloe on Apr 19, 2007 Make this area a Favorite What's New  Printer View Add Area  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event  Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue 52° | 36° 55° | 34° 61° | 37° 66° | 43° 70° | 54°

Entering the crux of Nimbus (5.10b) at Lion's Head...

Description 

It would appear at first glance that Ontario lost in the glaciation lottery. Somehow nearby Quebec and New York State were spared total bulldozing, but Ontario really got it in the last however number of ice ages.

Despite that, there is some fine climbing to be had in Ontario, even some great climbing. The local communities are large and strong.

In southern Ontario, the limestone and dolostone of the 700km long Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, provides fifty or more crags from Niagara Falls up to Tobermory on the Bruce Pennisula. Recent decades have added a number of high quality sport crags to the trad areas established in the sixties. Lion's Head is a true gem of an area; pictures from there look like Thailand.

Further north and also to the east, the granite and quartzite of the Canadian Shield formation provide some excellent trad cragging and multi-pitch routes.

The relatively long winters have pushed people to hunt out every ice smear around, and if you're up to winter camping and lots of tromping across frozen lakes and in the bush, there's solid ice climbing to be had.

Getting There 

The southern parts of the Niagara Escarpment are easily accessible from Toronto, Buffalo or Detroit. For most other areas you're looking at a lot of driving.

The Classics

Featured Route For Ontario

The Monument 5.12+  International : Canada : ... : Past the Hippie Wall

The route EVERYONE wants to do, but it rarely gets done. This nearly horizontal 30 foot roof is massive and split by a fist/hand crack that pinches to fingers just before the lip.Climb the chossy looking face until it is possible to start using the crack. The rock is more solid than it looks, but use caution.Climb the easy, slightly overhanging crack up to the roof then take a deep breath before leaning back and seeing how far away the lip looks. After choking back down the vomit, fight the pump...[more]   Browse More Classics in International

Photos of Ontario Slideshow

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Thomas seconding Nimbus.	Cat's Tail (5.9), a long, sustained and high quali...	Starting up "I Wonder Where the Lions Are" (5.12a)...
Entering the crux of "I Wonder Where the Lions Are...	non climbing - throwing rocks into Lake Superior d...	Me on Caramel Coatings (Kushog Lake, ON, Canada)
Mother of Pearl	Agawa Canyon