Private Property/Skin or Hike Approach MORE INFO >>>
Continued access is at the pleasure of the private landowner. Please... no dogs, no defecating in canyon. Pack it out. Pack it all out. The BEST single book for Maple Canyon Ice Climbs is Jason Stevens' Maple Canyon Ice Climbing, available at area specialty equipment shops (or perhaps from him directly if you contact him on this site). Read it, especially his section on vehicular access issues.
All of the climbs in Maple Canyon absolutely require snow to provide moisture for the melt/freeze which forms these climbs, so snow-covered roads are pretty much a given. Plan to hike or skin up the road. It's a nice warm-up for the climbing, and will alleviate a lot of opportunities for a headache.
again, for emphasis:
The BEST single book for Maple Canyon Ice Climbs is Jason Stevens' Maple Canyon Ice Climbing, available at area specialty equipment shops (or perhaps from him directly if you contact him on this site). Read it, especially his section on vehicular access issues.
All of the climbs in Maple Canyon absolutely require snow to provide moisture for the melt/freeze which forms these climbs, so snow-covered roads are pretty much a given. Plan to hike or skin up the road. It's a nice warm-up for the climbing, and will alleviate a lot of opportunities for a headache.
Got that? ;)
BETA PHOTO: Jesus Wept
Description
High up on the cobble wall, nestled behind an arete on the east side of the canyon, between Maple Moon & Maple Syrup's belays. The photo at right is from above the cave boulder (near the Maple Syrup base), looking back down-canyon. Mix it up the cobble slab, trending right to gain the smear (A fall anywhere up to here may result in a fate worse than death.) Stubbies may protect a fall from above here... but then again, maybe not.
Location
Opposite Maple Syrup, just a few yards down-canyon. In the photo at right, on the right hand side, one can see the snow-covered top of the cave boulder.
The first ascent of this climb was Robbie Colbert and Bill Ohran. The second ascent was Tim Wagner and Doug Heinrich. There was a great story of the 2nd ascent in an old BD catalog. Maybe Brian Cabe has a copy he could find and post.
FYI for future repeats: Both Bill and Doug said that the anchor Robbie and later that Tim built after doing the 1st pitch wouldn't have held a fall, so make sure that your partner is just as good as you are when they follow. You still have a short second pitch of rock after the first pitch of rock and ice, before you get to any sort of a solid anchor. Both Robbie and Tim we're super talented at aid climbing, doing repeat ascents of Beyer's hardest aid climbs in the Fisher Towers so they both knew how to build an anchor in the cobbles using pins, cams, and nuts if a good anchor were possible to build. Just thought this would be good info to know before getting on perhaps the most difficult ice climb in Maple.
The Box Canyon Ice Climbs
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