Advice On Where to Spend this Upcoming Ice Season

Hey guys! 

I was hoping to get your advice on where you recommend posting up for the winter with the goal of getting as many quality WI pitches in as possible. I'm looking for a place that has:

- great access to a ton of different steep ice routes. 

- a large climbing community so that it's easy to consistently find partners. 

-a cost of living that's low enough for a $2,000-$2,500 USD a month budget (I get that satisfying this piece of criteria will likely require some dirt bagging) 

I get that Ouray fits the bill but I've already spent a decent amount of time out there so I'm looking to head elsewhere. I was considering basing out of Canmore or Cogne. Can anyone speak to what it's like to be an ice climbing bum in those places or can you recommend some other destinations that match my criteria? Your input is greatly appreciated! 

Hard to beat Canmore for ice and a good life, but it is not inexpensive anymore. Have you considered the White Mountains outside of North Conway, or the Adorondacks around Keen and Keen Valley? Both are great climbing areas and have a lower cost of living. You will need to do some networking for partners, but they are there.

Good Luck

Base out of Nipigon, Ontario 

The Moose near McKirdy lake will belay for apples. 

Canmore.  Period.  You can find partners almost every day, amazing ice lines to be found in any direction and can climb almost any style of winter climbing based on weather and Avi conditions every day of the season within a ~3-4 hour drive. Huge ice, single pitch ice, Multi pitch mixed, alpine routes, cragging drilled pocket drytooling routes, the list goes on. Just go to Canmore.  

Cogne is the only place you mentionned that I know.
Spending a entire winter there is one of my dreams!
The climbing community is great and the possibilities are huge! 

Once you climb all falls there (not gonna happened ;) just drive a couple of hours and repeat in Chamonix :)

Doesn’t Canada still have 14-day government hotel quarantine?  I just read their site. Is it out of date?

Steve McGee wrote:

Doesn’t Canada still have 14-day government hotel quarantine?  I just read their site. Is it out of date?

Nope, was just up there.  You have to be fully vaccinated, and have a negative Covid test within 72 hours of entry (see their website--don't remember it).  And you may have to have another negative test once you get up there within 24 hrs (I think it's random--I was special).  I was able to do it in my truck in a parking lot, remotely (the supervision, not the nose swab)..

Here ya go Canada travel

Rats.

Thanks for the up-to-date info. 

Having spent many winters in Canmore, I absolutely love it. But! It’s not cheap and you will spend a lot of time and money driving. I would also recommend the east - Vermont, NH, NY and Quebec have shit tonnes of amazing ice with none (or very little of) the big mountain headaches like avalanches that you do in the Rockies. 

Thanks for all of the stellar input guys! I'm going to take this all into consideration and make the call soon. 

New Hampshire, conway area is good, tons of steep ice, and alpine steep ice if you are willing to drive. 

I'm going to pile on and say the northeast: New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. I would love to spend a whole season up there climbing regularly. 

Cabinet mountains, near Troy Mt.  Ooops, supposed to keep on DL. 

Pete S wrote:

Cabinet mountains, near Troy Mt.  Ooops, supposed to keep on DL. 

Cabinets are way too long of an approach unless you just plan to camp all winter.

Canmore/Canada - expensive, long drives to most ice. Golden would be cheaper and closer to areas like Field. Not sure what cost of living is in Jasper but might be worth a look? 

For easy access in NA I'd be looking at New England or Eastern Canada.

Cogne sounds rad, never been. Maybe also look at Northern Norway, they have a festival and from what I hear it is really good but Norway can be expensive too. 

Pete S wrote:

Cabinet mountains, near Troy Mt.  Ooops, supposed to keep on DL. 

See you there.