Where to go for ice climbing in March?

I have all of March free next year, what would be the best location to go for getting as much ice in as possible during this month?

New to ice climbing, so looking for somewhere good to start and with a reasonable chance of finding partners/mentors.

Ouray

+1 for Ouray. I spent a few days there back in March and it was awesome. Even when the Ice Park closes for the season there is ice outside of town that could keep you busy. I hope to spend more time there March of 2022 as well. 

They are right....Ouray and to be more precise, the San Juan's is the Mecca for concentrated ice. From Lake City to Durango sits more ice than you can climb in 2 or 3 March's. The ice park is a huge bonus when it shows as you can get in thousands of feet of work and fun without fear of white death. That said, it is ice and bid March the park closes and the sun destroys a lot of it.

My second choice would be the Banff/Lake Louse area of Canada. Ice is a bit more disbursed, but routes are plentiful, big and many hold on well into April. But there is no replacement for the Ice Park, though there are some great mixed areas like Johnson Canyon that do a great job to keep it going when it snows.

You can't go wrong with either

Southcentral Alaska. End of story. 

This seems like it might be a bit excessive, but would Chamonix be a decent option for this time of year? Or is that a horrible place to be in the early stages of an ice/alpine career?

Cham is amazing - but not exactly a mecca for waterfall ice climbing. Yes there are ice routes but by march things are getting a bit warm down low.  As it sounds like you are fairly inexperienced, I'd recommend Ouray as well - it is nearly impossible to replicate the volume of ice with the ease of access anywhere else in the world.  mid-March is generally the end of the season for the ice park.  Building on the apparent (and excuse me if I'm wrong) inexperience by adding in an alpine environment (like Cham) to the mix is often a very steep learning curve. Not always the most successful way to build skills safely.  No one has mentioned the Northeast but Smuggler's Notch holds a tonne of amazing routes with very little alpine danger, easy access and fun skiing.  Not to mention you're close to the adirondacks, the lake, North Conway area...  But Ouray area is still the top choice. 

Okay awesome, thank you all for the info, Ouray sounds like the go.

Follow on question though: If the end goal is technical alpine climbing, is starting out with waterfall ice the best way to go about it? Or would I be better served by going to the Cascades or Cham or somewhere and just going for it on easier alpine climbs to work my way up?

Norway

Ryan, if you end up going to Ouray, just hire one of the local guides to get you into the backcountry. A good guide can teach you a lot of the skills that you will need on your larger objectives. I have similar plans and for me, this year is all about lots of pitches of ice. 

Ryan Macwrote:

Follow on question though: If the end goal is technical alpine climbing, is starting out with waterfall ice the best way to go about it? Or would I be better served by going to the Cascades or Cham or somewhere and just going for it on easier alpine climbs to work my way up?

It's all important and beneficial, you just need mileage in technical terrain. You're much more likely to get that mileage, especially in the context of a couple week trip, in a place like Ouray rather than a big alpine venue due to better weather, lower commitment, easy to find partners, etc.

climbing coastiewrote:

Southcentral Alaska. End of story. 

Amen! AK all the way...endless possibilities. Best ice in the U.S. Keystone etc. in prime by March. 

Adirondacks have fat ice if youre in the east come march. Great for the less experienced and more than enough for the hardened experts. 

Nipigon Ontario (orient bay or kamma bay) is in its prime the first 2 weeks of March. 

Mr. Southfork wrote:

There ARE "NO VACANCIES IN MONTANA OR WYOMING."

..?

Canadian Rockies.

QED

There's kind of a cool discussion hidden in here: For alpine objectives, are you better off learning by slogging around in the low-angle hills and discovering how to suffer and survive, or are you better off going to Ouray to climb Euro-style vert ice within steps of a hot pizza? Personally, I kind of did the first before doing the second. And I suck in the alpine. (Wet rock = coffee shop.) So...if you wanna climb Cham and Alaska, do you get there with pickets and gators and avalanche assessment or by top-roping icicles with mono points? (Clarification: You wear the mono points; not the icicles.) ((Second clarification: You wear the mono points; you do not wear icicles.))

It will take some luck for any of these places late into March. I'd throw North Conway into the mix. It's been warm so far this winter, so maybe we get a bone chilling spring? Either way, average temps are colder each year than Ouray, but of course there is no ice park either.

The Canadian Rockies are still very much in come March. Maybe not Weeping Wall or anything super south/west facing, but it’s ice prime time. The days are longer and the locals are usually over the season already and heading to the Creek or Smith Rocks. 

Garth Sundemwrote:

There's kind of a cool discussion hidden in here: For alpine objectives, are you better off learning by slogging around in the low-angle hills and discovering how to suffer and survive, or are you better off going to Ouray to climb Euro-style vert ice within steps of a hot pizza? Personally, I kind of did the first before doing the second. And I suck in the alpine. (Wet rock = coffee shop.) So...if you wanna climb Cham and Alaska, do you get there with pickets and gators and avalanche assessment or by top-roping icicles with mono points? (Clarification: You wear the mono points; not the icicles.) ((Second clarification: You wear the mono points; you do not wear icicles.))

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/121812843/is-waterfall-ice-the-best-way-to-prepare-for-technical-alpine

Can the icicles wear dual points?