Marble Canyon - Ice Climbing?

That's right! I went out and tried a new winter sport in my pursuit of becoming an adventure photographer. I went and tried my hand at ice climbing. Which, it turns out is quite fun, just maybe not while you are actually doing it. I don't think I made it more than 20-30 feet off the ground before my arms were too tired to swing the ice tool anymore. This is in part due to me having poor form, and just not being in the right type of shape for this. My friends Andy, Bobby, and Tye were gracious enough to take me out with them and show me the ropes, even though it was only really the second day of what is appearing to be a short season of Ice Climbing here on the West Coast of BC. They took time out of a short season to get me out on the ice, and lent me tools to do so as well. For that I am extremely grateful. A big thank you to these good friends.

Any way, back to the climbing. The climb we did is called Deeping Wall. It is located in Marble Canyon Provincial Park, just outside of Pavilion BC. The climb is rated a WI5, which is on a scale of 1-7 with 1 being easiest and 7 being the hardest. It is about 120 feet in total height. Being located in Pavilion, it is a little ways away from home. Andy and I met Tye at a Tim Horton's at Whatcom Road in Abbotsford at 03.30 and were on the way. We met up with Bobby in Cache Creek at around 07.30 and from there were off. When we got to the parking lot for the climb we were pleasantly surprised to see the lot was empty, and we had the area to ourselves. This was the case for a couple of hours. Even when other people started showing up, it didn't really feel crowded, and the other climbers all seemed quite nice and friendly, over all a welcoming bunch. I was glad to have been given this experience, and I cannot wait to get a little stronger, and try again. Maybe next time I will fully send one of the climbs!

Until next time!

-Riley

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