With Maligne Canyon and other areas closed due to the Jasper wildfire, the national park has fewer natural ice climbing opportunities this winter.
Rockaboo Mountain Adventures has made up for this loss by building a 15-metre-tall ice climbing wall in the heart of downtown Jasper.
“We're always kind of thinking of new approaches or new ways to use our resources and our team,” said Max Darrah, who founded the local mountain guiding company. “Given the fact that we lost a couple of venues close to town that we use fairly commonly, we started talking about an artificial ice wall.”
Although artificial ice climbing walls are not unheard of in other communities, such as the 21-metre wall being built in Edmonton for the UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup and YEG Ice Fest, Darrah noted there was no real handbook when it comes to these projects.
“The reality is we kind of started from the ground up, and we started to think about different materials, different approaches, different locations and thinking the whole time that somebody's gonna shut this crazy idea down before it actually gets to running water through hoses,” he said. “But quite to our surprise and real delight … we just kept running into people that thought it was a great idea.”
Supported by Travel Alberta, the ice climbing wall is meant not only to draw tourists into Jasper, but also benefit the local climbing community. Darrah noted they had settled on the 15-metre height because that was the international standard required to host the UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup.
The structure consists of scaffolding with two walls for ice climbing, with the possibility of adding rock climbing walls in the future. It is designed to be temporary and will be taken down at the end of the season.
“This is an exciting asset for us, one that we really hope to share with Jasper, especially for this winter,” Darrah said. “This is a proof-of-concept winter.”
Ice farming is done with hoses spraying a fine mist or a low flow that slowly builds up ice on the walls. A proper ice wall can form in a relatively short amount of time depending on the temperature, meaning the ice can be regrown if Jasper goes through a brief thawing period this winter.
The walls are naturalistic in appearance. Darrah explained one of the skill sets of their team was they know what wild ice is supposed to look like.
The attraction caters to all experience levels, everyone from beginners seeking a new challenge to seasoned climbers looking to get some practice. The top of the wall also provides a unique aerial view of the townsite.
“We’re trying to create a structure and a facility that has something interesting to offer any level of climber,” Darrah said.
The anticipated opening date is Jan. 17. A launch party is scheduled for Friday (Jan. 10) as part of Jasper in January.
The ice climbing wall may become a reoccurring seasonal attraction depending on the reception. Rockaboo will be exploring alternative sites where the scaffolding could remain standing.
Darrah emphasized how the new attraction was also meant to enrich the lives of locals on top of attracting winter tourists.
“We really wanted to do this for Jasper as well,” he said. “Please take advantage of this weird and wonderful structure that we have on our doorstep this winter. Come see us, and we'd love to show you what we're doing.”
Rockaboo will be offering 90-minute sessions four times a day. Climbing equipment is included. Those interested can book online.
