Category: new route

Forgiveness

Rating: WI5
Length: 400 ft
Pitches: 3

Upper pitch forms every year. Can go up gully on right side of wall (not in photos) and then rappel to bottom of 3rd pitch and lead or top-rope back up.

Pitch 1 and 2 have formed/climbed at least twice. 2nd time much fatter.

Grade? WI 5-WI 6 depending on conditions. Long lost arrow on back wall: protects the pillar when thin. General Delta mixed rack…cams, knife blades, screws and things.

First ascent was done with two left scarpa inverno boots…which luckily always fit like a Hefty bag.

forum link icon Be sure to check out the extended description in Jeff Benowitz’s guide.

FA: Hebrew Hammer, Ian McRae, David Willey, 1990s

Descent: Rap route

Posted by: Jeff Benowitz, February 8, 2024.

Phoenix

Rating: WI5
Length: 600 ft
Pitches: 4

go up
—
figured some Phenoix(sp) photos might inspire. These are from the year it was solo’d. If ice too thin, go left of first pitch and left at alcove of 2nd pitch (up ramp…then a few choices for cracks to dry tool).

forum link icon Be sure to check out the extended descriptions in Jeff Benowitz’s guide and Roman Dial’s Guide.

FA: Steve Bergt and Steve Will, January 1984.

Descent: Descend to skiers left

Posted by: Jeff Benowitz, February 6, 2024.

Thin Blue Line

Rating: WI3
Length: 20 meters
Pitches: 1

The Reindeer Hills Crag has a long horizontal wall offering many lines with a short (10-25’) burst of mixed climbing at the beginning.

Thin Blue Line is easily recognizable as it is the only climb on the wall whose ice touches down and doesn’t include a mixed component.

FA: Peter Alvarez, Ryan Ellicott, Becca Olson, and friends, October 29, 2023

Descent: Sling from the many alders to rappel.

Posted by: Shane Ohms, November 23, 2023.

Caribou Loo

Rating: WI2
Length: 80 meters (Pitch 1)
Pitches: 2

Loo is a phrase derived from the French “guarded l’eau” meaning “watch out for water!” which was shouted in medieval times right before someone would toss their honey bucket out the window and onto the street below. Doing this climb early in the season, you may want to watch out for water too!

The main waterfall (N 63.436132° W 148.770500°) is about 80 meters of discontinuous, somewhat short ice steps in quick succession. Can be divided any number of ways, but 40m and 40m makes a convenient belay spot.

After that there are a few more, even shorter, easier, and more spread out, ice steps (~15 meters total) that you might choose to do unroped.
After that you may exit the gully system and walk off around climbers right.

If you choose to take a left in the gully system, there is a final short (~6m) waterfall step that is more difficult due to its steepness and thinner ice coverage at the top. (N 63.433633° W 148.770114°) It can also be bypassed on the right using a convenient alder for protection and some scrambling.

FA: Shane Ohms and Jeremy Sanchez, October 22, 2023

Descent: Walk off on climbers right once the horizon opens up and you are out of the gully system.

Posted by: Shane Ohms, November 1, 2023.

Trail Lake

Rating: WI4
Length: 30 meters (Pitch 1)
Pitches: 2-3

Up high in this drainage lies a couple of ice steps. The first step (not a full pitch) is like an oversized Mad Dog up to WI4 in difficulty. Meander up the gully over some other steps and choke points to find more ice awaiting above. This route is best early season before snow fall that threatens to rip loose and bury the whole route. Timing is key.

FA: Unknown

Descent: V-thread.

Posted by: Admin.

Chicken Wing

Rating: WI2
Length: 30 meters
Pitches: 1

30 meters of fat ice takes you to a nice belay spot past the rock fin. Stick to the middle to keep out of alders. A little more ice exists up and to the left, but since it has fallen trees woven into its ice matrix; it would make for a messy rappel. 30 meters is a good spot to end at.

This climb is not worth the long drive if you are in search of challenging ice, but if you are searching for a unique Yukon experience… you might find yourself amidst howling wolves and northern lights mid rappel.

FA: Jeremy Sanchez and Shane Ohms; April 1, 2023.

Descent: Plan on rappelling by V-thread, but you may be able to sling a tree that is frozen in the ice mass.

Posted by: Shane Ohms; October 17, 2023

Reveille

Rating: WI3
Length: 35 meters
Pitches: 1

15 meters of easy ice leads to 20 meters of steeper ice reaching WI3 in difficulty. 25 meters of of low angle snow/scree leads to a rock sling.

FA: Douglas Hartman and Shane Ohms; October 13, 2023.

Descent: Rappel route by slinging a large rock, or if the canyon to the left of climb is frozen enough to be passable, you can walk off to climbers left and walk back to the bottom through the canyon.

Posted by: Shane Ohms; October 17, 2023

King Arthur

Rating: M7 WI5
Length: 70 meters
Pitches: 2-3

This route is 20-30ft right of Sword in the Sword in the Stone Room. Climb through 2 shelves of steep ice blobs to a skinny pillar that ends on a horizontal mossy seam. Continue up and slightly right through 4 bolts and 2 pins to a dagger. Above the dagger is a 2 bolt anchor (slightly left) on the rock face below the next curtain. Belay here or continue up thin ice out right to gain the upper ice (steep for about 15m).

Ice anchor at the top of the steeps. Long wi3 pitch trending left takes you to the top. There’s a 2 bolt anchor at right of the base of the final wi3 bulge.

FA: Travis McAlpine, Benjamin Lieber, Elliot Gaddy; January 21, 2023.

Descent: Rap the route.

Posted by: Ben Lieber; March 18, 2023