The Worlds Steepest Ice Climb?

Will Gadd and Tim Emmett have climbed the overhung wall behind the Helmcken Falls in British Columbia, Canada. Their route Spray on climbs a 45-degree wall/roof on ice blobs that have stuck to the rock creating possibly the most overhung ice climb in the world.

The ice on the route formed from the waterfalls spay freezing on the caves volcanic rock and much of it was highly unstable. It was not possible to protect any of the route with ice screws in the ice formations and the compact volcanic rock would not take any trad gear so the route was bolted. Drilling the bolts involved hanging from two equalized ice axes in the soft ice features of the cave roof!

Gadd describes the climbing on his blog ‘You had to be really careful to swing accurately in the blobs of ice, and test the placement each time. This is incredibly strenuous when hanging locked-off on a 45-degree wall. Poor placements would rip, which was funny if you were belaying but not so funny on the lead’. Gadd has graded Spray On M10 or WI10.

For the full story, photos and Gadd’s thoughts on the grade of this route visit his blog gravsports.blogspot.com

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