Minnesota North Shore ice climbing, anyone here been there?

Hey, I'm looking to head up to northern MN for some climbing along the North Shore between Duluth and Devil Track River. Anyone have some knowledge of the area and what some good TR routes are? I've never been up there before, and looking for new places to explore. I'll be up there on new years weekend so there will be a few more weeks for stuff to form...

And if anyone has been up there recently, news on current conditions?

Thanks.

Hey Paul,
The Manitou River is what you've described. It's been a long while since I've stopped there, but the Poplar river (at Lutsen ski area) has a line about 20 yards north of Hwy 61.
Steve

Cool, thanks!

If the weather's been cold with plenty of precip up there, I would think the routes would be in by new years. I know some low grade stuff around Munising MI has been in a while ago already, and some of the other features were well on their way, but I've been there plenty of times, and I'll be there come Feb for Michigan Ice Fest.

Thanks for the tip on the Poplar River! I've got a guide book for the Lake Superior region's ice climbing, but that one isn't mentioned. It'll be really easy for me to check it out since I'll be skiing at Lutsen as well. I'll also definitely check out the Manitou River as well. Thanks for the link. If I check out other areas around there, I'll try to get some info up here on the site.

Any idea when the rivers freeze over? I've got skis to approach with, but some other party members may need snow shoes.

mountainproject.com/v/casca… this area is well known.

Also, if your up for going north and have a passport, I would look into Ontario. Near Thunder Bay and up to Nipigon is great.

If the weather is right, there could be climbs in near Christmas but it'll probably be closer to the New Year as Steve said.

Be careful out there, I've known a few folks who have "enjoyed" some long adventures out there -- especially when conditions aren't as expected. :)

Jonathan

Casket Quarry is a worth while stop.

Paul Reineck wrote: I've got skis to approach with, but some other party members may need snow shoes.

If you've got a x-country set up you can have an amazing time skiing the rivers. The Cascade is great if you start basically same as the approach for the climb linked above, the Onion river near Lutsen is also an amazing trip on skis.

As mentioned above if you've got the time (probably 4 hrs from Lutsen each way) to get to Nipigon do it for sure. Info on routes and conditions is best gleaned from acctbay.ca. If you don't have time its worth making a separate trip, although New Years weekend can be brutal. A New Years trip to Nipigon BITD is the only reason I know that -40 is where the C and F scales match up...brrrr.

Steve M wrote: If you've got a x-country set up you can have an amazing time skiing the rivers. The Cascade is great if you start basically same as the approach for the climb linked above, the Onion river near Lutsen is also an amazing trip on skis. As mentioned above if you've got the time (probably 4 hrs from Lutsen each way) to get to Nipigon do it for sure. Info on routes and conditions is best gleaned from acctbay.ca. If you don't have time its worth making a separate trip, although New Years weekend can be brutal. A New Years trip to Nipigon BITD is the only reason I know that -40 is where the C and F scales match up...brrrr.

I've got an alpine touring ski setup. It'll work well for approaches.

Canada might be too far for this trip, but I'll certainly keep it in mind for future trips! I've also wanted to make a trip up into Agawa Canyon for some epic ice climbing (I hear it's spectacular up in there!) But alas, I've had a too few vacation days to make the commitment.