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PNW Ice???

Original Post
danny m · · All over · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 340

Hey guys, fairly new to the area and I was wondering what the PNW had to offer for ice? I am near the CDA/Spokane so I was hopping there was something closer than Hyalite?

Marlin Thorman · · Spokane, WA · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 2,415

If you are into ice climbing then just make the drive to Banff or Bozeman. Both are 6-7 hrs depending on road conditions. But depending on the year there are a few closer spots.

1) Banks Lake - most reliable close ice to Spokane (although reliable may not mean anything this winter if the weather is warm like last winter)
2) Leavenworth/Cascades - hit or miss, needs a good cold snap for the classics around Leavenworth, otherwise plenty of Alpine ice in the cascades although access can be challenging.
3) Copper Falls - 1 waterfall near the Canadian border north of Bonners Ferry, ID.
4) Bull River Canyon - up around Cranbrook. Plenty of short steep lines for mixed and ice.
5) Cabinet Mountains - Lots of options from road cuts to waterfalls. Not much beta on what's out there. Go exploring, find something small or huge. Check out this link to Alpinist for a sample of what was done last winter. alpinist.com/doc/web15w/new…
6) If it gets really cold locally lots of things freeze up. There are a variety of waterfalls from Spokane going north all the way to the Canadian border. I am sure they would freeze given cold enough temps.

Good luck! In the mean time get out dry tooling to train for the a longer trip to Canada or Hyalite.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Pacific Northwest
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