Ontario Ice Beta

Hey all, I’m a Michigan native ice climber living in metro Detoirt. I want to start exploring some of the amazing ice I’ve seen online in northern Ontario. The most well known areas with the best big consistent lines are around Nipigon, Thunder Bay, orient bay etc however this is around 10-12 hour drive from me.

So I’m really targeting similar distance as munising but there’s just such little beta of the area. I’ve gathered some good info from climbsudbury.com and also from a guide book found on there written by Danylo Darewych however I was wondering if anyone who’s been in the area to climb some good big lines or multipitch knows of any specific areas that form early or have higher concentrations of great big multipitch ice and the best way to access them. Really any beta is helpful if you’ve been there. TIA!

Go talk to Garrett at Peabody's.  He has beta for ice north of the Soo.  Most MI folks climb there.  Batchwana bay,  Section 16 (or whater# its called), Montreal River, ect.  

I’m sure Shaun Parent will sell you beta on the eastern shore 

Not sure if Superior Ice is still in print from Granite?   Or what’s the latest now.  

Shawn’s place burnt down last week. Not sure what he is doing this winter.

Superior Ice has been out of print for years. You can find them on the secondary market. That has some good beta for the east side of the lake. 

Southern Ontario Ice by Andriy Kolos is a good guide.

Double J wrote:

Shawn’s place burnt down last week. Not sure what he is doing this winter.

Holy crap. 

Superior Ice has been out of print for years. 

Lol.  Figured.  Though In my mind that is the “new” guide.   Time frickin flies 

Garry Reiss wrote:

Southern Ontario Ice by Andriy Kolos is a good guide.

Ice in Southern Ontario in unreliable and needs cold winter.

Garry Reiss wrote:

Southern Ontario Ice by Andriy Kolos is a good guide.

Been trying to find this book and I emailed him on his site and he said it’s been out of print. I wonder what areas around southern Ontario encompass since it’s so huge. Obviously not much in Toronto but would it only go so far north to maynooth and Bancroft or does it reach over to eastern superior areas. 

Yury wrote:

Ice in Southern Ontario in unreliable and needs cold winter.

Not sure how you came to that conclusion. 

Ray Lovpal wrote:

Been trying to find this book and I emailed him on his site and he said it’s been out of print. I wonder what areas around southern Ontario encompass since it’s so huge. Obviously not much in Toronto but would it only go so far north to maynooth and Bancroft or does it reach over to eastern superior areas. 

Bancroft/Maynooth and Algoma areas are both great but only single pitch; looks kinda like this for the most part. The bigger stuff is up Shaun's way. 

Garry Reiss wrote:

Not sure how you came to that conclusion. 

It depends on your definition of Southern Ontario.
Bancroft is definitely more reliable than Hamilton.

Yes, Hamilton ice-climbs unreliable because they are mostly waterfalls and need a couple of cold weeks to form.