PRINT: Climb Murchison Falls, Alberta

Murchison Falls

WI4-5, Ice, 600 ft (182 m), 4 pitches, Grade III,

Avg: 3.7 from 42 votes
FA: Trevor Jones & Tom Whittaker; 1997
International > N America > Canada > Alberta > Icefields Parkway > Mt Murchison

Description

CLIMB 280m

1st pitch 60m - WI2 and snow

2nd pitch 60m - WI3

3rd pitch 40m - WI4

4th pitch 50m - WI 4+

5th pitch 70m - WI 4+

RAPPEL

1st 60m - bolts, rap anchors are around the corner to the right of the belay anchor. The belay anchor has a propensity to twist ropes when pulling, multiple parties have been stuck beneath the hangfire due to this

2nd 50m - v thread

3rd 60m - bolts

4th 30m - v thread (or down climb on snow)

5th 40m - v thread

**Please use naked threads whenever possible**

Location

The approach to this climb is a full on hike. Even will little snow or a beaten path - it is a long way up to the climb. Makes for a full day.

The final bit of the approach after leaving the treeline when you go up the snow slope to the actual start of the falls is an avalanche run-out (coming down from climber's right) take appropriate precautions for the current conditions.

Park just over 5 miles south of the river crossing (junction with hwy 11) where a drainage comes down and under the road. Walk up this drainage until it is better to move north into the trees. This is a long hike and if fresh snow - could take hours

Others suggested that it could be windy on top. Correct!!

We found gale force and sustained winds when topping out - enough that we could hardly stand up and could not communicate except with sign language. Not a place to be searching around for the rap anchors very long.

Protection

Screws, probably more square feet of ice on this singular falls than all the ice in Provo Canyon put together. It is huge and thick.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Bruce Hendricks, final pitch

Second pitch!

Finishing up the final pitch

Starting the 3rd pitch

Murchison Falls in the middle. My Daddy's a Psycho! on the left. Virtual Reality on the right.

Yeah, the wind blows over the top. Wild and wicked place to be. <br>
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And, your a long way from the car.<br>
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Picture borrowed with permission from Dow Williams - http://www.summitpost.org/murchison-falls-iii-wi-4/277728

Yeah, the wind blows over the top. Wild and wicked place to be. And, your a long way from the car. Picture borrowed with permission from Dow Williams - http://www.summitpost.org/murchison-…

Stating up!

Coming up the 3rd pitch

Some crazy ice formations on the final pitch

From the top (near the rap anchor) looking down on the last pitch. This is, or can be, a difficult lead with little communication and a total rope stretcher. Accidents have occurred here. Pict…

Murchison Falls from where you break out of the trees. It's still a long ways off.<br>
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Picture borrowed with permission from Dow Williams - http://www.summitpost.org/murchison-falls-iii-wi-4/277728

Murchison Falls from where you break out of the trees. It's still a long ways off. Picture borrowed with permission from Dow Williams - http://www.summitpost.org/murchison-falls-iii-wi-4/277728

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Vikram Sahney
Seattle, WA

Video of a variation on Murchinson Falls, on a route called But My Daddy's a Psycho which shares the same final pitch and descent.

youtu.be/lJXaOCxRGD4 Aug 28, 2016

Ryan Pfleger
Boise, ID

So good! it was an all day affair, so bring your headlamp if you are feeling slow. We did it with double 60m ropes, but 70m would have been very helpful especially around the 2nd to last pitch. Even with double 60m we were able to get from the top bolted anchor, to the next one down and then hit a v-thread to the huge snowy shelf and then bolted anchor to the ground. Mar 9, 2019

Sebastien Jacob
Fonthill, ON

Hi all, Ive been at the base of this cirque once for Lesson of Ok but we turned around due to increasing snow storm - trying to spot the start accurately on google earth for AVI terrain awareness - anyone as the exact coordinate please? Jan 23, 2020

James C
Seattle, WA

Numerous lines possible on this flow. Choose your grade. Most WI4 climbers should be able to solo first 2 pitches. There's a surprising number of moderate angle ramps, which would make semi-hanging belays not too bad if one must resort. We climbed with a 70 m single rope and a 60 m tagline and it was fine. Four raps to the ground. Car to car time for a couple of experienced but unexceptional ice climbers was 9.5 hours, including 1 hour of faff during a rap. 4.5 hours on route. Approach is 1,700 ft of gain.

Alpine draws were useful. We chose a pretty meandering line and really needed the extension to prevent horrible drag. Dec 31, 2023

Ellen S
Boulder, CO

Bad hangfire on this route especially early season- a good practice is to wait until the ~20m dagger on the left falls (Nov,/Dec) before climbing. It happened to fall when I was out there(bailed to aboriginal genocide out of the line of fire) and 2 parties were under it. Everyone was fine but only due to luck.

still not a good idea to be on it after sun hits it even later season. Sun hits 2pm late March. Someone got hit on rappel early March and had to be rescued. Besides hangfire this also makes the route wet.

On the plus side, this is the biggest and most alpine route I know of that has basically no avy. No overhead and slopes on the sides of the approach are usually not loaded. See avalanche atlas. Mar 24, 2025