Whitney Icefall aka Shastice Park

On a whim, I spotted this piece of blue ice while walking up Misery Hill with a few clients. I got it into my head that I wanted to climb this pitch and ski out the West Face one day.  A couple weeks later, a few friends and I decided to make it happen. The name Shastice Park is a joke since a few of us spend our days off loitering at the park, filling water, and hanging out at the spacious multi-sport park in town. The large wall of ice also has the vibe of an ice park, where you can easily access the climbing from the top.

Ethan and I thought it would be more satisfying to climb it for our first time going from the bottom. I had only brought 3 short screws, and used the last one at about half way. The steep portion of the climbing is likely around 25m, luckily I didn't hit the end of my 30m rope until I got to the lower angle snow slope and was able to chop out a seat and belay off my harness. Under the snow, there is more ice, so it is easy enough to build a thread or screw anchor.

I am sure that this has been climbed in the past, but I could not find much documentation on it. It's fun enough that it's worth tacking on to a summit or ski trip.

At the top of the Whitney Glacier, just on the backside of the West Face ski run. Most easily accessed by traversing towards the West Face from the base of Misery Hill. Look for the big bergschrund near the ridge.