I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice climbing! As some of my friends have already broken out their tools in both Colorado and the Canadian Rockies, ice season has officially begun. To help you keep an eye on formations at your local ice climbing haunt, below is a list of sites where you can check out the latest conditions. In order to stay safe, always remember to check the local avalanche conditions as well when you are heading out to climb some wild ice.
Northeast: NEIce features a forum for ice climbing conditions across the whole of the Northeast, including New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, New York, and even up into Quebec and Ontario. The site NEClimbs is a little more New England ice focused, showing you the latest conditions and beta on routes. There is also a Catskills specific ice climbing report.
Sierra: Sierra Mountain Guides regularly post reports on ice conditions across the Sierra range.
San Juans: San Juan Mountain Guides keep up to date information on climbing conditions in the Colorado towns of Ouray, Telluride, and Silverton.
Canada: Yes, Canada gets all lumped together under the new Canadian Ice website. The site hooks into Will Gadd's Gravsports forum for conditions on the all the major climbing areas, particularly throughout the Rockies.
Montana: Montana Ice keeps a forum with updated ice climbing conditions in Hyalite Canyon, as well as important links to current avalanche conditions in the area. You will regularly see Joe Josephson and Conrad Anker posting here.
Wyoming: The Coldfear website, run by climber Aaron Mulkey, patriarch of Cody ice, lists all the ice climbing areas in Wyoming and current conditions for each route.
Alaska: Check out the ice conditions forum to see what local Alaskan ice climbers are saying about the ice climbing conditions of routes and access to areas across the state.
Southeast: Fox Mountain Guides maintain a Facebook page where climbers post about the current ice climbing conditions across the Southeast.
Let me know any ice condition resource sites which I may have missed. Sharpen up those ice tools and crampons as ice season is finally here.
http://www.climbingcentral.com covers WI, MN, IL, MI, IA and Ontario and http://www.acctbay.ca covers Northern Ontario. Never forget about the Midwest!!
Fantastic- thanks Jon!
Adding some sites for WA and BC from Laurel Fan- Thanks Laurel!
Don’t miss the wet side! WA: (http://wastateice.net/ and http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/forums/25/1/Ice_Climbing_Forum)
BC: (http://www.westcoastice.com/)
The BEST site/forum for Colorado ice conditions. Starts every year about this time. Utah has the same thing on Mountain Project as well.
http://www.mountainproject.com/v/the-2012-13-colorado-ice-conditions-thread-/107737390__1
Climbing Life is very good for Rocky Mountain National Park as well.
http://www.climbinglife.com
Awesome- Thanks Bryan. Not sure how I could have forgotten to include Mountain Project of all sites!