- Find Your Adventure
- Hiking + Backpacking
- Camping
- Parks + Wilderness Areas
- Special Destinations
- Ocean Beaches + Shores
- Canoeing, Kayaking + SUP (Flatwater)
- Snowshoeing + Microspikes
- Swimming Holes
- Mountain Biking
- Mountaineering
- Backcountry Skiing + Splitboarding
- Lodging
- Hot Springs
- Cross-country Skiing
- Rafting + Kayaking (Whitewater)
- Wildlife Viewing
- Travel
- Video
- Articles
You are here
Climbing
Snow/glacier/ice route, Top rope
Alpine climbing NCCS rating
Grade III
Elevation Gain
100.00 m (328.08 ft)
Distance
1.19 km (0.74 mi)
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.
Haffner Creek is one of the Bow Valley's more popular ice climbing crags. Even on warm days with sun on the ice, an ice box effect keeps it in good shape. It is a great place for beginners to practice climbing on steeper ice. The approach normally has a well trodden trail, but in case it doesn't, the route is fairly straightforward. You head uphill from the parking lot, walking along the wide clearing where the road is. Head southeast along the road as it runs parallel to a creek surrounded by old trees and short new growth. Where the road begins to rise, head down a short hill, picking your way along the steep hillock as a handrail to your left. Follow this untill you reach the creek. There is also an outhouse here.
Beyond the trail heads straight across the creek. In early season this crossing can be a little treacherous. In late season this is often icy, and you may want to throw crampons on here. It's about 100 meters up the ice to the main staging area.
The climbing area is pretty wide and is divided into the first ice fall, the mixed wall, the second icefall, and the second mixed wall with it's steep overhang. There are some very short ice lines that develop further up the canyon, but they are seldom climbed. There is normally at least one guided party here, and there are several on weekends.
The most common lines are the main flow of ice that is about 20 meters tall. You can set a top rope on here, but it requires walking out of the gorge to the outhouse, hiking up the hill, then rappelling off a tree to the anchors. It can be a bit of a pain. Considering how busy it is, it's worth asking to climb on someone else's line to set up your top rope if you aren't comfortable leading.
Shagadellic (M6+) is one of the most popular mixed routes. It's very straightforward with a really fun Stein pull move. The route is pumpy in the begining, but it has drilled placements, so it will feel very secure.
Further up is the second short ice flow. It tends to fill in vertically, but it also gets picked out, making it a great place to practice leading vertical ice. Many folks try their first nearly vertical ice lead on this route.
Navigate your adventures with the onX Backcountry GPS app.
Access 650K+ miles of trail data, offline maps, GPS tracking + waypoint functionality, Outdoor Project adventures, and more, using onX Backcountry.
Get the AppLogistics + Planning
Preferable season(s)
Winter
Fall
Spring
Congestion
High
Parking Pass
National or state forest pass
Open Year-round
No
Open from
November 01 to May 06
Pros
Short approach. Good mix of easy and short ice lines.
Cons
Very busy. Hard to set up top ropes. Short routes.
Pets allowed
Allowed with Restrictions
Trailhead Elevation
4,790.03 ft (1,460.00 m)
Highest point
5,118.11 ft (1,560.00 m)
Features
Vault toilet
Waterfalls
Access
Hike-in
Typically multi-day
No
Recommended equipment
Helmets
Ice axe / crampons
Additional ice tools
Harness / rope / anchors
Permit required
No
Primary aspect
South facing
Drinking water
Snowmelt
Comments
Sign In and share them.