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Victor Creek Ice Climbing - Great Beard

Rating: WI5+
Length: 70 meters (creek to top of climb)

Lat: 60º 21.405' North
Long: 149º 20.552' West

Access: Hike up the creek about twenty minutes.  After passing a couple of WI2 climbs one will find oneself directly beneath a very long steep pitch of ice on your left.  A trail from the road does provide a top access to this route.  Access the Victor Creek trail on the north side of the bridge.  Hike in approximately 20 minutes on a well established trail.  Hike past the first wooden footbridge and on to another short wooden footbridge that may not have any water running underneath.  Hike down this drainage a short distance to the top of the headwall.  Anchors for rappel become visible of a spruce tree.

Route: This route can have every type of bad ice you could ask for, all of it steep.  Start up a low angle ramp of thin ice which leads to a vertical column of chandeliered ice.  An overhanging pillar of ice touches down on top of this pillar and poses the crux of the route.  After some more climbing the pillar will reattach to the rock and may begin to take ice pro.  As the season progresses, this climb will begin to sun rot from the top down.  So, the top is often vertical sun rotted white ice.

Anchor: If you manage to reach the top, one will find huge trees from which to build an anchor.  Rappel the route or walk off on the Victor Creek hiking trail that will take you back to the road.

 

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above: Great Beard
photo: Burrell Lindell Nickeson

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