On March 10, 2024, we hiked to Cobra Verde ice climb and climbed the first pitch. I led first and then Dan pulled the rope and led it. It was our most ambitious lead so far and we both enjoyed the challenge.
We set a top rope and each climbed twice more, exploring steeper sections and enjoying the practice. The sun was warm and shining on the ice, lighting it up with a blue glow. It was one of those beautiful, satisfying days that make me love ice climbing.
Beta:
- WI3
- multi-pitch (3 pitches) but we climbed the first pitch and didn’t venture higher
- approach is 30 – 45 minutes, 1.5 km
- tree anchor
- descent: rappel or lower from tree anchor
- one 70-meter rope is just barely long enough for the first pitch
- Avalanche terrain exposure is rated as Challenging for this climb so be sure to check the avalanche forecast before you go at Avalanche Canada – Kananaskis Country
We enjoyed the climbing a lot at Cobra Verde but the approach through deep, heavy snow was a bit of a tough slog.
Access
Cobra Verde is located on the east side of Little Lawson Peak, a sub-peak of Mount Lawson in Kananaskis Country. The parking is the bright green dot on the map below. To get there from Calgary, drive south on Highway 40 all the way to the turn-off for Kananaskis Lakes. Highway 40 is closed in winter beyond this turn-off. In the map below, the highways are the grey bands. Highway 40 runs from top to bottom on the right side of the map.
From the road to Kananaskis Lakes, turn right onto the Smith-Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail. The parking is a plowed area off the road just before a service road for Alberta Parks. The service road is closed to vehicles.
The Approach
Hike up the service road, staying on the main road. Do not take the left turn onto the side road. At the end of the road, there is a Parks storage and service area with stacks of picnic tables and firepits.
Continue as far as you can on this road and then enter the forest.
When we were there, there was a lot of fresh snow and no visible tracks to follow. We used the “Navigate ” feature on the Ice Climbing app (see Resources section on the Ice Climbing page) as best we could, staying on flat ground until we were at the bottom of the slope below the ice. Then we turned left and headed up hill.
We ended up doing some bushwhacking and backtracking to get there. I wonder if a more direct route, traversing the hillside would be better. Maybe we’ll try that next time.
The hike up the hill to the base of the ice is a lot steeper than it looks in the photo above. The deep snow made it slow and tiring. As we started up, the sun peeked up over the ridge across the valley.
The ice comes into view at the top of the slope. We hiked up the right side and set up our belay at the last trees before the ice.
The ends of our 70-meter rope just barely reached this spot from the tree anchor above, allowing us to top rope this pitch.
The Climb
Here I am starting my lead, contemplating the first steep section just above me.
Here Dan is further up, leading the same line. This photo shows the steepness a bit better. He is past the first steep section and getting ready to tackle the second, slightly longer section.
At the top, a tree anchor has a few pieces of cordelette and a quicklink. We built a top rope anchor and then lowered off the quicklink (adding our own cordelette) when we were done.
We will definitely return to this climb next year. The first pitch was fun and interesting and maybe next time, we’ll explore higher and enjoy the second and third pitches as well.
Return to Cobra Verde
On December 9, 2025, Dan and I climbed the first pitch of Cobra Verde again.
The ice was a lot thinner than the first time we climbed it, probably because it was earlier in the year. There was a lot of running water and some of the ice was just a thin shell over a waterfall. But there was enough solid ice to make a fun day.
This time we climbed a line that started on the left side and swung across to find solid ice on the right. We top roped a few lines up the steep center. It was very chandliered and quite interesting.
We set up our belay in the trees on the left this time. To get there, we did a short free-solo of WI2 ice on the left. From there, our 70 meter rope was sufficient to toprope from the tree anchor at the top.
Climbing Cobra Verde again was a fun early-season warm up. It was great to feel pretty comfortable on lead here this year when at the end of the 2023/24 season, the lead felt a bit desperate. It’s nice to feel that progress. Makes me hopeful for a WI4 lead this year.
We have yet to climb the upper pitches of this route. Perhaps we will get a chance to “re-return” and make it to the top before the end of this season. If not this year, certainly in future years. This is a fun climb and in my opinion, is worth many “re-returns.”
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