On March 12, 2024, we climbed B2, a single-pitch WI3 in the Evan Thomas Valley in Kananaskis. We had hiked the Evan Thomas before, to climb Chantilly Falls, but this was our first time into the canyon. It was an interesting and beautiful place with a lot of breathtaking ice.

This is a popular hiking area and the climb is right along the trail so expect an audience when you climb here.

Beta:

WI3
single pitch, a few good lines across a wide curtain
the approach is 5.5 km, about 1.5 hours in good conditions
microspikes and a trekking pole are useful for the approach
tree anchor
one 70 meter rope is sufficient
there is no walk up, you must lead
descent: rappel

This is a fun place to climb with different lines to try ranging from more moderate, stepped climbing to lines with short steep sections. We enjoyed leading here, practicing on the steeper terrain. This is the easiest climb in the canyon and appropriately, it’s the first climb you come to as you hike in.

The Approach

This is one of the longer approaches we’ve done for ice climbing but it’s not difficult. The trail is typically well-worn and easy to follow because a lot of people hike here. For the most part, it is a gradual uphill hike. The section where you enter the canyon is made easier with some fixed chains and ropes (photos below).

The map below shows our route. The picnic table is Wedge Ponds, further along the highway. The white and black dot is B2. After our climbing, we walked up the canyon to check out other ice climbs. The waterfall icon at the end of the trail is Green Monster, a WI4+ climb we hope to lead someday (photo below).

Park at the Evan Thomas day-use area on Highway 40 in Kananaskis shown on the map with a bright green dot. From there, follow the hiking trail as described in the Chantilly Falls trip report.

At Chantilly Falls, keep following the trail up the creek. It follows the right side of the creek, sometimes in the forest. After about 15 minutes, you come to a couple of towering ice climbs uphill on the cliff to the right. These are Moonlight and Snowline, both WI4s. Continue up the creek.

The next ice you see is Combo Falls on the right. This rolling ice is a WI2 climb, just before the entrance to the canyon.

A man with a large backpack walks up a snowy valley toward a canyon.

Here Dan is approaching the entrance to the canyon, just past Combo Falls.

The trail goes up the left side of the canyon, high above the creek.

Chain bolted to the cliff help a hiker down a snowy hillside.

Chains are bolted to the cliff providing a helpful handrail where the trail is narrow.

Ropes are fastened to the rock to help you descend the steep slope back down to the creek.

From here, it is an easy hike up the creek to find B2.

A hiker descends a steep, snowy hillside using a fixed rope.

The Climb

B2 ice climb in upper Evan Thomas Creek area in Kananaskis, Alberta

The climb is across the creek from the trail on the right side of the canyon. We set up our belay below the big tree on the right.

This photo taken from further up the trail gives a better sense of the steepness.

A side view of B2 ice climb, a WI3 route in Kananaskis, Alberta

This was the first line we led. For a few short minutes, the sun shone on the ice. The second line we led was up the steeper bulge to the left. There is also an easier line on the right.

There is a tree anchor with some cordelette, a rappel ring and a quicklink. Once you are on top of the steeper section, where I am in the photo, you have a bit of a walk up the ice to the very top and the tree anchor.

More Ice Climbs

We hiked further up the canyon to look at the other, more difficult climbs there.

Slurpee ice climb in Evan Thomas creek area.

This climb is called Slurpee. It is WI4.

This is the Green Monster, the ultimate prize in this area. It is WI4+. The photo does not capture the enormity of this ice.

There are also some mixed climbs between Slurpee and the Green Monster.

This canyon is worth checking out. I found the climbs above B2 very inspiring. I hope to go lead Slurpee next year.

The Green Monster ice climb in Kananaskis, Alberta

Our day at B2 was fun and challenging. The long hike added some exertion to the day but the hike through the canyon area was beautiful and interesting. All the ice climbing up there was pretty cool to see.

Comparison Photos from Different Years

We often climb the same routes again in different years. I find it interesting to compare how the ice has formed in different years. Below are photos of B2 in 2024 and in 2026.