Ice Climbing in Alaska. There is a growing interest in ice climbing in Alaska. Two areas have been getting most of the attention: Portage glacier and Thunderbird Falls. Terry Becker, Jim Hale, Gary Bocarde, Paul Denkewalter, and Peter Sennhauser have been putting up the majority of the routes. In the Portage glacier area there are numerous frozen waterfalls. The Hand, with its five fingers is the most popular, with climbs ranging from 100 to 350 feet of steep water ice (90° sections). Thunder-bird Falls area has several challenging climbs, the most difficult being Ripple Falls. Three pitches of climbing: two very steep and sustained.

Gary Bocarde