Ice Climbing in Canada. During the first part of my trip to North America, which began on March 14, I first tackled ice in Québec, Alberta and British Columbia. I made fifteen climbs of the most famous and difficult waterfalls, including La Pomme d’Or (600 meters), Polar Circus (600 meters), Weeping Wall (300 meters), Nemesis (150 meters) and Slipstream (925 meters). The “piolet-traction” technique is extremely spectacular and allows a relatively high speed. It requires two ice axes with sharply inclined points, and the feet move only on the front points of the crampons. Of course there is the problem of choosing the right time of the year, one in which the cold must be intense. I was in Canada with two climbers from Torino, Giancarlo Grassi and Guido Ghigo, with temperatures as low as -30° C. The reason for going to that country is because the waterfalls there are among the most spectacular in the world. Apart from standing up to the climate, exceptional physical strength is needed. The difficulties are calculated up to grade six, but grade five is no less difficult but merely shorter.

Renato Casarotto, Club Alpino Italiano