By Caroline George
The forecast this morning is for sunshine and no wind. We drive to climb Will’s route, a 400m long WI5+ climb, but the wind is blowing snow so strongly that we can’t even make out the road. The summits are again lost in a cloud of snow. The forecast was wrong yet again and it’s time for us to move on from Eidfjord. But we still have one climb that we are hoping to achieve – Vøringfossen Read More…
By Caroline George
Adam and I decided to stay in Eidfjord after the rest of the group (climber Chad Peele, photographer Celin Serbo and rigger/guide Seth Hobby) returned to their respective homes. We had been in Eidfjord for a week and there hadn’t been a good window to climb Dr. Evil since we first spotted it on our scoping day last Monday. We tried on two occasions to climb this impressive and inspiring 500-600m long line but were shot down both times. Winds howled all week, the fjords have been constantly white-capped, and the surrounding summits have disappeared in the blowing snow. With the promise of good weather for the following week, I couldn’t imagine not staying to attempt the first ascent of this world-class route. Read More…
By Caroline George
Completing the first ascent of a route means that you are the first person to climb the route…ever. That might seem obvious, but here in Norway, it’s all but a given. There are not many local ice climbers here, and those who climb don’t always communicate their ascents. This makes it hard for anyone to know what has or has not been done. Basically, the routes we have just climbed here in Norway are first ascents until proven otherwise, or until someone speaks up to the contrary. So far, we have completed three first ascents: Goldmember, Mini Me and Blue Steel. But there is one that we have all fallen in love with – “Dr. Evil” – a 500-600m long world-class ice climb north of Eidfjord. Time is closing in on us and conditions are not improving, yet we are still hopeful Read More…
After numerous days of traveling, scouting and climbing, a down day was sounding pretty good. We decided that Eidfjord was just too “dead” to enjoy and that we should have a mellow day of climbing instead. Luckily for us, we had the perfect route to explore. On one of our last scouting missions, when we climbed “Gold Member,” we drove past a perfect steel-blue waterfall that popped out of a rock cleft. As we had been searching for longer routes, we initially didn’t give this waterfall much attention, but due to its location and size, we were fairly confident that it had not been climbed. For today’s purposes, this would be the perfect ice to tackle!
We woke up and had a casual Norwegian breakfast which, for me, included espresso, bread, meat and cheese, while others Read More…
By Caroline George
We pull into Ossa, a little hamlet across the ferry north of Eidfjord, sitting on the tip of one of Norway’s many fjords. A striking blue line peers from behind a rocky outcrop. We drive to the end of the road and the view reveals two long pillars of bright blue ice. The first one starts wide and narrows down to a long, steep and proud-looking pillar. The approach to it looks long and tedious, but we are certain this is a first ascent. Most of the climbs that have been achieved around Eidfjord are close to the road, and close to the town. This climb, however, is a solid hour away and in the middle of nowhere Read More…
By: Adam George
For the past week, we’ve followed climbers Chad Peele and Caroline George as they attempted a bevy of first ascents in Norway. Also on the trip is George’s husband, Adam, who gave us a sneak peek at what it’s like to tie into rope with your partner in climbing and in life.
Over the past four years, Caroline and I have shared literally hundreds of adventures and logged thousands of pitches together. We have spent countless nights sleeping in tents, huts, hostels, shady hotels in far-away countries, even the front seat of our car. Unfortunately, we have spent almost as many nights apart, in different countries, on separate trips. We have traveled around the globe climbing ice Read More…
By Caroline George
Naming a route can sometimes be the real crux of a route. The name needs to communicate what was experienced and/or describe aspects of the climb. For example, “The Nose” on Yosemite’s El Capitan gives away the part of the wall the route follows, while Lipton was named after the color of the ice – a dark shade of yellow. Sometimes, a climb is named after the people who completed the first ascent. No matter what the name is, it should always convey some history.
Some routes get named before they are ever climbed. Read More…
By Caroline George
We arrive in Rjukan in the late afternoon. Seth Hobby – our rigger / American expat to Norway / guide – shows us a few of the area’s great classics. The air is cold and dry in this little enclosed valley which doesn’t see the sun from the end of October through April, making it the perfect ice climbing destination. Dark yellow and blue frozen waterfalls cover the steep dark gneiss walls forming each side of the V-shaped valley. One long broken ice flow in particular catches our eyes: it’s a dead vertical ice climb that starts inside a deep chimney system and traverses horizontally on tiny ice blobs leading to another steep pillar. The route is called Lipton because of its black tea color, but it ain’t no “let’s have a cup of tea” kinda climb. Its rated Read More…
First Ascent guides Chad Peele and Caroline George, along with fellow ice climbers Adam George, Seth Hobby and photographer Celin Serbo, have traveled to Norway to explore the vast expanses of Scandinavian ice and attempt a series of first ascents.
Over the past year I’ve been researching new and exciting ice climbing locations around the world, Norway being the ideal choice. Several friends have climbed here in the past and each has talked about the natural beauty, ultra-long ice lines, unexplored fjords, and the possibility of unclimbed ice lines that exist off the beaten path.
Joined by fellow First Ascent guide Caroline George, Read More…
Last week the First Ascent team traveled to Ouray, Colorado to celebrate the start of ice climbing season and to sponsor the 15th Annual Ouray Ice Festival.
The festival kicked off with presentations by some of the most accomplished climbers in the industry: Caroline George Read More…
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