Lat/Lon: 51.27036N 115.17874W - Click for Satellite Image Devil’s Gap is the most accessible and thus one of the more popular waterfall ice climbing locations adjacent to the Ghost River Wilderness Area (The Ghost). The Ghost was established in 1967 on the front range of the Canadian Rockies and consists of 15,317ha (60 square miles) of raw wilderness bordering Banff National Park to the east and north. Its mountains include Mounts Aylmer, Apparition, Oliver and Costigan. The Ghost Valley actually entails a larger area that is more specifically located approximately 30kms north of Canmore along the eastern border of Banff National Park and east of the Palliser Mountain Range. The Ghost’s glacier carved valleys provide for steep water runoff creating some of the best waterfall ice climbing in Canada. Although Devil’s Gap is not technically in The Ghost, this whole area of provincial wilderness takes on that identity.
Devil’s Gap is the gap that forms at the east end of Lake Minnewanka and Ghost Lakes between Phantom Crag and Orient Point. It more than likely got its name from Devil’s Head (a large obelisk rock peak at 9833’) to the north which is one of the most recognizable peaks when viewing the Canadian Rockies from the hills of Calgary. Devil’s Head itself was named such by the Stoney Indians based on its shape. Devil’s Gap discerns the Banff National Park border and many of the waterfall ice climbs in this area are within the national park boundary.
The rated waterfall ice climbs in Devil’s Gap include Wicked Wanda, II, WI 4+, Weathering Heights at 100 meters, III, WI 4, Anorexia Nervosa at 130 meters, III, WI 4R, The Peanut Gallery III, WI 4, Little Devil, III, WI 3, Green Angel, III, WI 4, Frozen Fungi II, WI 3, Sunshine II, WI 3, Aquarius III, WI 4, Fearful Symmetry III, WI 6X, Rainbow Serpent at 75 meters, III, WI 6 and Malignant Mushroom, II, WI 5.
Getting There From Calgary or Canmore, access 1A which parallels the TransCanada to the north. 13.4kms west of the Hwy 22 junction in Cochrane is the Forestry Trunk Road (Route 940). Turn north on the Forestry Trunk Road for 23kms to a gated gravel road on your left. There is a trail head information kiosk board here, but no obvious sign. If you find the gate closed, it is imperative that you close the gate behind you. Most climbers only take 4-wheel drive vehicles beyond this point, but depending on conditions, other vehicles can travel the road. This rough road goes for another 17kms until it reaches the “big hill”. Along the way there is one ice/water crossing. If this hill is muddy or icy or has too much snow, it can be extremely difficult to navigate. Devil’s Gap can be viewed to the west from atop this hill. This is a remote area and very little exists in the way of facilities or emergency help.
To proceed to the Devil’s Gap area, turn left at the bottom of the “Big Hill” and follow the streambed to the east side of the dike and turn left and follow the dike for a short distance into some trees and cross to the west side heading for Devil’s Gap. The Banff National Park Boundary is well marked and you are not allowed to drive across it. Most of the ice in Devil’s Gap can be accessed from this boundary spot. In the winter the Ghost Lakes are mostly dry icy mud flats. There are plentiful whitetail and mule deer en route to this area.
Red Tape There are no permit requirements to enter, climb and/or park in Alberta’s Provincial Parks. Cougars and Grizzlies can be more common place in the Ghost than the national parks due to its location on the front range. Take bear spray during non- hibernation months. This is avalanche terrain during the winter. Therefore it would be prudent to check recent notices posted on the park’s website regarding that issue. However, the ice climbs in the Ghost are considered less avalanche prone than most routes throughout the National Parks. The frequent Chinooks keep snow levels typically manageable in the Ghost.
Camping There are no official campsites in the Ghost. Random backcountry camping is allowed, but open fires are prohibited in the Ghost River Wilderness Area. However, it appears that camp fires are tolerated or even allowed in the Ghost River Valley around Devil’s Gap. More camping information can be found at the Ghost site above.
When to Climb Waterfall ice climbing is typically a winter sport; however, I have explored the Ghost in the summer and found climbable ice still in place, particularly in the Recital Hall area.
External Links The Kananaskis Provincial Park website is a very thorough park website, including trail conditions or closures, wildlife notices, weather conditions, avalanche conditions, camping permits, whitewater conditions, etc. It is an excellent source if you are going to spend any time in the Ghost or surrounding area. Outside of the parks web sites, Canadian Avalanche Association is also useful, particularly for winter travel. Canadian Alpine Accident Reports are also extremely useful.
A Few Words “We’ve got it here; acres of wonderful azure and chrome ice, so many routes to do…a “destination” for ice climbers worldwide. It does not matter how desperate the rest of the world is for ice, it’s always happening here!” Barry Blanchard
Route- Malignant Mushroom Malignant Mushroom is a full 55 meters of waterfall grade 5 ice. It is important to note that Joe Josephson’s “Waterfall Ice: Climbs in the Canadian Rockies” guide book references that you can do this route with 50 meter ropes. We found that not to be the case. You will for sure need 60 meter ropes to do this route to the spot of the present anchor.
Malignant Mushroom is on the north side of Devil’s Gap. It is directly below the massive walls of Phantom Crag (aka Devil’s Fang) which sports some serious summer time rock climbing. It is the first waterfall ice you can see on the drive in, with Frozen Fungi and Sunshine visible further west on the same side of Devil’s Gap. The guide book instructs “Hike up through the trees to the right of the route. 30-40 minutes.” That is it. Neither my partner nor I had climbed Malignant Mushroom before and ended up ascending to the base of the Phantom Crag itself. We then traversed west and descended to the top of Malignant Mushroom. Therefore, we rapped the route before we climbed it. Our route was actually a joy as it followed a well trodden path to the base of some magnificent wall climbs on the Phantom Crag. But if efficiency is part of your game plan, you need to bypass the first trail you see on the right beyond the park boundary and continue down the dry creek bed/mud flats to a significant bend to the south (left). At this juncture, start your descent onto the slopes to your right, somewhat angling west until you hit a ravine filled with ice. Follow this up to the base of Malignant Mushroom.
If you are descending first, as we did, you will find runners placed along several different trees at the top of the route. If you work your way down to a tree closer to the top of Malignant Mushroom you can quickly lower yourself to a bolted anchor on the west side of the climb. Sometimes this anchor can of course be buried in ice.
There are several lines to choose from on ascent of Malignant Mushroom. There appears to be an easier route to the right via several ice steps. We chose pretty much dead center which better reflected a WI 5 climb. This was mostly vertical and well textured ice in March of 2006. Supposedly it has sported large mushroom features in the past; however, they are not an annual occurrence and did not exist during our climb.
If you did not do my recommended, but longer, approach, you can always descend the route from walking off the top instead of rappelling. Ascend the slopes to the east of the route until you run into the steep walls of the Phantom Crag. Then traverse right hugging the wall until you find a well traveled trail that leads back down via switchbacks to the boundary area.
Essential Gear Two Ice Tools, Double 60 meter Ropes, 8-10 Ice Screws, Crampons, Helmet, Warm Clothes, Full Shank Boots, 4W Drive (Preferable) and Shovel
Trip Summary Nice true vertical piece in solid condition on this date. TAKE 60 METER ROPES, NOT 50 AS THE GUIDE BOOK SUGGESTS. That Phantom Crag, aka the Devils Fang looks awesome. Will be back to explore that in the summer. Wicked Wanda looks to be in much better shape than any photos I have seen. Cheers.
CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTOS 1.-8 Malignant Mushroom 9. Wicked Wanda
