ICE CLIMBING
Ice Routes at Schooner Lake
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Directions
(by Graeme Smith, revised by Martin le Roux)
The approach to Schooner Lake involves 12km of skiing, snowshoeing or snowmobiling. To get to the parking lot, head for the town of Plevna. Plevna is on Route 506, reached going north on 41 from Kaladar (south of Bon Echo). Or go north from Sharbot Lake on Route 509 and west through Ompah to Plevna. Just east of Plevna turn north at the Lookout Homecare Centre, a building supply store. Travel north for about 2.8 km to a T junction. Go L for 1.5 km to the next T junction. For the Schooner Lake and Lucky Lake parking lot, go R for about 5.5 km. Both T-junctions are well signposted.
Two well-packed snowmobile trails lead from the parking lot, one heading north-west and the other north-east. Follow the north-east (right) fork for about 4km to Mackie Lake. Turn L and head for the northernmost point of Mackie Lake (about 2.5km). Follow the snowmobile trail into the woods where after a short distance it intersects with the main Schooner Lake trail (this point can also be reached by taking the L fork from the parking lot, but this approach is longer with more ups and downs). Turn R and after about 1km the trail meets Long Schooner Lake. Head NE onto the lake, over a short portage to the L (2.5km), out onto Round Schooner Lake and around a rocky hill on the R (1.5 km)... the ice will come into view. The ice is an attraction for snowmobiles so you can just follow their trails all the way from the parking lot.
There is a campsite on a small wooded island just a few hundred metres from the ice. It's equipped with a picnic table, fire pit and box latrine. If ice fisherman have been active in the area you may be able to retrieve lake water from their boreholes.
Local residents Doug and Wynne Cameron (613-479-2115) have a snowmobile trailer, and for a modest fee Doug may be able to transport your packs and one or two passengers most or all of the way to the ice.
Note that there is a thin connection between Round Schooner Lake and Long Schooner Lake. But the ice is very thin and open water is alway present so avoid!!! Even given the long hike (a slog with a bloody big pack on!!) this will become the classic area to get into for winter camping/ice climbing!! The piece of land that separates the two parts of Schooner Lake has many small ice flows and may contain a couple of mixed routes strung together... one is obvious as you come across the portage and the other is on the back side, opposite the main ice climbs. There are also many smaller climbs that can be done and possibly some real nasty mixed climbs. The routes are listed north to south (L to R) as you face the ice.
1. Tachycardia,* 95m, 3 to 4, G.Smith/A.Westwood. The L most gulley. There are many variations to do...start at lake level...at one point this ice flow is 10m wide!! Great ice with great pro. At the end of the first pitch (lg. pine tree), continue straight up through the cleft/chimney and up the 3m free standing icicle that forms over the thin branches of a cedar or move out R and up the thin curtain to the top. Rap the route or walk off to the right. Classic!!! One of the longest routes in southern Ontario.
2. Kiss of Life,* 90m, 3 to 3+, G.Smith/A.Westwood. The second large obvious wide gulley. Start at lake level up the roller coaster bumps (40m) to the base of the large curtain (50m). There are several routes with an easier notch in the middle. Great ice and pro.
3. Jaws,* 30m, 4+, R, C.Geisler/G.Smith. This is the smear just R of the second gulley. It drips over an overhang and forms a 1 ft wide icicle (5m long) that is held together by the fact it forms over a branch from a small birch under the overhang...funky tooling to get up and over the lip. Climb the easier smear above to the top. This is a difficult route to grade as it is technically not very difficult but there is significant collapse factor with no protection on this part of the climb...a fall or ice collapse would result in a rapid meeting with the ground. To get to the base, either rap down from above or walk over from the base of the previous route.
The next two routes are on the obvious third large ice flow that is a part of a large L open book. Rap and down climb the routes or walk off R.
4a. Lazy Sunday,* 50m, 4, C.Geisler/G.Smith. Take the vertical curtain (8m) to the ledge and follow the flow up right to end on a pillar through a tree. Climb the gulley up L to the top. Great ice and pro.
4b. At the End of the Line,* 50m, 4, G.Smith/A.Westwood. Take the vertical steps on the R to the top avoiding the airy overhanging thin ice at the very top on the R. Finish off up to where the previous route ends. Great ice and pro.
There are many short smears between the last routes and the next major area...if this was anywhere else, they probably would be short, named climbs!!
5. Ferguson's Wall (named after Carolyn and Garry Ferguson who saw this ice sheet and that on Brule Lk. While snowmobiling and told me about it), 10 to 25m, 2+ to 3+, R.Lee/C.Fraser/M.Fisher/L.Kilburn/G.Smith/C.Geisler. Climb any of the many variations up this 25m wide ice gym. Great ice and protection. Rap off or belay off the trees at the top. There is also a large, low angled slab above with lots of ice that might be a good spot to practice roped self arresting.
6. White Squall, 55m, 3, G.Smith/A.Westwood. Climb the ice in the small gulley up past a tree at the half way point to thinner, steeper ice near the top. Good pro.
7. Bluenose,* 55m, 3+, G.Smith/C.Geisler/R.Lee/C.Fraser/M.Fisher/L.Kilburn. Climb the obvious blue ice smear that diagonals up R to the top. There is a tree about 5m below the top that can be used as a belay/rap station. Great ice.
8. Lay Your Hands on Me,* 55m, 3+, C.Geisler/G.Smith. Start to the R of the previous route on thin ice with some rock moves above the lake to get to good ice and pro. This takes you up the last part of the smear which is a narrow/thin runnel (10m) up to a small pine at the top. Some very thin spots. Excellent.
9. Fanfare for the Common Man,* 45m, 4, R, G.Smith/A.Westwood. Climb up the obvious thin smear to a ledge with trees. Walk up to the top or rap off. There is an easier variation by following a ramp off right about half way up. Great route but pro is difficult as the ice can be verglas in parts.
10. Walk the Plank,* 50m, 3/5.5, G.Smith/C.Geisler. This route can be seen easily from the other side of the channel because there is a large crack near its top. Climb up the ice bulge to its top. From here a short section of rock takes one to the next ice section which is climbed to its top. There is another 5m of rock/ice to a ledge/corner with a small cedar tree in it. Climb out left to the body crack (enter difficultly into it) and up this, through a juniper bush and finish off on a short ice step at the top. One could also climb straight up from the ledge/corner (likely 5.9ish). This is a good route for the mixed climbing fan. Grading is difficult as the ice is very thin and technically difficult in places...if it was continuously thick it would be a grade 3 ice climb, but it isn't...!!!
11. Pirates,* 40m, 3/5.5, G.Smith/A.Westwood. R of the previous route. There is a short mixed section in the middle. Climb the obvious ice smear that diagonals up L to its top. The short mixed section takes one to a ledge with thin, climbable ice to the top.
12. Onion Skin, 35m, 3 to 3+, M.Fisher/L.Kilburn. This is the obvious R most flow. Multiple variations are possible. Good ice and pro.
On the left end crag of Round Schooner Lake is a buttress forming the left wall of the Tachycardia gully. At the lower end of the buttress, just left of the Tachycardia start, is a slightly off-vertical wall, split by a ledge at its right end. There is a lone pine tree at the top of this wall with a thin ribbon of ice spilling down from its left side.
Kung Fu Tory Termination Tactic First Ascent: Norbert Kartner and Morris Manolson, Feb 15, 1997. Grade: 4-, 65m. We threw them out of federal government and now they’re still screwing us over at the provincial level. How do we get rid of the scum? There is an obvious solution. 1. Scramble up easy ice below the Tachycardia gully to a treed snowy ledge below the lower buttress wall on the left side of the gully. Establish a belay and climb a thin smear of ice past the left end of the small ledge halfway up the wall, dodging some cedar branches, to top out just left of the lone pine tree. Excellent climbing (if the ice is thick enough). Continue up a short step and slabs on thin ice to a tree belay (4-, 35 m). 2. Climb steeper slabs to a short vertical headwall, then slog to trees (3, 30 m).
Gluenose Variation First Ascent: Norbert Kartner and Morris Manolson, Feb 15, 1997. Grade: 4-, 70 m (overall). Description: This is a variation on Bluenose that gets you just a little higher. It adds a second pitch on the short buttress at the top right of the route, instead of just walking or rappeling off after the first pitch. In the ice conditions of this variation’s first ascent, it made an otherwise dull route interesting and entertaining. 1. Climb Bluenose to trees below the ice pillar on the small upper buttress (3+, 55 m). 2. Climb the pillar above, possibly negotiating a small overhanging visor of ice near the top, and exit to trees (4-, 15 m).
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