Katahdin Ice Climb
Climbing on Katadin is one of the most adventurous trips you could possiblie do in the north east. We are lucky enough in maine to have a park dedicated to preserving the vast wilderness of maine. Katadin offers some of the most exposed extreme climbing one could face in the north east. With conditions ranging from temperate to and icy -40. It is not for the faint of heart in the winter as it provides an equivalent experience to denial. With the expedition mentality to both reach chimney pond and get on some ice climbs one can experience the beauty and remoteness of a place that exists but only a select crew get to experience.
Chimney Pond views and cathedral trail
Skiing in the 13 miles is no joke. It takes a mentality of grit and perseverance that not all humans posses. There is a possibility to break up this trip with a stay at roaring brook and nocking it down to 12 miles. But that decreases the chance of getting on some ice the next day. on the way in the stunning views of the Moutain and Abol slide can bee seen in an amazing display. Parking at Abol bridge for the duration of the trip provides a great jumping point for all places on the Moutain. The ski in consists of rolling continues uphill climbing. Adding on a sled in tow that contains all the gear for the night and food, ice climbing gear brings the load and trip to a new level.
Baxter State Park provides the views and monumental locations views of the mountain and surrounding area.
Once situated at chimney pond it’s easy to wait for a weather window. The rangers are very kind to climbers and know what we’re looking for. Gathering the information needed from other climbers and skiers in the area who know about avalanche conditions and route conditions is critical in making good decisions in the alpine environment. On this trip, the snow pack was very unstable with a high to moderate avalanche danger. We opted to stay in the trees as much as possible. the top outs of a lot of the routes such as Pamola’s Fury (III, NEI 3+), The Chimney (II, NEI 2), Waterfall Gully (IV, NEI 4+), Cilley-Barber Route (IV NEI 4), Dougal’s Delight (II, NEI 3), Pamola Ice Cliffs (II, NEI 5).
We opted for an adventure on Pamela ice cliffs and a three-pitch climb called mini-panicle (II, NEI 3) found on the lower Pamela ice cliffs, this is the slightly larger gully and the second couloir in from the left. The first pitch is a moderate angled slab trending from left to right with a probable belay under the rock wall where the gully steepens. we decided by hiking the to top and coming down the duddly trail. Other alternatives to come down are knife edge trail, Helon Taylor Trail, Abel stream trail, Saddle trail.
The next day we decided to head up Hamlin ridge. this moderate snow ridge allows for easy learning Turin with ice axes and crampons. We quickly made it above tree line but were feeling it from the day before so quickly decided back to basecamp. the next night was supposed to be icy cold with temperature dipping into the double negatives. (-15) We opened for a lower elevation and dipped down to roaring brook for the night. The next morning was icy cold! We got going quickly to stay warm and try and maintain body heat. Glad to have a 12 mile ski back to the truck and a worm lunch at the local log drivers restaurant. All in all experiencing some of the dramatic crown jewel of maine in the winter is a highlight of any budding alpinist log book.
