Ice Conditions Report 12-19-22 Game On!

December 19, 2022December 19, 2022 Bill

Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus! Finally the cold temperatures we have all been waiting for are finally here. The weeklong forecast looks amazing and seeps and pillars are sure to freeze up and grow this week! Yesterday Pictured Rocks saw the first action of the season on climbs other than HMR.

Angela M on The School room PC John Miller

Right now there are a mixed bag of front country and back country climbs available to swing some tools into. Seeps are coming in and are the best bet for climbable ice next weekend. Pillars are still not safe to climb yet but that may change by the holiday weekend. (Sweet Mother Moses was not touching down yesterday). Please use extreme caution on any pillars- let them go, let them grow! While most seeps are thin, a few that froze up enough to climb included The School Room, Lake Shore Curtains and climbers left of Bridal Veil Falls.

Jane on the classic Bridal Veil Falls
PC Colton Harris

Please be mind full that Munising early season formations are extremely delicate and knocking any pillars down at this point may take a month to reform. BEFORE MAKING THE LONG DRIVE UP– please call Down Wind Sports for up to the minute conditions: 906-226-7112

Weather and ice conditions can change hourly and what may appear to be “good conditions” to one climber may not be so to another. Please remember that just because a conditions report says that a particular climb is “in”, each individual is ultimately responsible for making his/her own climbing decisions.

At Michigan Ice we take pride in being your go to site for current ice climbing conditions for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore as well as climbs throughout the Upper Peninsula. Planning a trip to Pictured Rocks? We have you covered for all the latest snow and ice conditions on all of your favorite climbs. We also offer a full guide service and are currently booking guided ice climbing trips for the 22/23 season! Check back often for updates, pictures, and trip reports!

Ice Conditions Report 12-12-22

December 12, 2022 Bill

The Michigan Ice Fest Guides were out in force this weekend exploring all parts of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore looking for any climbable ice and documenting climbs as they become closer to becoming climbable. The good news is that they were successful on the ultra classic HMR! The climb is reported to be thin but remarkably dry!

*Colton Harris getting the goods. Pc David Hixenbaugh*

Elsewhere in the park, John Miller explored some of the front country climbs which are starting to form but not climbable yet. The good news is that the ice is building each day and hopefully soon the front country will open up!

Ice Conditions Report 12-5-22

December 5, 2022December 5, 2022 Bill

Michigan Ice Fest Guides Brian Rajdl and Luke Baker found the ice in the Keweenaw is still in and climbable! It certainly has us in Marquette and Munising a bit jealous as winter still hasn’t fully descended upon this part of the Upper Peninsula.

The good news is that the weather forecast for this week is promising for making ice. From the folks at TV 6 Weather:

Breezy conditions and snow skies are sticking around for some of our central and eastern counties this afternoon. Chances of snow are shaping up to be on and off throughout the next few days. Moderate snow is planned for Monday and is shaping up to be a slight mix in some areas which could lead to slick roads. The other thing to keep in mind is that temperatures are looking to be mostly below average for the next few days so be sure to bundle up on the colder days.

We will cross our fingers for some potential ice in Munising and we will keep everyone updated on its progress next weekend. On a side note while we patiently wait for the ice to form don’t forget Michigan Ice Fest staff will be in Madison Heights Michigan for the Planet Rock goes cold this coming Saturday night! Hope to see our lower Michigan Friends!

Ice Conditions Report 2016/17

December 4, 2016December 4, 2016 Bill

Every year we are chomping at the bit to get out for the first climb of the season and we know a lot of you are as well. The staff at Michigan Ice are keeping our eyes on the temps and are excited to be your go to for up to date ice conditions reports.

With some free time and an optimistic attitude Michigan Ice Fest Guide Colton Moore and I headed out to see if any spray ice had formed on Bridal Veil Falls. We had seen photos of some ice on BV from the previous week and it looked like there might be a possibility.

With a fresh dusting of snow in Munising, we headed down Miners Castle Road to the parking lot/trailhead. On our way, we checked out Potatoe Patch Falls and found the falls were roaring which is a very good sign of the high water table. We just need colder temps!

Arriving at the climb at dawn, not surprisingly, there was no ice to climb. Once again there was a lot of water flowing and the surrounding cliffs are seeping so we will have to wait another week or two to actually start swinging the tools.

While we did not find ice, we are optimistic that we will be climbing our favorite routes by the holidays which in reality is pretty normal for Munising. Overnight lows look really good next week and you can be sure we will be back out updating the report. Checking back through our archives, this seems to be a pretty normal year…….ice starting to form early December and first routes climbed mid to late December.

Continue to sharpen your tools and start making plans to come on up and get some early season ice! Remember to check back here our our facebook page for the latest ice conditions.

Ice Report 1-16-16

January 18, 2016January 18, 2016 Bill

This weekend the Upper Peninsula and Lake Superior turned on the weather machine and brought us cold temperatures and coated the area with up to 15 inches of beautiful powder. It finally feels like winter is here! The ice in Munising is also starting to come around with true waterfalls finally becoming solid enough to see their first ascents of the season.

With all of the fresh snowfall if you are planning a trip into the backcountry it may be a good idea to pack the snowshoes or skis. As of last Thursday there was a boot packed trail to Mini Me and Sunny Day out along the Lakeshore Trail. Since Thursday the Munising area has been hit by a significant amount of lake effect snowfall so plan on snowshoeing in.

Sweet Mother Moses 1-14-16 Solid enough to climb!

Bridal Veil Falls 1-17-16 PC Luke Schuitema

While at one point this season, most local climbers thought that accessing Grand Island this season was out of the question. Now there is a slight chance that Munising Bay will freeze enough to allow passage to the Island and some of the country’s most unique ice climbing. Keep your fingers crossed!

While seeps seem to be pretty darn solid, some of the waterfalls are very thin as they have only recently formed. Please use your best judgement when selecting climbs right now. As always, patience now will mean more and better ice for the next few months!

Ice Conditions Report 1-12-16

January 13, 2016January 13, 2016 Bill

With recent cold temperatures we have seen an amazing growth of the climbs in the past week! Michigan Ice Fest guide Colton Moore, graciously scouted out some of the Sand Point Road climbs to give folks an idea of how things are progressing along. While seeps are starting to be climbable, due to the high volume of water in our streams, the waterfalls are still a week or two out. As always with early season climbing, please be very careful climbing any pillars as with this late of a start, anything that is knocked down might just stay down for the season.

Ice Conditions Report & The Seasons First Ascent Of Bridal Veil Falls

December 31, 2015December 31, 2015 Bill

Happy New Year! Things are starting to take shape as our Upper Peninsula temperatures have continued to be cold and the snow has been falling.

With its low angle and exposure to the cold winds blowing off Lake Superior, it looks like Bridal Veil Falls is the first climb to come in. Super cool gargoyle formations are taking shape at the top, produced by those north winds blowing off the lake. Climber left seems to be the best line so far and fairly dry considering the falls is still flowing.

While climbs are starting to form, there is still very little to climb. Progress is being made with pillars and seeps beginning to fill in.

Special thanks goes out to Colton Moore, Josh Hohner, Mario Molin and John Miller for submitting these shots for the Ice Conditions Report!

Ice Conditions Report 9-23-15

September 23, 2015September 23, 2015 Bill

Like most Midwest climbers we realize that today officially marks the first day of fall and the impending ice season is soon to be upon us. Having said that, the Michigan Ice Fest web page and Facebook page will be updating the ice conditions every week throughout the season. Today marks our first report and we can honestly say the conditions are poor. Paddling out to the Grand Island East Channel climbs we were able to get up close and discovered in fact that they were pretty wet. Let’s hope the Gales of November blow early this year!