Aric Fishman has been a rock climber since he was a teenager. When he moved to Thunder Bay 14 years ago to attend Lakehead University, he embraced ice climbing as a natural progression of his passion for climbing.
“The opportunities here are incredible,” says Fishman, who is the president of the Nipigon Ice Fest, an annual event celebrating ice climbing in the region. (The event is being held virtually this year.) “There’s a lot of ice, and good quality ice.”
This season has been a somewhat “thin year” for ice, he says, “but we’re very spoiled by how much ice we have in general. The region is loaded with ice climbs. Even the thinnest year in a decade, there’s still plenty.”
Ice climbing season typically runs until mid-March, according to Fishman. In shaded locations, ice can still last for another month.
Fishman founded an outdoor adventure company called Outdoor Skills and Thrills in 2015. During the warmer months, he leads rock climbing excursions, and during the cold season, he focuses on ice climbing.
There are several popular ice climbing spots in our area, such as Orient Bay, 40 kilometres north of Nipigon, and Kama Bay, 20 kilometres east of Nipigon. Fishman frequently scouts out new climbs. The criteria are simple: “it shouldn’t be on private property, and [there should be] ice,” he explains. There are thousands of locations within driving distance.
Ice climbing isn’t necessarily more physically challenging than rock climbing, according to Fishman. But there are different skills and dangers involved. Unlike rock climbing, chunks of ice come down as you climb. “You have to have the skill to do it all safely.”
Ice climbing is not for the unprepared - “you won’t ever find a rope hanging down for you to use,” Fishman says. Going with a friend is not something he recommends unless that friend is a very experienced and skilled ice climber. “So that’s where a guiding service like myself or a club [like the Alpine Club of Canada Thunder Bay Section] is useful.”
Outdoor Skills and Thrills’ adventures include rental of all the necessary equipment, such as harnesses, helmets, mountaineering boots, crampons (spikes for your boots) and ice axes. Wilderness Supply on Pearl Street rents and sells all the equipment you need.
Ice climbing has always been a bit of a niche sport here, but the past five or six years have seen explosive growth. Fishman has personally guided tourists from as far away as Ireland, Switzerland, India, China and Lebanon. “They come from all over Canada, especially Quebec and the Winnipeg area. There’s also a ton of people from the US, especially Minnesota and Michigan, even Colorado. A lot of people come because the ice here is so good, and there’s no danger of an avalanche. It ticks a lot of boxes,” he explains.
“It’s becoming slowly more known to the climbing community and the general outdoor enthusiast community,” says Fishman, “More people are coming to check it out. People are looking for different adventures and different places.”
