Guide To Canada’s Little-Known Climbing Mecca

The North Shore of Lake Superior is near and dear to the heart’s of several GearJunkie editors and legions of Midwestern ice climbers. Thus, we are stoked to see a new guidebook to the area — Superior Select— underway and raising funds on Kickstarter.

Eric Landmann, an ice climber from Madison, Wis., who wrote the now out-of-print but excellent Lake Superior Ice 14 years ago, is forging ahead on a new guidebook of the region.

The book will include routes in Thunder Bay, Orient Bay and Kama Bay in Ontario.

“Many new routes have been put up and the sport has changed,” the Kickstarter reports. “Leashless tools have been invented and mixed climbing is gaining in popularity and has taken off in the area. There are many quality routes with active development by talented climbers.”

Between the many classics and new routes put up by strong local talent and greats like Mark Wilford, Scott Backes, Guy Lacelle, Conrad Anker, Raphael Slawinski, and Sean Isaac, there’s a lot to write about. At last count, there were more than 450 routes in the area, Landman reports.

If you ice climb and have’t visited the areas north of Lake Superior in Ontario, you’re missing out on some exceptional natural falls. And if this book gets funded, you’ll have a great guide to the region. Check it out and give them a hand if you’re interested in the area’s development.