Deep-water soloing meets ice climbing in Squamish. words :: Feet Banks // photography :: Jimmy Martinello.
It happens almost every winter on the south coast: An arctic outflow weather system dips down and turns most of the south coast into a deep freeze. It’s unpredictable and ephemeral, but for those willing to face the north winds head on—there is always fun to be had. And in January 2024, Squamish adventurers Jimmy Martinello, Tim Emmett, Matt Maddaloni, Valtteri Rantala and Luca Malaguti pulled out the extra layers and did just that.
Jimmy Martinello: Mamquam Falls has been a project of mine for the past five years, after first accessing and exploring the bottom of the falls by paddleboard. Initially, the smooth granite caught my eye for rock climbing. It’s a spectacular setting. I rappelled in and bolted a few lines and the routes climbed amazing. I knew there was potential for some incredible mixed ice climbs. Caught in this wild cauldron of rock, mist and spray, in cold weather spray ice would form on the surrounding walls.
Tim Emmett:Jimmy always has a mission in mind. Mamquam is a 60-plus-foot waterfall that’s become increasingly popular with kayakers and hikers over the years. In spring and summer, tourists are common. During an icy, freezing arctic outflow though—not so much.
Matt Maddaloni: No sane person would have thought to climb it. Jimmy was excited to play around down there but I don’t think any of us thought it would actually go. And then as we got closer I thought, Maybe this will go.
Tim: Ever since my first spray-ice climbing on a trip to Helmcken Falls in Wells Gray Provincial Park in 2010, my climbing radar has been locked onto waterfalls that don’t freeze solid. Mamquam is one of those. Climbing the frozen spray beside the waterfall is like being beside a living organism. It’s noisy and constantly moving. It adds a new dimension to the experience and definitely opens up the adrenaline floodgates.
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The other draw of ice climbing on frozen spray is that it’s generally softer and more aerated than pure water ice, allowing for first-time placements with sharp axes. This offers a better chance of getting into the flow state because there is less battling with the placements and repeatedly striking the ice trying to get a good one. When you add all these together you get an ice-climbing experience like no other. It’s very cool, indeed!
“No sane person would have thought to climb it.“
Matt: Jimmy went first. He tried a traverse and got into a hard overhanging section about fifteen feet up when a piece of ice broke off and he fell into the water. He had his drysuit on, so he just came up and gave it another go. Then Valtteri tried, and then Tim started tooling around…
Jimmy: Keenan Nowak and I had bolted a route here previously, but I always believed it was possible to access by paddleboard and deep-water solo it. Deep-water ice soloing in that area was always the dream. I checked every winter during a cold snap, and this time the dream became a reality. And sitting on an inflatable paddleboard, putting on crampons and holding ice axes only adds a new element to the thrill.
Tim: I helped pioneer deep-water soloing—climbing above water without ropes for protection—in the UK and Mallorca, Spain. It’s my favourite style of climbing, but usually you’re climbing in shorts and dropping into warm water. A little different than dropping into ice-cold water while wearing a drysuit! Sinking my first tool into the ice and traversing towards the waterfall, I felt like a character in a cartoon—this was an outrageous position and a wild proposition, yet here we were. A thin shell of ice snaked to the top of the waterfall on the left side. Was it solid enough to climb? I carefully ventured upwards, placing each tool with precision like a surgeon making calculated incisions with a scalpel. With each placement, I ventured closer to the top. Falling off now, with axes and crampons, into the raging torrent below, was unthinkable.
Matt: Tim just started tooling around and he just kept going and kind of explored his way to the top!
Tim: I made it to the top and turned to take in the splendor of my surroundings. From that high up I wasn’t too excited about jumping off in a drysuit armed with ice axes and crampons, so the only option was to reverse down what I’d just climbed. I carefully descended a bit then jumped into the caldron where Valtteri picked me up on a board.
Jimmy: We came back the next day to freedive because the water was so clear. The river can change so quickly if the temperatures rise, and the water can get murky-brown and silty. We took advantage of the calm and the clear.
Tim: Wearing 7mm wetsuits, weight belts, fins and masks, we dove to the bottom of the turbulent pools and played with the currents. Bubbles from the waterfall drifted past in a mesmerizing swirl. It didn’t feel real. Surfacing for each breath, I could feel the bite of the cold air on my cheeks. The air was colder than the water. How lucky we were to share this magical experience above and below the waterline. And no one was more stoked than Jimmy. I love it when a good plan comes together.
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