Peak Ice

Back in the 1970s when we were just starting to climb ice, snowy weekends were spent scouring the Peak District for frozen streams and waterfalls to practice our skills on, the obvious one being Kinder Downfall. Problem was, it needed a good cold spell to form so wasn’t good for a short day. Not so Wildboar Clough, though not as spectacular, when formed has over the years given much entertainment.

With this in mind I set of to see what this weeks weather had produced. The approach was hard work in deep snow but after an hour the first step came into view. Two climbers were already checking out the ice which was not the best. It turned out the two were CC members Terry and his mate from Nottingham.

Having rejected pitch one we proceeded to pitch two, not much better but with enough ice to make the effort seem worthwhile. It may not be the greatest ice climbing around but it has provided hours of fun over the years and provided a place to learn ice skills for bigger things.