Polar Vortex: Who Will Be First to Ice Climb Niagara Falls?

Jan 9, 2014 | News | 6 comments

Jan 9, 2014 | News | 6 comments

Temperatures have plummeted to as low as -52C in the East, freezing parts of Niagara Falls solid. Apparently, the last time it got cold enough for the millions of tons of water flowing over Niagara Falls to freeze was one day in 1848—166 years ago.

The images coming out of Niagara Falls at the border of New York and Ontario show roughly 170 feet of vertical ice that looks potentially climbable. Though it would certainly be extremely sketchy and horribly miserable. In fact, I can’t imagine a worse way to spend the day! But it would be cool to be the first person to ice climb Niagara Falls, which has become the site of so many stupid human tricks over the years. Ice climbing certainly falls into that category …

So, if you’re the type of person who 1) wants to be famous and 2) enjoys doing things that are simultaneously miserable AND can kill you, then you should go for it. Free solo. Why not? Fuck it. You probably have today and tomorrow before this weekend, when temps are supposed to finally rise. You might not get another chance for another 166 years …

Images by Reuters photographer Aaron Harris

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Niagara-Falls-freezes-as-polar-vortex-grips-North-America-3003778

Niagara-Falls-freezes-as-polar-vortex-grips-North-America-3003777

About The Author

Andrew Bisharat

Andrew Bisharat is a writer and climber based in western Colorado. He is the publisher of Evening Sends and the co-host of The RunOut podcast.

Free Climb. Free Thought.

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Comments

6 Comments

  1. Avatar

    Wowwwww!!!!!! si tuviera la plata para poder ir ya y el equipo correspondiente voy y lo hago sin dudarlo

    Reply
  2. Avatar

    Jesus. That is amazing.

    Reply
  3. Avatar

    Having lived near Niagara Falls for 21 years, and now being an ice climber (nothing spectacular, believe me), the idea of climbing the Niagara Ice Falls is incredible and crazy. The roaring sound alone of the entire Great Lakes plummeting into the gorge behind the ice would be utterly terrifying. Not to mention the risk that the ice tower could peel off at any moment.

    Reply
  4. Avatar

    I may have missed my window, but I will go for it if Alpine Jesse is on Belay!

    Reply

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