Rockaboo Mountain Adventures — Attraction in Municipality of Jasper

We are glad we went. We both managed two successful climbs (the opportunity is there for many more climbs, we just chose to stop after two) and got great pics for our experience scrapbook so take this with a grain of salt: My husband and I are in our fifties and after visiting multiple canyons in Banff, LL, Yoho and Jasper, we thought this would be a fun experience. We booked the group tour with Jen and Alejandro and went to Tangle Falls. It's a beautiful location about an hour from Jasper. We probably should have booked a private lesson. Or maybe Jen and Alejandro don't work together often. Both were very nice individually but their chemistry seemed off as team and they didn't have a cohesive plan for the teaching part of the experience. We learned that ice climbing can be very dangerous and covering a few basics in a haphazard way ends in bumps and bruises but thankfully nothing worse. Again, this is coming from someone well out of their 20's and 30's so our perspective is different and this review is directed at an older group. If you asked the 20 somethings in our group, they loved the "here are the basics; go climb!" approach. We needed a bit more attention to detail. Would I recommend Rockaboo? Yes, but, pay attention and remember your safety is your responsibility first. Don't be shy if your crampons keep falling off, or if you are way off the line and are about to swing like a pendulum across the face of the ice. The guides are keeping their eyes on five or six different people, so they might miss something. Some thoughts that may help you for a future trip: Clothing: Layer your coats so you have one lighter one to climb in and one heavy layer to belay in or stand around in. Same with gloves: at least 2 pair, one lighter one for climbing and one heavy for belaying. Hat: no pom poms bc you need a safety helmut to go over it. A note on boots: Rockaboo will provide you with boots (we went with the leather boots and were not cold at all). My recommendation is to try on your boots, make sure they fit but then put your own boots back on until you get to the falls. Its an hour away, at least, and these boots are inflexible (for good reason) and if you are driving your own car it's not really a good idea to drive in them. Hopefully, this helps get you...

We went ice climbing at Tangle Falls with Max, the owner of Rockaboo Mountain Adventures, and had an amazing time. We had no climbing experience and we were initially nervous about the climb and what to expect.

Our day started at the Rockaboo office where we got fitted with equipment and signed waivers, then we piled in to the shuttle and Max drove our group of four climbers to Tangle falls, which is about an hour away from Jasper. After parking, we got on our gear, and it was a five minute walk to the climbing site. Max set up two lines for climbing, talked about safety, and gave us an intro to climbing. We then took turns ice climbing and belaying. Max checked everyone's setup before each climb, watched and encouraged us, and even took a few pictures (the ones posted here). Max made us feel very safe about climbing and was a great instructor.

Tangle falls is about a 30 meter climb with lots of humps to stop and rest. It took us about 15-20 minutes to climb to the top and each person in the group had the opportunity to climb three or four times before the end of the day. I would have climbed at least once or twice more if there had been more time.

The ice was very different in the two climbing areas, despite being only a few meters apart. The one side had more sun so the ice was softer and wetter, but easier to get the crampons and ice picks to dig in. The ice was much harder at the second line and I had difficulty kicking in the boots and getting a good grip. At one point my crampons gave out under me but the rope held me up and I was able to maintain my grip on the ice picks and recover. It wasn't scary, but my arms were a little tired and I appreciated a brief rest while belaying my partner while he climbed. We didn't feel particularly sore or tired at the end of the day, but we felt it in our core muscles two days later. My partner and I are in our early 40s and hike regularly as our main activity.

Everyone had an amazing time and we're looking forward to future adventures with Rockaboo. I had initially booked for three people but one person had to cancel a few days before the climb and it was easy to...

Great experience! I've been on glaciers before and even been inside ice caves. This walk was a nice addition to our itinerary. As a photographer, I enjoyed the opportunity to photograph various formations and views of the areas that wouldn't be accessible if you take the vehicle tour. We took a shared group tour (about 11-12 of us). It's an "easy" route but you do need to maintain a steady pace and basic physical fitness is recommended as there is some elevation gain. There were breaks every 15 mins to go over facts, take rest or photos. For photography, if you want to bring only one lens, bring something like 24-70 mm. Ideally, a wide-angle would be great too but you won't get much time to change out lenses in a group tour. Weather (and group sentiment) favoring, you will be able to descend into a crevasse with ropes for a closer look into the glacier. The ropes and equipment are managed by the two guides, including the descending/ascending. Anyone can do it but need to follow their instructions carefully. Simon and Jack were professional, friendly and informative. We also came across a team from JPL and NASA who were prototyping a robot for a future mission to Enceladus to search for life. The total experience took 4.5 hrs. The weather changes more frequently on the glacier than at base. Bring/wear weatherproof jackets, sunscreen and sunglasses with you. Before you set out, you can take jackets , shoes ans gloves from their equipment rack if needed. Crampons provided. If it's warm at base, it's going to be much colder on the glacier. If it's cold at base, then it won't be much colder on the glacier but there may be some precipitation still. Bring snacks and a bottle of water (you can also drink the running glacial water!). These is a cafe located at the glacier center. Nothing fancy but a pretty decent set of options for post-glacier-walk. Outhouse type restrooms located on parking lot and proper ones located inside the glacier...