The Booming Ice Chasm

I first saw photos of The Booming Ice Chasm 3 years ago, and was astounded with how Paul Zizka was able to capture it. I knew that one day, I would explore this magical cave myself. At that time though, it felt like an impossible location to access. I recently heard rumours that the entrance was starting to seal itself from the build up of ice so I set out with the intention to capture its sacred beauty before it becomes inaccessible .

On September 29th 2023, my mountaineering partners Mikey Farmer, Adam Keirle and I explored this 180 meter deep, cold trap cave for 13 hours as we attempted to capture its frightening beauty.

Mikey cleans a screw as we ascend the cave.

The first obstacle we faced was being able to figure out how to get to the entrance of the cave. Being that there is very little described about the approach, I spent an entire evening watching videos and reading blogs about the Chasm. I then went to Google Earth to pin point its location using everything I found. I won’t be sharing specific details of its location because I believe that personally doing this research, is a part of the adventure.

We drove out the afternoon of the 28th and hiked up the side of the mountain to set up a bivy. Our bags were each 60 pounds, filled with climbing gear, ropes, camera gear, lights, food, winter clothing and sleeping bags. As we hiked up, we were greeted by a gorgeous sunset, surrounded by bright blues, oranges and pinks. I said to the team “Nature is welcoming us.” In return, we set our cameras down, quietly sat and marvelled at her display.

Mikey, wearing his balaclava that was once owned by Chic Scott.

As we set up our bivy, the temperature began to drop close to zero Celsius. Adam and I layered up with a sweater, winter jacket and gloves. I looked over at Mikey; he was standing shirtless, wearing a bright red balaclava, with a giant grin on his face! Adam and I couldn't stop laughing. This was the first time for Mikey to test his new balaclava on an adventure. He introduced it to me on a random face-time call a week prior. He explained that he just bought it at Switching Gears in Canmore and that it was once owned by the famous mountaineer, Chic Scott.

Not fully knowing who Chic Scott was, I did some quick research. Chic Scott was born in 1945 and created a huge name for himself in the mid to late ‘90s. Two notable achievements were: the first winter accent of Mount Assiniboine; and the first Canadian to reach a Himalayan summit. Mikey wore the balaclava for the rest of the night, as if he was trying to absorb some of Chic Scott’s mountaineering powers. We woke up early the next morning to finish our hike to the cave entrance.

Mikey stands in the mouth of the cave.

We scouted-out our approach from afar. We had a general idea of where the cave entrance was but it was guarded by steep 4th and 5th class terrain. We ended up taking the wrong route, forced to solo some exposed low 5th class. We remained calm as we slowly moved our way up the loose, slabby cliff. Once we got to the mouth of the cave, we sat and prepared our gear and minds for the inevitable difficulties that were to come. The mouth of the cave tapered down to a 1.5 meter wide entrance. Setting a fixed line on a bolted anchor, Adam rappelled down first. Removing his bag, he squeezed through the opening; disappearing into the darkness followed by myself then Mikey.

Adam builds a v-thread as we wait for Mikey to descend into the cave.

Once in the cave, we were introduced to the eternal echoes. The slightest sound would bounce around constantly making it extremely difficult to communicate. Within the cave, the darkness almost had a physical form, a palpable pressure that pressed against us at all times. It felt like we were trespassers in a realm where light had long been banished. I don’t think any of us were fully prepared mentally for the prolonged exposure to the darkness and echoes. It played with our minds over the next 13 hours. The ice below our feet was incredibly clear. At times it felt as though we were walking on water. Bubbles were frozen in time, and marks from other explorers told the stories of their own journeys.

Adam and Mikey rappel deeper into the cave.

The entrance of the Booming Ice Chasm is the steepest grade within the main shaft. I estimate it was between 60 - 70 degrees. This made setting up my tripod very difficult. Using cord and an ice screw I was able to secure my tripod and camera to the steep slope. Over my 7 years as an adventure photographer, this was the most technical and difficult location I have ever photographed. I knew it was going to be an extremely slow process for all of us if we wanted to truly capture this cave’s beauty. With this photo, I captured one of the caves most impressive features, a 22 meter frozen waterfall.

Adam and Mikey stand at the bottom of the Booming Ice Chasm.

We decided to rappel straight to the bottom of the cave so that we could scout-out shots for our ascent. Although Adam is proficient at building v-threads, it still took us quite a while to descend. It was a deliberate process, one that demanded precision and patience. We spent thirty minutes on the bottom resting. We all took time to acknowledge where we were in that moment. A profound stillness washed over us while we ate some snacks. Being a huge goal of mine to explore this cave, it was emotional; a testament to how far I have come as an adventure photographer and film-maker, and how far the team has come as mountaineers and explorers.

Adam and Mikey simul-climb on the ascent

Using a fixed line, I climbed back up to a location I scouted on the way down. For each different angle, I had to do the tedious process of rigging my tripod to the ice. This process took 10 minutes each time so that I could make sure it was secure. Within this photo, I wanted to show the depth of this particular shaft. Adam and Mikey climbed using a technique called simul-climbing. Climbing at the same time fixed to the same rope, Adam, as the lead climber, places protection as Mikey removes it, trying to keep at least 3 screws between each other at all times. This type of climbing requires complete trust in one another.

Darkness surrounds Mikey as he follows Adam up

I wasn’t nervous as we were rappelling down into the cave; the all-encompassing darkness shrouded the abyss beneath us, concealing the sheer exposure. However, it was a different story as we were climbing back up. Our minds were starting to wear from the constant echoes; although our world was limited to the distance that our headlamps could reach, we now knew how deep the cave really was. I will admit it was nerve-racking, knowing that there was a 180 meter slip-and-slide to our death, if we made any mistakes. It was a stark reminder of the knife ridge between adventure and peril, a boundary we were acutely aware of as we climbed our way out of the Chasm.

Although it was already night, I felt like the cloak of darkness had been lifted from my shoulders. It was like the pressure was gone and everything felt lighter; an undeniable sense of relief washed over us. I believe we were all feeling slight effects of claustrophobia. We exchanged gear and repacked our bags. Following the exposed 4th class path, we carefully traversed the cliffside back to our bivy location.

Adam ascends the cave as Mikey belays him

As a Metis person, I was taught that earth is a living being. We must honour, respect and give thanks to her wherever our footprints tread. In my perspective, when entering into these sacred places it is imperative to leave them as pure as possible. This means to leave no trace including cord from v-threads, food wrappers and carrying out your feces. I see it as extremely disrespectful to disregard the natural beauty these places hold.

With some reflection since this trip, the best way to explore this cave is by setting fixed lines and ascending out instead of ice climbing. The cave doesn’t heal itself the same way regular waterfall ice does so marks from adventurers seemed engraved into the history of this cave. With humility, we added to these scars, I write this now in hopes that future explorers take my advice to preserve the natural beauty.

Although the entrance was tight, we did not see any signs that the cave will be closed off anytime soon by the build up of ice.

Thomas Garchinski, Mikey Farmer and Adam Kierle

With the participation of Adam Kierle and Mikey Farmer, two highly-skilled climbers, I achieved what I set out to do, which was: to explore the Booming Ice Chasm, and to continue to hone my skills as an adventure photographer and videographer.

Many thanks to Adam and Mikey for making this adventure possible. Their unwavering determination to assist me to achieve my creative vision was a testament to their resilience and the strength of our camaraderie. Their contributions to this adventure extended far beyond the physical and mental challenges we faced. They were also artistic collaborators in front and behind the lens. I am immensely grateful for their teamwork, dedication and fortitude.