FREEZE FRAME: BRITISH COLUMBIA

Sometimes the most incredible mission is right in front of your eyes, in your own backyard in fact, Jimmy Martinello recounts an adventure of a lifetime on the beautiful west coast of Canada.

Words and photos: Jimmy Martinello

BACKGROUND

My name is Jimmy Martinello and I have been an avid photographer, videographer, and writer for the past 27 years, shooting adventure, art, and culture around the world. My hometown is Squamish, British Columbia on the beautiful west coast of Canada.

THE MISSION

We had a cold front come through Squamish in mid-February, and usually, they do not last too long, so we immediately hatched a plan to take advantage of the cold snap… ice climbing adventures here we come! I took my dog for a walk to see what ice formations were forming around Mamquam Falls just on the outskirts of town. What I saw was something I had never seen before in this area. Spray ice like Helmken Falls, which is one of the wildest places to go ice climbing in the world was forming right here in our own backyard. However, the issue to launch a mission to explore this rare spectacle was access… that’s where the SUP boards came into the equation as the approach to this climb was the tricky part.

The mission was to enter into the base of the falls using SUP’s, getting onto the ice, climbing and deep water soloing all the wild formations. We also couldn’t resist the opportunity to jump into the amazing falls below for a spot of freediving as the water clarity was simply amazing.

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE

Rallying the crew for a special mission like this involved experience in both climbing and watersports adventures. Our experienced team consisted of long time friends, Matt Maddaloni and Tim Emmett, both of whom are well experienced watermen and climbers. Vallteri Rantala, who is also an experienced waterman and climber, would join the trip too, however, this would be his first time breaking the ice, so to speak, in terms of scaling the ice. Wow, Vallteri was so stoked to give it a go and he did amazingly well. Last minute to the rooster was Luca Malaguti, who is an incredibly experienced free diver and always keen for any kind of wild adventure.

GEARED UP

Accessing the bottom of the falls was just one of the challenging parts, involving paddling upriver, and manoeuvring around a smaller waterfall to access the upper pool to the base of the falls and ice. It involved some tricky rock and ice climbing as well as some seriously hard paddling. The right gear was essential to enjoying a successful and safe journey, so items such as; dry suits, PFDs, free diving suits, ice climbing gear, camera and film gear, and lots of warm clothes were minimum requirements for the mission.

The mission panned out with absolutely amazing results – both a vision and dream come true. Climbing some of the wildest ice features amongst a raging waterfall, accessing it all by paddleboards, then jumping off into the crystal clear pools of Mamquam, before returning to free dive and explore the mesmerising underwater world where it was all created.

CHALLENGING CONDITIONS

Shooting a mission like this is exceptionally tricky for a number of reasons. Firstly, the spray from the waterfall makes trying to keep your camera gear a nightmare, while the cold and fog also play havoc with your batteries and lighting etc. You need to be prepared and have backup gear at the ready should one system fail, which it surely does at some point. To capture this amazing content, I carried my camera kit in a Pelican case strapped to my paddleboard for safety. I also have a water housing to capture the magical underwater world, while a GoPro always comes in handy for a few shots.

ELEMENT OF DANGER

Of course, dangers such as falling ice and the cold water are apparent, while the raw power of the river means you run the risk of being pinned against the wall or being held down in a hole – almost at any moment – so you have to have your wits about you at all times, while having the right gear, team and appropriate preparation is essential in ensuring a safe and successful quest.

EQUIPMENT

We were armed with Red Paddle Co inflatable boards, which are capable of handling whatever conditions you throw at them, while in terms of safety gear, Mustang Dry Suits and PFDs are must haves when trying to combat these extremely harsh conditions.

ICE CLIMB

Most of us had a go at climbing the spray ice, but Tim Emmett took it to the next level. Not only is he a world-class athlete, but he is also one of the best ice climbers in the world, so he used his expertise to solo climb it to the top, which was not only super impressive to witness, but also bold and brave. Tim was also one of the key guys in establishing routes at Helmken Falls in BC, which consists of some of the hardest ice routes in the World – Tim is such a visionary.

UNFORGETTABLE

I love missions like these as actually seeing something through and bringing a vision to life is so empowering and rewarding. I am so thankful to the team, the gear, the support from our sponsors, and Mother Nature for providing the magical playground for us to enjoy. This mission was made all the better as we are fortunate enough to call this amazing environment our backyard – it was an adventure never to be forgotten.

NEXT MISSION

After the mission, myself and Timmy left for the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia, for a dream SUP surfing holiday to celebrate our 50^th birthdays. Surrounded by 12 of our closest friends, we enjoyed a trip of a lifetime, for which I will be eternally grateful.