Build My Own FeedVIDEO: BD athletes Klemen Premrl and Tim Emmett making the first and second ascents of Wolverine (WI11) at Helmcken Fall, Canada
There's steep ice and then there is STEEP ice. Tucked away in Wells Grey Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada, Helmcken Falls offers the wildest, steepest and most difficult ice climbing in the world (some climbs are nearly as overhanging as they are long). Filmer Wiktor Skupinski was on the scene last year and captured the following video of BD athletes Will Gadd, Raphael Slawinski, Klemen Premrl and Tim Emmett all working on a new route, which Premrl and Emmett eventually made the first and second ascents of back-to-back.
To read Klemen's report about the two new routes he established at Helmcken with Emmett, click here
BD athletes Klemen Premrl and Tim Emmett making the first and second ascents of Wolverine (WI11) at Helmcken Fall, Canada from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.
United States / English 
17 Jan 2013, 11:25AM
Tyler, I had the same question. I've seen WI8 labeled routes, and from Aplinist:
WI6: A full ropelength of near-90º ice with no rests, or a shorter pitch even more tenuous than WI 5.Highly technical.
WI7: As above, but on thin poorly bonded ice or long, overhanging poorly adhered columns. Protection is impossible or very difficult to place and of dubious quality.
WI8: Under discussion.
So maybe because WI6 is vertical (90deg), they went another 5 steps for the near total roof/overhang (170deg) to WI11? I'm stumped.
15 Jan 2013, 7:59PM
Im curious to know how this route was grade to a WI11. Ive read about WI6+ routes that have not been repeated due to the shear insanity of the climbing environment but this WI11 looks like a fun challenge. These guys should quickly just go punch out the reality bath with the BD label all over it being that its graded at almost half the difficulty of this...
Just a thought - rebuts are certainly welcome
15 Jan 2013, 6:50PM
Klemen and Tim, you are some awesome athletes!! And thanks Chris and Will:)
9 Jan 2013, 2:06PM
Its too bad Chris Geisler and Will Mayo aren't credited in the above abstract. They may not be BD sponsored but they were involved with the FA.