Frankenhooker is an Ontario Classic - yes, it's one of the few in SO that's comparable to the lines near Orient Bay. Traditionally it's been divided into 3 pitches. The first leads up thin slabs, up a short hollow pillar to a slope. A fat pine is on the right (or is it a spruce?). The second pitch leads to a cave. The third pitch leads up a final pillar. The ice can be in any condition: from fat and bomber, to thin, candled and scary! It's all good! By combining the top two pitches you get a better, longer, more sustained 60m pitch that takes you to the very top! Yeeha! Finally - a true muti-pitch in SO.
Access: In Dorset, take hwy 35 north. Turn right onto Kawagama Lake Rd, and drive about 25km to Livingstone Lake. Park at a pullout, well away from the lodge. Follow the snowmobile across Livingston Lake to the portage (stay away from the thin ice near the dam - swim in the summer, not in the winter). Continue towards Bear Lake and once you're on it follow the left shoreline until the cliff comes into view.
Season: late January to mid-March (it gets sun in the afternoon, so too many sunny afternoons in March degrade the quality of the ice).
Gear: A std ice rack will usually suffice (all screw lengths are useful). Two ropes useful.
