a-maze-ing

[canyonguru]

Well i am from vegas and i would pretty much have to agree with cilantro. i spend most of the summer doing zion canyon. The Maze is a long hard cayon that never stops except the forested area in the middle of the canyon. It took my party of three 15 hours to finish the canyon and we were rapping the last 190ft in the dark. That was a little interestesting. I think the canyon is awesome and some of the starts to the raps are a little difficult, especialy the last one. Be carful on the last rap becuse you are standing on sand above an overhang that looks to me like it isn't very thick. i could hear the water falling underneath my feet. it that ever washes out it would make for that last drop to be really narly. When i did the canyon this year it was july 26th and we used shrty wet suits and we were chilled on the last drop in the dark. Lots of pools lots of swimming but the nice thing is no sand so the ropes stay clean. Great canyon, as for the rocky gap road to get up to the trail i would not suggest doing that in the winter unless you have a pretty beffy 4X4 and even in the summer a 4X4 is recomended. Have fun

[goofball]

For those who have done Ice Cube - how does it stack up against some other canyons in the Utah area I might be more familiar with?

ditto what has been said already.

Is it a 4B IV? from the little I've gathered here - it sounds similar to the Squeeze - but with more swims... ?

not really. the squeeze is actually a slot. the maze isn't but for a few short sections, and no keepers to sweat. the upper canyon has a pothole but i remember it was not really a major obstacle. when we went thru it was brim full and even so a couple members stayed dry (except for feet/ankles) up until the next to last rap and the final rap.

Is it in season in the winter? (with wetsuits or drysuits perhaps?)

the maze would be no harder than other wet canyons people do in winter. caution for ice or snow on rock ! just wet or dry suit up. short days would be a big issue tho. and your car will get a ticket if not out of red rocks by dusk. i could think of much more pleasant times to descend but if you are prepared then what the hey.

I lived in Vegas for 2 years and still have a lot of friends down there. Are there a fair amount of canyons around there?

the maze is the crown jewel by far. lost creek and icebox are fun but pale in comparisson. icebox is the most overrated canyon i have ever descended. reality of it and the hype were worlds apart in my opinion. other than those technical slots aren't here as far as i know. death valley has some tumbles down a mountain. much different character here than utah.

[canyonguru]

I have no idea how you stayed dry for most of the canyon i can clearly remember at least 4 or 5 swims that are manditory and there is no way to stem around them. i remember one short rap i had to pull the rope while swimming becuase the angle from the shore was to sharp for the rope to pull.

As for the slot i agree it dosnt really slot up until the las drop but it is an awesome canyon none the less. Well worth doing but i am sure it would be more enjoyable when the weather is nice.[quote]

[ratagonia]

I would say it is a 4B IV. I'll bet it can be done in the winter, although somebody from Vegas should weigh in. The issue in the winter for anybody who has done it, obviously, is getting to the Cable Mountain trail head. You have to drive 5-10 miles of rough 4x4 road that can't be done with a 2WD. So if there is snow or ice... it might be tough to get to the trail head.

During the summer, the water is chilly, but doable without a wetsuit. (And I am pretty insulation challenged.)

As for specific challenges, there is one section of stemming over a 20-30 foot drop that isn't hard (I am not a climber and I didn't think it was too hard), and a couple of big rappels during the middle. The hardest challenge are the last rappels. The approach to the second to last has the potential for a pendulum swing as you rappel around a chokestone (I think I remember it being a chokestone). The opening for the last rappel is in a V-slot that is really narrow. You have to get on rope and shimmy out of the slot into a free hanging portion of the rappel, which is a little less than 200 feet.

All in all, it is like most canyons I have done with a little bit different scenery. You wouldn't want a big group. I seem to remember there being about ~20 some-odd rappels. It can be done during a single long day.

Dankat has full beta: http://www.dankat.com/swhikes/icecub.htm

Support - mostly. I see no reason it would be a "4" though, as there is nothing requiring tricks. 3B IV would be an appropriate rating.

The trick is, you want to get it when the days are long, when it is not too hot, and when the pools are full. April or May are usually the best months.

It would be a Top Ten in Zion, but not a Top Five.

Tom

[Wasatch]

All I can say is go prepared in the middle of March (5-7mm Wetsuit), not 2mm like I did. This is a very cool canyon, wish I could have enjoyed it more. I believe we took 16 hours to complete with 5 of us and me having to stop alot because of the cold water and ice. I would definitely like to do it again in say Jun or Jul, LOL