Inside the Belly of the Beast: Ice Caves

An image collection from the Canadian Rockies.

Years ago, I was walking along the toe of a glacier here in the Canadian Rockies when I decided to peek under the lip of ice right on the edge. I noticed that, at first, the space between the ice and the rock bed beneath was rather narrow, but then it expanded into a larger chamber. After putting on my headlamp and removing my large pack, I shimmied under the narrow gap and into the chamber, discovering for myself what had been out of sight just a few feet away: a chamber of glowing, blue ice filled with interesting formations. I could see the cave kept going. Gingerly, I took a few more paces, and then a few more, and saw that the cave ran deep into the glacier. I was enthralled and, thus, my love affair with ice caves was born.

Ice caves are formed in a few ways: through subglacial melting, where water melts and flows beneath the glacier, often near the glacier’s edge, or when meltwater from the glacier’s surface seeps through the ice and carves out channels and caverns over time. Sometimes these are vertical channels, called moulins.

Like many mountain environments, ice caves are astoundingly beautiful but require safety, precaution, and the right equipment. I never recommend going into one without a trained guide or considerable background in glacier travel, and without the knowledge to understand the potential instabilities of any given ice cave. For the purpose of safety, I won’t disclose the locations of the ice caves in the image set below. For one, they are likely no longer there. Either way, they will have changed tremendously since I took these images due to continuous movement in the glacier.

I think you’ll see why I’ve found these icy caverns to be such a wonderful subject and setting for photography. I am grateful for the opportunity to capture these magical places while we have them, and for the people who have shared in these experiences with me.

Photo by Paul Zizka. Model: Mikey Hall.

Photo by Paul Zizka. Model: Walter Odenthal.

Photo by Paul Zizka. Model: Kahli Hindmarsh.

Photo by Paul Zizka. Self-portrait.

Photo by Paul Zizka. Model: Meghan Ward.

Photo by Paul Zizka. Model: Lee Nordbye.

Photo by Paul Zizka. Model Sasha Galitzki.

Photos by Paul Zizka. Model: Kahli Hindmarsh.

Thank you for your interest in my work!