Dru

I wondered why the SE buttress of Cathedral wasnt in any of those Wash select books. That is a Doorish route but not super hard just super classic ( I think from looking at it and from hearing the spray ofthose that have done it).

rage grip nicer if you have small hands, probably better all-round. cobra sexier, lighter.more spendy so as capt noted less $$$ for

I plan to head up this weekend if Lyle promises me some ice is in. Will provide full conditions spray on return. Will provide hookable holes and pre-set abalakovs up your chosen route if properly sponsored with and .

I bet Sexual Popelate would be happy to shine your for you!

"Acute Falls" is probably in too. Drive 6 hrs for 5 minutes of ice.

after capt does it, they will rename it moonshine buttress

quote: Originally posted by haireball: actually, the answer to the original question is dirt simple and requires no underground assumption of enmity: if a guy is so busy doing new routes that he never gets time to repeat anybody elses routes, howinhell can he recommend anybody elses routes? I mean, in good conscience, he can only recommend routes he's actually done, right?? Ummm I assume that a book calling itself "Selected" or "Recommended" should vaguely try to be objective and report on the best routes there are out of all the routes that exist, not the best routes done by one particular person. Hmmm: 50 Classics - kind of a Roper-Steck bias (Royal Arches?? in the top 50 climbs in North America???) but still pretty good overall. 50 Favorites - hard routes in general but pretty balanced selection. Alpine Select - again pretty balanced except as noted above.

So to motivate everyone for this season I thought i would share a little TR from some ice last year. Driving up and down the Fraser Canyon numerous times last year my keen eye spotted some water ice hidden in the back of a bowl just off the Trans Canada and immediately north (100m) of the Kanaka Bar Cafe (about 10km south of Lytton). I asked Don Serl about it and also Lyle and neither of them had ever heard of anyone climbing it. So it was late February and yet another weekend where I wanted to try the impressive Crucible (aka Nicoamen Creek falls on the Trans Canada south of Spences Bridge, in the Thompson R. valley). No partners were keen and I was telling myself I was pretty strong so I figured I would hike in and solo if it looked good. Drove up from Chilliwack in the morning and things were starting to look melty. But parking by the highway Crucible looked to be in. I could see some ice although most of the falls is hidden from view by rock walls from where you park. I geared up and hiked down to the creek which had many rocks and open pools of water. the approach is classivc Thompson ice and involves climbing fixed wire ladders and cramponing over frozen scree and thin ice over deep pools of water that you could easily drown in if you broke through. I was kinda scared several times but eventually made it to the big snow ice mushroom below Crucible itself. It was NOT in. There was ice on left and right of the falls but the middle third was open top-to bottom and a thunderous cascade was spurting forth under immense pressure like a massive fie hose. I considered soloing the ice on the side for all of 10 seconds until I saw a big chunk fall into the open water and get smashed to fragments immediately - no way After disappointedly doing a bit of dry tooling and bouldering on some short smears near the base I dispiritedly hiked back to the car. Almost there i decided rather than totally write off the day I would head down to Kanaka Kolumn and seeif it was in or not. I drove back down, turned onto a dirt road that looked like it lead to the base of the route, and parked. As I got out of the car I saw fresh tire tracks in the dirt. Uh oh? Hiking up the road quickly to the end I found a car with Washington state plates parked at road end. One guy was in it sleeping in the back and two other guys were just walking back to the car. "Oh hi." "Hey are you ice climbing" "Yeah we were just checking it out. I think were gonna do it." "Well I'm soloing so I will just zip up ahead of you and get out of your way" (and beat you to the FA if this thing is really unclimbed I thought to myself...) So with Washington guys racking up behind me I ran to the ice and soloed up some WI2 flow through the trees to the base of the Kolumn. More of a Kurtain actually, it had a short vertical step, terrace, and then a higher pillar that was gushingly slushy wet. I swung tools and worked up the short step to the terrace, using the one rampy and less than vertical spot. The familiar feeling of standing under a cold shower in Goretex... I swung a tool into the upper pillar. Not even weighting the tool, just under its own weight, it slid through theslush down to waist level and icy water spurted out of the hole it had made. Hmmm. Not good. I considered backing off. Then I considered the Washington party below that would undoubtedly scoop me if I did. Hmmm. Looked at the ice again. On the right of the pillar were some solide rlooking mushrooms glommed on to a dead tree. A ha! I swung into the tree and one crampon above the other, got worked up onto the ice like I was climbing a pole or rope - tools and feet in a line and staggered. With left tool I reached out and hooked behind the ice on a rock knob. Got the feet higher - dropped other tool , to hang by its leash, and grabbed another bush or tree with my glove and swung a mantel onto a shelf - reached up with tool for a stick in some frozen moss - stood up - both tools in congealed dirt and over the lip - feet on top of pillar and made final mantel. I was on top! I bushwacked back from the cliff edge through a thicket of prickle bushes then did a little victory dance. Alas I did not utter the victory hoot in approved "Beyond Gravity" fashion. Then I took my 'poons off and hiked down the side of the drainage to encounter the Washington crew busy engaged with rope and screws on the first WI 2 pitch. "Oh yeah its a bit slushy at the top, well, have fun... its not in the book but its called the Kanaka Kolumn, with a K, yup - bye!" Drove back to Chilliwac and the next day sprayed to all and sundry over the glory of another "first ascent"*. Quite honestly if I was the only climber out that day I would probably have gone home instad of climb. I guess this is one of those times when competitive urges can be postive, especially because I'm probably the only one who realized I was competing.... I still don't know who the 3 Washington climbers wre but thanks for letting me jump the queue and go first if you read this. *Still have not been able to find anybody who admits to climbing it before this but as it is 100m off a major highway I would not be surprised if it had seen previous action. Kanaka Kolumn 5.6 WI 3+ 45m. 25m WI 2 creekbed/low angle falls to 20m 5.6 WI 3+ curtain/pillar of poor ice and frozen vegetation.

I did most of Space Shot (5.6 C1) a year or so ago before getting bailed off the wall by a thunderstorm. Scary watching "bomber" pieces you are standing on start to track out as the rock gets wet. Space Shot is easy climbing (i took a 30-footer while top stepping due to some casually assuming i didnt need to bounce a certain piece) and would make a good solo cause you can aid all the free climbing except a 5.4-5.6 chimney grovel section at the bottom.

I always report conditions unless im going back there. cause I dont care if a million bumblies show up to do the route I did last week, or not! But I have been known to report that the route I plan to do next week is "DEFINITELY NOT IN!"

A french friend of mine liked the icon somuch he made his own red-wine-drinking one. [ 12-03-2001: Message edited by: Dru ]

Lillooet warming up now. Friday forecast high 5 low -2. http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/scripts/citygen.pl?client=ECCDN_e&city=WKF

Canadian Rockies temperature guidede +2 to -25 its cold enough to climb ice -25 to -40 its to cold for locals to climb so they sit around and drink scotch and all the visiting climbers go out and suffer because they are only there for a week and cant wait for it to warm up -40 and lower everyone sits around drinking whiskey because their car wont start to get the visiting climbers to somewhere warmer +2 to +10 locals go rock climbing. visitors put on snorkels and wallow up slushy flows becauser they only have a week and they must tick off the following 15 routes by the time they go home... + 10 and up its too warm and sunny and everyone goes to Yamnuska instead

arcteryx gamma sv (Powershield) available for wearing on the legs comes in salopettes or bibs but not pants. and they kick ass.

you can use farenheit if you can tell me how many furlongs your vehicle gets to the hogshead? and is your rope 12 or 15 rods long? etc.

where is dan larson to rank you out for drinking while in a DANGEROUS CLIMBING SITUATION (on a ledge) when we need him? straight edge!

As someone that has "stolen" the odd hanger myself (from old Squamish climbs that the moss has grown over) I agree with pope that this sounds like someone planning to use the hangers themselves on another route somewhere... a real protest would have chopped/flattened/sabotaged the bolts themselves. stealing hangers is usually popular with cheap bastard climbes just starting the sport and (unlike me) they usually pick popular routes because they know that good Samaritans like you all will quickly chip in and replace those hangers. FWIW if you replace the hangers try coating the bolt heads with locktite or something (silica sealant, rubber cement etc.) once you install them it makes this kind of hanger theft that much harder.

1) pile of slings at the bottom in spring time as abalakovs melt out (could agree to go in and pick them up) and/or2) soil disturbance at top near rap tree or whatever from crampons - could set designated rap and/or build trail on rock to minimize this and also minimize potential crampon damage to tree roots and 3) climbers bodily wastes can be an issue if climb gets popular (this is a BIG issue on certain climbs at Lillooet, probably the biggest cause of local anxiety except for the "climbers stealing the dog" near Michelmoon Falls incident) 4) potentially climbers opening/closing gates and livestock escaping. Luckily all these potential issues can be managed with some foresight and maybe by posting a message at or near the route explaining conditions under which access is granted and rules climbers should follow to avoid fucking the access up for others. [ 12-03-2001: Message edited by: Dru ]

What the hell is a "way route" or "way trail" and did anyone smoke any dope on the summit or what?

I like watching people trying to onsight Apron Strings lunging for the jug-that-isnt-a-jug at the top of the flake and taking 30 foot whippers!!! [ 11-30-2001: Message edited by: Dru ]

Forecast for Lillooet predicting consistent high of 2 and low -5 for next 5 days which is great temps for building up ice. Clinton forecast (Marble Canyon is equidistant from Lillooet and Clinton) is even better with the range high -5, low -15!!!!! Must be a cold front stalling out to the North. I hope this info doesn't result in a swarm of TRing Americans scooping me on Icy BC if I head up there next weekend

FRESHIEZ WARNING VANCOUVER (CKNW) — There's an avalanche warning for the three local ski hills because 50 centimetres of fresh snow is laying on an ice-crust of about 70 centimetres. Another 25 to 30 centimetres of snow is expected to fall Friday night. Cypress Bowl, Mt. Seymour and Grouse Mountain are all subject to the warning.

-7 in Lillooet right now!!!! ICE ICE ICE ICE ICE

quote: Originally posted by sisu suomi: hey Dru, I liked Saturday at Muir. It took everyones thoughts off 9/11. A very healthy thread. Unlike a freakin' butt plug up one's anal sphinter Ummm I can see why a butt plug would make you think of 911???? It was popeual chocospray that brought up the rear entry obstruction/beanbag suppository. free speech who needs it

who got flamed for posting a trip report? except for the infamous warm and fuzzies on DDD retro-chopping TR -the rare ocasions when someone does post a TR usually gets all sorts of complimentary praise etc. dont know why people dont do it more.think its cause it takes ~ 1 hr to write up a good TR and ~5 seconds to spray. my spray doesnt smell like pee anyways. it smells like napalm! and paris is in texas isn't it??? i see paris, i see france, i see someone's ....