fishstick

The season ends when the snow gets too deep to be practical. At around that time the ice becomes very hard and brittle and quality becomes an issue anyway. Usually the end of the serac season is roughly the first day of the BC ski season (not counting skiing super-high or on old snow). So climbing is a go until the first big storm of the fall. I think of each weekend of climbing in November as a bonus. Climbing beyond the 15th is very rare. Getting to the parking lot late in the season will often require a 4X4 or at least chains. The road got snow below 2000 feet Sunday, so in the least I would expect some sections to be icy. The parking lot is something like 3400 feet. Note that one of the joys of the Baker thing is that the seracs in question are below the firn (snow) line. Travel in late summer and early fall is dead easy - slots are open and hazards are easily assessed. Add a bit of fresh snow and the situation changes remarkably. Some of the best areas are accessed through areas of micro-slots and long stemming sessions over slots and features. Fresh snow covers small slots and accumulates in the bottom of features hiding what may in fact be a very serious hole. Another somewhat unique problem is frozen puddles. Rain last week combined with frozen drainage systems produced a number of big puddles on the glacier. Some are over 6 feet deep and at least one must be close to 15 feet across. They started to freeze over Sunday, so any blowing or fresh snow will hide their relatively thin shell of ice. Beware of unusually flat spots on the glacier, especially in slots. GB

Re: Conditions. Saturday and Sunday were very different. Saturday was warm and sunny with rather plastic ice. Some dinner plates, but not the monsters that seem to show up late in the fall. Essentially zero snow on the glacier. Sunday was quite a bit cooler (-5C). Ice firmed up noticably overnight to the point that it often required a firm kick to get a bomber platform with M10s. The ice was dinner plating, but still nothing huge. Perhaps 4 inches of snow fell during the day then got moved around by wind. Navigation through complex areas got problematic by mid-afternoon. Stable weather condition now should improve the latter. Rain would help. Snow of course will make things more awkward. If the snow remains it will tend to draw moisture out of the ice increasing dinner plates. Minor amounts of rain will add heat to the ice and make conditions easier. The big slots below Mirkwood haven't really materialized in a manner like 2001. That year, it was possible to drop a rope 40m over a vertical to overhanging wall. Such slots might be there, but access to them is blocked by smaller, less steep units. At least that was the case in mid-August. While there is talk that there is less to choose from this year, some quality terrain exists. I've been swinging sticks down there for over 10 years and one of my favorite routes of the whole period is just sitting in front of people's eyes as they walk past. As mentioned above, terrain in the sun will be in better shape under this weather. All summer long the key is to pursue the shade, but as temps crash and the plates get really big, go higher. GB

There is certainly alpine ice within a day or a day and a half of Vancouver. Much of the info on such is by word of mouth or acquired through mileage in the hills. Alpine Select, while a great book, tends to be somewhat rock-centric. The photos in the book however offer hints as to what's out there. Fairly's book in my mind is no longer a good investment. Your money would be better spent on Gunn's scrambling guide to SW BC. The latter is vastly more up to date on approach info (critical on the Coast as it changes with logging plans) and has photos (beta). Travel super-light, hammer up some of his high points and look around. There's a world of white out there that can't be seen from the roads below. Gunn's scrambles also cover some intriguing areas off the common climbing radar. Another book investment that I'd recommend is the "Backroad Mapbook" published by Mussio Ventures. It's painfully expensive at 40.00, but it provides a clear understanding of where stuff is in our complex landscape. Overall, the alpine ice here is harder to see and somewhat harder to get to than the CDN Rockies or the Sierras, but it isn’t nearly as bad as some suggest. I’d recommend figuring stuff out by starting with routes that have reasonable trail access. The normal season is rather short. September and October seem to offer prime alpine ice conditions. November rains quickly dump a meter of snow in the mtns and serve as a reminder that it’s time to go skiing. GB

The alpine ice in SW BC is just coming in now. Many options, but often you have to cross glaciers. Check out "Alpine Select , climbs in Southwest British Columbia and Northern Washington", by Kevin McLane. Don Serl (don_serl) on this site is VERY knowledgeable about conditions in BC and will likely know options closer to your neck of the woods. Try PMing him. Conditions will seem very different from the Sierras, but at the same time the PNW will likely offer more of a feeling of wilderness. Don't give up if the situation initially seems problematic. The stuff is out there, but local knowledge will help greatly. Must run. GB

Maybe get the harness that works with your primary alpine pack... For years I used a harness with gear racks that faced downward from the bottom. It worked great with hipbelts that seat above or well below the harness. Right now I have two packs that have hipbelts that cover the bottom third of a harness. Those racks don't work. An Alpine bod with its centrally placed racks cured the problem. Don't just think of comfort or weight, but rather the interrelationship between your harness and the rest of your gear. That said, a belay loop is a nice to have when harness visibility is an issue. GB

I did a quick afternoon session at Baker yesterday. The second to last creek is still running high. Take the trail that parallels next to the creek and follow it way up until it gets pinched off completely by an incut slope (creek is running a couple of feet from the slope at that point). Perhaps 6 feet above that the creek can be crossed sans gaiters, but ski poles are super-recomended. From there, aim for what looks like a marmot trail 50 feet higher on the opposite ridge (less than 100m away). That trail leads down to the surveyors rock area (upper approach) so you don't lose your hard-earned altitude dropping immediately back to the original trail. The creek problem adds about 10 to 15 minutes if done this way and using the upper approach. Conditions were pretty good given the warm temps. GB

There is certainly a lot of climbable ice at Baker, although it won't be in optimal condition. Generally at this time of year the ice is a bit soft for really hard pulling. Recent high temps compound that problem. The trick is to avoid problems that directly face the sun. The more shade the better and often the steeper the better. Steep at Baker is very steep in WI terms. Also, lines with a small amount of grit (rock/dirt/dust) in them, although unasthetic, will have the best climbing in these conditions. The ice will be harder and take bomber placements. That stuff is hard on screws. Total approach time is a bit over one hour depending upon the level of the second to last creek and your fitness. Conditions vary remarkably by aspect and weather. Get there early in the morning and stuff will be firmer. Rain sometimes improves conditions. Too much rain doesn't. Keep in mind that your shaded overhanging problem might have a sun-baked flakey exit move or two. Use your head and look around. The conditions might be much better only 10 feet away (really). Ponder not only the stability of your problem, but also the stability of everything around it. Think about how seemingly unrelated walls might fall and what will get swept. Bury any TR anchors under a pile of ice and/or a pack. Watch for ravens getting into your pack. They will open any visible zippers (take the lid off). That said, the area is 100% fun. GB

The accident mentioned above was on memorial crack. From what I gather one party was asked to move because they were having lunch within the perimeter where the team was working to lower and then transport the victim. The concern has been forwarded.

Given that several of those people live in Squamish and Squamish the home base of the team involved, where would you suggest that they practice multi-pitch rescue? Where do you think the odds are highest (around Squish) of needing a multi-pitch rescue? Assuming that most if not all of the team has jobs, perhaps scheduling on a weekend makes sense? Assuming that the practice was planned weeks or months in advance, perhaps excessive crowding (even by Apron standards) was unexpected (but the plans were made in advance). It is also ironic that from what I gather, the team involved got a call-out while doing their practice on the Apron. The accident was on…the Apron. Cheers,

I dropped down to 6mm for small ropes. In theory it's a bit weak, but 7 just slides. GB

I think you'll be OK. Parts of the road still had perhaps 6 inches of snow (it had been plowed with care using a cat), but a grader was due to clean things up early the next week. GB

I find the curved WCs easier to place and seemingly more stable than older style straight hexes. When used in snowy or icy cracks they can be seated amazingly well with a few taps of a hammer. At times I'd like a bit less end-taper, but the radius of the primary surfaces is perfect. Their light weight is pretty nice! I'd recommend them. You might also consider Lowe tricams. GB

The road was opened a couple of weeks ago (the Friday before or the Saturday of, the long weekend). Single lane traffic at the top of the pass due to 1.5m of snow. GB

The N. Arete of Wedge (it's in SW British Columbia) offers a safe approach and an easy but asthetic ice arete/easy ice face. Reverse the route to descend to avoid problems with crevasses. Wedge is near Whistler British Columbia. Weart can be done from the same approach. GB

Hi Chad, August can be killer good for alpine ice in the Coast Range (especially late August). Recomended areas include (but certainly aren't limited to) the Tchaikazan Valley, area East of Taseko Lake and potentially the Niut range. None of the areas have guide books, but all offer bomber terrain with some ice faces that seem really big by rockies standards. In all honesty, the central Coast just seems littered with big ice routes in way that would be impossible in the dry rockies. Alpine mixed might be more difficult, but the Wad (as suggested) is said to be world class. PM me for more beta, or talk to Don Serl. He is THE MAN to talk to though about alpine ice in the coast range. Cheers, GB

My guess is that ID probably quit making tents out of e-vent due to problems with FR (fire retardancy). A bivi sack is legally not a tent, so it does not have to meet the same standards. GB

Fern, It's happening soon... Which umbrella would you recomend for next ice season? GB

Re: DirtyHarry. That crash broke seven of the foam ribs in the helmet (but it stayed together). Had it needed to absorb that impact without my skull inside there would be foam covering much of the street. Re: Billcoe. I've heard the arguement against foam climbing helmets many times, but I used a Simond bumper (foam with thin shell) for about 5 years and took countless hits from dinner-plates without damage. Anything big enough to seriously damage that rig when it's worn on your head will snap/crush your neck. I also have a friend who took a 20 foot sideways groundfall impacting a bubble of ice just above his temple. His non-foam helmet either deformed or pushed upwards, in effect providing only minimal protection. He strongly argues that hardshells are great for rockfall, but near f'ing useless for the impacts associated with groundfalls. Owning both, I find hardshells are great because they take up less space in my pack and are cooler, but the foam unit would be my preferred choice for low percentage moves. GB

While I'm not a fan of REI or BD, I think the following points need to be considered. Helmets are engineered to be worn on the head. The structure of the human skull adds to the integrity of the design, in the same manner that the human foot stiffens an otherwise floppy rockshoe. One can easily destroy a foam bike helmet with one hard punch if it's sitting on a floor (sans skull), yet I've landed headfirst while wearing one at 40kph and it did its job nicely. Climbing helmets are also designed to take primnary impacts in a relatively vertical mode. They are less effective taking side impacts along the rim (the kind that can crack a helmet). Side impacts from falling debris or a falling climber affect only one side of the helmet. An easy slip while descending easy terrain with the helmet bouncing around on the back of the pack can crush the helmet sideways with forces acting from both sides (unlike a climbing situation). Snagging its underside on a branch while in clydesdale mode will probably do the same thing. Is it cool that the helmet cracked? No. Is it a surprise? Nope. The lesson: Slightly larger pack and French technology. GB

They have a natural turning radius of I think 7.8m. They turn VERY tight turns with ease. Problems start with jump turns because the tails are very short (and have twin tips) so you need to land in a very balanced or slightly forward position. They're pretty cool at times because you can ski steep trees lines on the north shore that make little sense with big skis. They're also a good training tool in the sense that they force you to think more about fore/aft balance. They don't replace big skis, but are a positive addition to the quiver. GB

I use 120cm Hagans. 130/90/120 with twin tips and Silvretta 500s. The modern version of the ski is only available in a 130cm. Skiing with climbing boots sucks, but it sucks less with these. Best suited for denser, coastal snow. Less suited for weak wind slab covering bottomless powder. Very good as skis go when they need to be packed through bush. I would strongly recomend a binding that has a 90+ mm crampon (not the 500s) because the skis have so much sidecut per length. This is problematic crossing steep, icy slopes. They aren't that light however... GB

It's simply THE SHRINE. GB

A simpler method... Buy copper tubing that is roughly 3/8 of an inch in diameter. Cut to length. Sounds obvious, but in this case length depends up cartridge SIZE and stove model. See more below. I pounded one set of exchangers with a hammer, but found squeezing the tubing in a vice did a much better job. I used 3 L shaped exchangers per cartridge (on a bluet turbo 270). I had an old OR water bottle parka sitting around, which made a superb insulator for the BIG bluet cartriges. I cut the parka in half along the zipper line, then split most of the stitching holding the end cap in place such that it would flap open. The parka is used INSIDE OUT, and the flapping end (can be closed with velcro is used hanging)(I just buried mine in the snow for stability) offers the ability to preheat the bottom of the cartridge directly with a lighter. Simply slide the L shaped copper exchangers between the insulated parka and the cartridge at roughly equal distances. They should be as deep as the cartridge used, and stick almost to the center of the burner head. Avoid putting an exchanger near the control knob. The entire system can be put together while wearing mitts. The exchangers will turn the outer fabric of the OR water bottle parka slightly brown, but won't melt it or the foam. The remaining half parka will work (not quite as well) for the smaller Bluet cartridges (extra (shorter) exchangers are needed). An average meal will generate enough extra warmth that the cartridge is still warm to the touch 25 minutes after turning the stove off (in the CDN rockies). Still, I used it at temps around +3C and nothing blew. I'm unsure if other cartridges will work with the OR parka. GB

In my own biased opinion, it's certainly one of the top two ice tools I've ever tried. I prefer the version with the mixte pick. It tends to be stickier than a Quark, but I found overall that it inspired more confidence (especially at first). It's very good in the sense that it can be run as leashless, but the hand thingy can be removed for mtn use. It has a bit of a burly feel. Negs are small hammer and so-so adze. Otherwise, the stick is nothing short of brilliant (even at full retail). GB

I believe that CAMP now owns Cassin. Try Camp USA... GB