jstreet

Anyone got a glimpse of Dury in the last week or so?

Yes, its quite a playground. There's even some mixed climbing potential.

Ya, just a little bit fatter and softer on sunday then when you guys where there. Under current conditions I have no doubt you would have given them a go. It's seems like you and I are the Mountaineers Creek explorers this year, eh.

The ice was so good at Mountaineers Creek when Glen and I visited it on Wednesday I went right back there on Sunday. This time I went with Claire who is preparing for a her big trip to Banff. The ice is still fabulous on the lower tier. We did not go to the upper tiers but it looked great from a distance. I lead "MR Seattle" again by a slightly different line and rappelled to the bottom so I could belay Claire's follow and watch her climb. After that I lead two more undocumented lines which Claire followed parts of. Just to the left of "Mr Seattle" there is a steep line that I am calling "Snake Bite" WI 4+ (25 m). And 60 feet right of "MR Seattle" and 20 feet right of "Exit Wound" is a pillar line that I'm calling "Last Rites" WI 5- (20m). Here are some photos... Claire starts her follow up “Mr Seattle” Claire is styling on her way up “Mr Seattle” Me leading up towards the fangs on an undocumented line I’m calling “Snake Bite” WI 4+ (25m) Jeff enters the jaws of the snake Jeff tackles the short steep tight akward corner crux Jeff emerges above the fangs without getting bite Here’s the undocumented line that I lead that I’m calling “Last Rites” WI 5- (20m) Its about 60 feet right of "MR Seattle" around the corner “Last Rites” as seen from a different vantage point Me at the base of “Last Rites” Me getting started up “Last Rites” up… up… and away

PS/ Sweet pictures!

Cool! What a fantastic playground. Nice work climbing and exploring so much of it!

Thanks guys. The ice is fantastic up there. And its like a jungle gym... there are all sorts of not so crazy and crazy routes.

On Wednesday Glen and I went to the Mountaineers Creek area near Leavenworth/Icicle Creek. The ice was in real good shape and quite entertaining. Here are a some photos... Me leading "Mr Seattle" WI-4 Me leading an undocumented line just right of "Mr Seattle" I'm calling it "Exit Wound" WI-4,M1 Continuing up "Exit Wound" High on "Exit Wound"

Hey, put in as much pro as you need to feel comfortable. My philosophy is that you're a stronger climber if you can protect harder lines well (and harder is relative term). The prudent approach for beginner-intermediates is to protect early and often… if you can't protect the line well you shouldn't be leading it... later when you really know yourself and your judgment and ability are mature then you can start going lean on the protection as you see fit. I consider myself an intermediate climber so when I'm leading something near my limit I never skimp on pro… it's dangerous and it doesn't make you stronger or smarter.

Thanks guys. God that was fun!

This was my first time climbing with Alex and I was delighted. I was NOT delighted with the 2:30am Sunday morning wakeup time but that’s what it takes. So up I got and over to Alex’s house I went. We loaded up his car and off we went with a blessed snowmobile in tow. At the trailhead, with a little cajoling, we got the snowmobile started and off we went zipping up the road with the greatest of ease. Thirty minutes later we were at the end of the road and donned our snowshoes and packs for a 30 minutes walk to the base of the routes. As we neared the cliffs we saw lots of routes, some never seen before, others in better shape than usual. On arrival at the motherlode area we decided to climb a 2 pitch unclimbed line referred to in the WA Ice Guide as “Unclimbed C”. We’re calling it “Bleeder Project” and we think it’s a WI 4. It’s mostly 3+’ish but it has one relatively short steep and a bit tricky section that probably warrants an overall rating of 4. Just to the right of “Bleeder Project”, in a deep recess in the cliff, is the picturesque “Ice Dreams” climb which Alex lead in fine style. After that we only had time for one more route and had to choose between “Unclimbed B” which looked like WI 4-5 and possibly at little thin or the classic and beautiful “Dropline”. We hesitated about climbing “Dropline” because it looked like someone had nabbed the first ascent the day before but it is just so nice looking we decided to do it anyway. At the base of the route we realized that there was a bail screw half way up the route and we thought; OK even better, the FA is still up for grabs. We guessed that the valiant attempt was probably the work of AlpineMonkey (CC.com) and on return to home this was confirmed. AlpineMonkey has been exploring and climbing extensively at Strobach this season and has provided lots of good information. Thankfully I managed to lead it to the top, Yahoo! “Dropline” may at times be in WI 5 condition but we feel that for our ascent WI 4+ is probably more accurate. Here are some photo’s. First view of the motherlode area Getting close to the Motherlode Alex gazes up at the ice “Right Stuff “ and “Dropline” look good “Sudden Change of Plan”, “Sad Ce’bu”, “Right Stuff” and “Dropline” (left to right) Alex approaches our first objective “Bleeder Project” “Bleeder Project” up close (photo taken by Alpine Monkey, we left our camera out of reach on this route) Alex heads up the approach gulley to “Ice Dreams” Alex leading “Ice Dreams” “Unclimbed A” and “Unclimbed B” (WA Ice Giude) “Dropline” up close “Dropline” getting personal for Jeff as he starts his lead Up… Up.. And away.

Sweet climbs guys! Way to go after it! And really nice pics. Dam.

Good effort guys. To bad about the mishap that squashed your completion of the climb but glad that no one got hurt. Sorry, but Alex and I were up at Strobach on Sunday and we completed the route. We retrieved your bail screw. Alex has it. You guys have been kicking butt up there and there's more.

I just sold them.

Lightly used, good condition. $95 Contact me at jeffstrt@verizon.net

Tom Lewis, Phil Kelly, Glen Glover and myself drove the long 20 hours to Ouray, Colorado to ice climb in the ice park there. Glen was my partner. Phil was Tom's partner. The Mountaineers Water Ice Course arrived in Ouray a day or two after we did and we helped teach on the "leading" day. There was six students there this year; Eva, Claire, Anne, Joe, Max, and Kirk and they all seemed to be having fun and progressing there ice climbing nicely. Here are some photos Glen and I took... Beautiful Ouray Glen, Tom and Phil ready to go Glen styling on the ice Glen is cruising up the route Glen chills near the top of the route Jeff starts up a route Claire on here way up a route Jeff starts up "Pick of the Vic" WI-4 Clarie cruising high on a route nearby Eva looks poised near the top of a route as Claire belays Jeff starts up a WI 4-5 from a tight spot in the slot cayon bottom Jeff places some pro before heading for the steep long column above left Jeff begins tackling the steep column

Ya, ratings can vary from location to location. It's best to be a bit cautious when visting a new area. I'll remember that when I visit Cody so I don't get burned.

No worries about G2 route rating comment John. Thats what I figured your motivation was. Tom took the hardest line up the route which certianly seemed like at least WI-3+ to me. If the steep sections were a little longer I might call it a WI 4-. I've actaully climbed quite a few WI-4 routes and the steeper sections are longer and overall more sustained.

No worries about G2 route rating comment John. Thats what I figured your motivation was. Tom took the hardest line up the route which certianly seemed like at least WI-3+ to me. If the steep sections were a little longer I might call it a WI 4-. I've actaully climbed quite a few WI-4 routes and the steeper sections are longer and overall more sustained.

About 4 weeks ago, in an effort not to be stranded home alone on Christmas, I emailed an invite to go ice climbing during the 4 day xmas weekend to as many potential ice climbing partners as I could think of. I knew my odds of finding a partner where low because most people have family and places to be on Christmas. Many weeks went by and I still had not found anyone to climb with. I was just about to give up in despair when Tom Lewis, one of the sharpest climbers that I know in the Mountaineers, contacted me and said “Let’s go!”. Yeaahaaa! Let the adventure begin! Originally I had proposed going to Lilloette, BC but we decided to head to Banks Lake in eastern Washington instead because it was closer and easier to get to and we thought that there should be something over there that would be in and that we could climb. So off to Banks Lake we drove early Friday morning. We arrived at the lake in the late morning and were aghast at the essentially total lack of climbable ice. Yikes! What were we going to do? We’re going to drive to Hyalite Canyon near Bozeman, Montana that’s what. But wait… the canyon usually becomes inaccessible by xmas due to snow. A quick call to the local Bozeman mountaineering shop confirms that the road to the canyon is still drivable to it’s end… thank god for the very dry start of winter they are having out there. With the pedal to the medal we make Bozeman, Montana by Friday evening. It’s dam cold, just the way we like it. Let the fun begin! At the crack of dawn on Saturday we drive the long windy road to the trailhead in Hyalite Canyon and do a circuit of climbs in an area of the canyon know as “Genesis” returning to our car just before dark real tired puppies. Back to Bozeman, dry and re-rack and stack gear, soak in a hot tub, eat, and then sleep. Up at the crack of dawn on Sunday we once again arise and travel that windy road back to the canyon in the butt cold. Out of the car and up the canyon we march for a while to attack a 4 pitch route known as “Dribbles” (WI-4). We manage to find “Dribbles” and make our way up it as the glorious sunshine begins to appear for the first time since arriving. From high on our perch of rock and ice the canyon, the mountains, and our tired bodies are delightfully basked in its warmth. Life doesn’t get better than this! Once again we arrive back at our car just before dark and make our way back to Bozeman. This time to a relaxing evening before the long drive home on Monday. Here are some photos… Jeff leads the 3rd pitch of “Dribbles” (WI-4) in the glorious sunshine Tom starts his lead up "Genesis I" (WI-3+) Tom heads up towards "Genesis II" after leading "Genesis I" Tom leads up the steep start of "Genesis II" (WI-3+/4) Tom on his lead up "Genesis II" (WI-3+/4) begins to attack the final steep section Jeff topping out on "Genesis II"'s final steep section Jeff leading "Through Four More" (WI-4) Tom pauses in the splendor of the Montana mountains on our way to our next climb Tom starts his lead up "Hang Over" (WI-3/3+) Tom forges his lead high up "Hang Over" (WI-3/3+) Approaching "Dribbles" (WI-4) Jeff starts his lead up pitch 1 of "Dribbles" Tom starts his lead up pitch 2 of "Dribbles" The view across the canyon from "Dribbles" as the sky begins to clear and the sun begins to shine

I went to the Hidden Lake area again this weekend, this time with John Angulo and our objective was “This To Shall Pass” (WI-4). Two weeks earlier Glen Glover and I had been there and climbed the first 3 of 4 pitches of “Time Quake” (WI-3+) and noticed that “This To Shall Pass” was looking pretty good and last week another party reported climbing it and that it was fairly good. So off to lake Wenatchee we drove very early Sunday morning. We drove down the very very snowy Lake Wenatchee north shore road and passed electric crews hard at work restoring power to the area. We barely made it to the winter end of road parking area with 4 wheel drive engaged. Snow shoes were required immediately as we walked the untracked mile of road to the summer trail head. Many hours and much work breaking trail later we arrived at the upper basin above Hidden Lake. It was a winter wonderland and a sparkling powder cache with about 5 feet of snow on the ground and it was very cold. We worked our way thru the 18-24 inches of new snow across the open basin and up the steep snow slope to the base of the climb. The climb looked very snowy and lower angle than usual, perhaps WI-3+ rather than the usual WI-4. The climb is two pitches, 40-50 meters each. The ice turned out to be the worst I’ve encountered yet at this location. Lots of icicles, thin in places, snow mixed ice, hollow, and plenty of onion peel with generally some what poor protection. Lots of clearing, digging, and bashing was required to get sticks that didn’t feel like they would rip out… take me to some nice clean desert ice please! Thankfully the climbing was easy enough to make all this exciting and fun… a good learning experience …what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Below are a few photos of the ice and climbing and few more of scenery on the way to the ice. PS/ “Time Quake” (WI-3+, 4 pitches) definitely looked a bit worse than two weeks ago. The third pitch which only had small sections of open water/rock is now mostly wet rock but trying to reform. A number of ice falls came crashing down “Time Quake” while we were climbing “This To Shall Pass”.

Anybody been up to the Mountaineers Creek climbs (MR Seattle WI-4, Emerald City (WI-4), etc) recently? Conditions?

Hey thanks Alex.

Went skiing at Mt Baker on Saturday 12/09 and took some photos of Pan Dome Falls. The pictures make it look better than the naked eye. I'm sure it was climbable by some of us but it looked fairly thin and possibly hollow and wet underneath. The exit moves looked like wet high angle rock slab. It had been just above freezing there for a few days.

When Glen called me last week and suggested we go ice climbing at Hidden Lake/Lake Wenatchee the coming weekend I thought to myself “Boy that could be a real waste of time…a real long walk for nothing” but then I thought “What the heck, I need the exercise that the walk will provide and it has been cold and snowy so we might actually get lucky and find some ice to climb". And hallelujah, praise the lord we actually found ice! The Hidden Lake climbs lie about 2500 feet above the north shore of lake Wenatchee. It’s about 3 miles from the Hidden Lake trailhead to the base of the climbs and 2/3’s of that is off trail. It’s a relatively straight forward approach but all in all it's a whole lot of work and time. There was plenty of snow and the snow shoes went on earlier than usual. There was about 2 feet on the ground at Hidden Lake and 3-4 feet at the base of the routes. Above Hidden lake we climbed steeply through forest and reached the edge of the upper basin clearing where two prominent climbs are visible on the headwall above the basin. To our delight they looked like they were mostly frozen and climbable. On the far right is a 100m WI 4 named “This To Shall Pass” which appeared to be in fairly good condition with no rock or water apparent. On the left is a 4 pitch WI 3+ climb named “TimeQuake”. This was our intended objective and it was looking a lot less “in condition” then the other climb. The first and second pitches looked passable but the third pitch had a bit of rock and water showing in its middle, but it still looked possibly climbable on it’s sides, with a possibly tricky dangerous exit. The fourth pitch had a lot of water and rock showing and did not appear safe to climb. Will it go? Only one way to find out so off we went up the final relatively short but very steep and difficult climb to the base of the route. Up close things started to look better and better and we decided to blast up the route and see how far we could make it. The ice was in classic spicy early season condition with plenty of icicles and cauliflower, and some running water. We managed top out at the finish of the third pitch. Pictures below… The 1st pitch of (15m WI-3) Jeff ready to go at the bottom of the 1st pitch. The 2nd and 3rd pitches as seen from the top of the 1st. Jeff starts up the 2nd pitch (60m WI 2-3) Jeff at the belay station at the bottm of the 3rd pitch (30m WI 3+) The 2nd and 3rd pitches of "Time Quake" WI 3+. "This to Shall Pass" 100m WI 4.