Don_Serl

check out: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=8&Number=127889&Searchpage=4&Main=9689&Words=cheam&topic=0&Search=true#Post127889 none other than messieur g spotter himself, 5 yrs ago. and, no, the crux is NOT just out of the trees... good luck later on. p.s. this turned up searching "cheam" in the subject in the BC forum; newer than 5 yrs... quite powerful, actually. hint, hint... cheers,

from Alan Formanek: I just wanted to let you know that the 11th Vancouver Int’l Mountain Film Festival is coming up on February 22 – March 1, 2008. We have a great program lined up with 15 local and international guest speakers, including climbers Steph Davis, Dean Potter, Jeff Lowe, Jeremy Frimer, Jacqui Hudson, skiers Greg Hill and Kari Medig, other speakers and our new VIMFF Earth Alive Series with films and presentation on sustainability and environment. Most of our guest speakers have been confirmed while the films are being selected these days. We have also redesigned and updated our website, www.vimff.org. Please mark your calendars and spread the word to the people on your list who may be interested in attending the festival. always a highlight of the year! cheers,

boy, what a good weekend! plenty of ice, not very many people. we came up a couple days later than dru and co, so hit marble canyon friday. TR'ed the unusual column which has formed on Dales Route - not super-hard, but not easy to get screws at all. then chipped our way up Deeping Wall on TR (still feeling a good deal less than totally confident) and climbed the 1st cpl pitches of Icy BC. upper tier looked OK, but light was fading, so we headed to Lillooet for beer, food, visiting, and bed. Drew's description of Silk Degrees sounded good, and it hardly ever forms even as well as it has this year (still incomplete), so we did the creek crossing in the cold early morning and tackled the route. the start is VERY delicate, and there's probably no gear at all that'll keep you off the ground till u get to the good nut under the roof about 20m up. the middle pitch is lovely undulating ice, and the upper column starts quite hard and slowly eases (great photo of steve pulling the crux in drew's report). we rapped once from a tree to the left (55m), then another 55m from the rim of the middle section to the ground (V-thread). back in town, we talked to jeff street and john (?) who had climbed 3 ring circus, and decided since (a) that route also seldom forms and (b) there was a track beaten in, we'd go there next day. took just under an hour to walk the road to the 7th switchback, and only 45 or 50 minutes to tramp down and around to the base of the route (you lose maybe 200 ft to the first gully, then probably another 200 ft to the route). graham won the draw, so got the 'money' pitch, which was pretty hard on the initial 10m column (probably 5-). i led the lower angled 60m 2nd tier, then we walked up a way and soloed a short step, then walked off right. there was a short (20m) rap to regain the base. ade and mark had climbed Jade, and the presence of another track appealed, but we decided to finish with carlsberg the 4th day before heading back to Vanc. there was a LOT of ice, but much of it was pretty wet too. I got the 1st section and belayed in the alcove at 40m. G moved right across some delicate terrain to reach steppy Gr 4 ice for the final 20m and to keep from bombing me. the drive down was casual, with fine weather, snow-free roads, and minimal traffic out fo Whistler. all-in-all, a fine start to the season. cheers,

nice routes on a very fine peak - I'm envious - but, no update for another decade or so... here's a photo showing their lines the NE ridge (left), Bottleneck couloir (thin, left of yellow Central buttress), and Hourglass couloir (centre) have also been done. approx 300m vertical gain schrund to crest in Hourglass. see Waddington Guide pps 125-126 and photo p138 bottom. cheers,

cc, i might give that a 'first recorded ascent'. but, gosh, what a bash to get to a scramble, eh? and no telling what might have happened 50 yrs ago or more... cheers,

...so unless you've booked a room already, you probably will have trouble finding accommodation if you're up there ice climbing this weekend. good luck, cheers,

hey, pet peeve of mine cuz I have to dig out info for guidebooks from time to time, so lemme urge everyone to put a real, plain English title on any photos that they submit to the gallery. a string of digits will not be very informative to anyone once the original linking forum topic is months or years buried. especially when there is no accompanying description. also, it'd be a treat to have even just one keyword - makes it easy to search stuff up; otherwise, the photos are kinda here today, gone tomorrow. p.s. this applies not just to ice climbing photos - it's just the season when lots of them are going up, so lots of uninformative titles are surfacing. tks, cheers,

I wish. the photo of the log is impressive, eh? imagine the flood that deposited that thing! you can see the trim-line on the creek bank, so obviously that's the high water mark. maybe drew cld make a guess at how many times the average freshet volume that would be, and how frequently the river would peak that high? cheers,

here's a sketch map of the location of the tree. drop straight down the scree from the start of the outside of the bend. the tree is upstream just a tad once u beat thru the forest to the creek. as jmace mentioned, cars have been ticketed and nearly towed when they were parked partway up the hill, so best is to park down the bottom - it's only 1km to walk. i used to think the north bank approach from the bridge was easier (u cld walk some on ice at the edge of the creek, and there was an ancient road beside the creek for a ways), but since the big slide i hear the debris-field is unpleasant. still, the tree crossing is not casual! cheers,

so, does that mean the 35,000 japanese tourists who watched you on the climb are NOT supposed to report this to the Japanese Alpine News? there are few secrets... cheers,

and don't forget to buy a guide - i gotta get my kids thru college, eh... cheers,

superbly appropriate name. good one, guys. cheers,

hey Matt, good going for all u guys. it may have remained unclimbed so long because it may snow-up later in the winter - u guys just happened along early enuf when it was 'free', and on a quite unique time when it was iced up early. I've stared up at various ice formations along this stretch quite a few times, and i don't recall having ever noticed 'the line' you guys got. now for a name... (p.s. "stairway to heaven" IS taken... and - not to diss anything, but just to keep it in perspective - that might be a BIT of a stretch for a somewhat modest route, in any case)) cheers,

surprisingly, Sumallo Bluffs stuff hasn't really come in much since Drew's pictures from a week ago. B-K would be minimally climbable, as are lower sections of Landmark (but not the crux curtain). Crunchy Frog is sporting quite a bit of ice, but big gaps too. Mess seems pretty dry... in the east end of the Fraser Valley, pretty much bugger all is climbable cuz of low altitude. interestingly, Medusa looked pretty good on the drive by on the way back towards town (heard the same from Adrian B earlier), but nothing else at Flood was 'in'. I heard Rambles Centre was fine. nice to have an early start - I can't remember the last time ice was 'in' in SWBC by Dec 10th!

well, i needed to be in town yesterday (saturday), so I missed my chance to join Drew, Graham, and Jesse on Brice - damn! so i decided to go take a drive to check out conditions today, and poked around the Hope area wasting time and gas. drove up to Sumallo Bluffs to confirm what's what too, and I think I've got the position of this route nailed (as confirmed by email with cheamclimber). the pullout for the B-K is at the 24km marker. it's about 500m further east to the vicinity of the Mess, then about another 500m to the 'BIG' snowgully that leads from the old cabins up to a red rock headwall. (this gully is bouldery, not very steep, and never carries any ice.) a further 500m east (i.e. 1.5km past the B-K), there are two gullies above a scree cone: the right gully is pretty much dry, and the left one (which angles up and left) is where this route lies. there is a parking area just beyond some trees (as described) beside the hwy pretty much right below the route (altho across the river, of course). there's a "carry chains" sign at the parking area, with a solar panel power unit on a pole. unmistakeable. the Sumallo Grove pulloff is 1km further east again, 0.3km east of the 26km marker. cheers,

Hi, posting this on behalf of a friend: This might not be the best place, but hope you can forgive me for bugging everybody. This August somebody at Kain Hut in the Bugaboos borrowed my blue BD tracer helmet, aluminum soft front/back bail crampons, and my "signature" cut off BD Raven axe (fits into the bullet pack, so about 30cm, with original tip mounted. Helmet is signed with my initials AJ on the inside...and has a light blue Edelweiss sticker on top of it. If you have these items please return them to me or the ACC clubhouse. janez.ales@gmail.com 403.678.4509 All three items have been with me on some great trips and I hope to get them back. Janez. if anybody has any info (or the gear) you know what to do... cheers,

avi, when u get to it, you'd best correct your subject line. MEC took all their POLYCARBONATE products (a.k.a. Lexan) off their shelves. there are plenty of other plastics available, including Nalgene PTFE waterbottles. cheers,

agreed, more or less. especially the comment about liner socks sagging/bagging and causing trouble. on the other hand, I like to wear boots fairly big for warmth, so a single sock doesn't fit snugly enough. SOOOO: my system for the past 3 or 4 years has been double pairs of Wigwam Merino Light Hikers. cheap, soft, durable, wearable for several days without 'foot-rot', and nearly devoid of synthetics - fishstick laid it out clear: "never wear a sock with 'max' in the name!" cheers,

a huge slide has obliterated a section of the road along Chehalis Lake: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=ae204ac7-ba52-4d89-b82c-943ffc19e184 presumably the road will be re-built thru the slide area, but I imagine that depends on how much logging is planned in the near future in the upper valley, if any. plus the stability of the debris-field will come into the decision. could be a long walk to the Chehalis group next summer. more news when available... cheers,

oh, sure! http://www.splatula.com/bfl/ have a nice... oops...

you found climbable ice? edit: oops, just found your "Hope Mtn - Poker in the Rear" TR. very nice photos - inspiring! too bad it snows in later on... cheers

colin, glad u chimed in. the discussion goes on and on, of course. and, really, there are two subjects in play here: 1. the advantages / disadvantages of leashless tools, and 2. methods of attachment (if any) for leashless tools to prevent 'dropsie'. my (negative) position on question 1 is clear to anybody who's come across any of my comments on the subject on this forum, but when somebody with as burly a record as Colin offers the opposite opinion, it gives me pause to think. perhaps there are two factors behind the disagreement: a. by definition, you have to be able to hang on to use leashless tools, and I'm no sport climber. upper body strength is always my limiting factor. Colin, I suspect you are just plain way stronger than I am, and pulling on the tools is more within your capacity than it is for me. I got some feedback from a pretty strong, very talented ice climbing friend in Canmore before responding, and on this subject he said "one thing is clear, if you want to climb leashless there is no technique in the world that will help one if one messes up - only brute power". he reckons leashless tools are best suited to those who can climb mid 12s and better. that ain't me... b. leashless climbing allows one to be more 'artful' (matches, crossing hands, etc), but I'm not climbing the sorts of things where this is important at all, whereas you, Colin, might be. rock headwalls on the Emperor face could well be a place where full-on modern leashless dry-tooling technique could offer advantages. and your hands may stay warmer without the constriction of leashes. on the other hand, I can't see any need for the supposed 'freedom' on typical alpine ice faces or in couloirs. they just are not complicated, from the tool-use p-o-v. so, question 2: say you DO decide to use leashless tools on alpine routes ; and say you're concerned about dropping a tool (the concern is equally valid on a waterfall, but the outcome is usually much more controlled and less serious). how do you cope? a. hang on tight, and pay great attention to your tools. maybe occasionally easier said than done... b. put leashes on the 'leashless' tools. kinda ironic, but fact is, a fair number of people do this on 'serious' climbs. some set 'em loose, to keep the swing free; some snug 'em up. this is far more common in the alpine than on waterfalls, where the 'sporting' approach to leashless is much more common. c. add tethers. a fair number of climbers (including some real 'notables') are doing this in the alpine too, at least some of the time. the technique works - but i stand by my objections. too many snarls; misbalancing swing; unable to plunge shaft (not that you can effectively do this with a modern 'kinked-shafted' leashless tool); long awkward retrieval if you let it dangle; unable to holster tool or tuck it down your back. against the positives: dead simple; completely secure; preset to back up the belay; offers some 'anchor' security when placing gear in a tenuous position. it's obviously possible for rational, experienced people to disagree about the 'best' choice. for the record, in the alpine I use simple 'buckle-slider' type leashes, attached to the head of the tool. and I usually have a set length clipper sling larks-footed onto the waist of my harness, so i can clip into the bottom of a tool at a belay, or when i feel the need for more security while buggering about with gear, or whatever. i really like the 'old-fashioned' head attachment leash system: it's easy in and easy out (altho the buckle can ice up). it's secure, light, cheap, and uncomplicated. you can dangle the tool when you need to (placing gear and/or rock moves). moving to 'piolet-whatever' with your hand on the upper shaft or on the head is simple. plunging the shaft is simple. facing the tool the opposite way to chop (or tunnel) with the adze is simple. it's a lot like using an ice axe, in fact, only a bit more technical. it must be nearly winter - this debate pops up every year, and while some may get bored by it all, i think it's one of the most attractive aspects of the climbing community that we argue out the relative merits of our gear and systems so vociferously. makes the sport better, maybe helps less experienced folk make better decisions (and without wasting money), and maybe occasionally saves a life. have another beer! tell me another lie! cheers,

not sure how much snow there'll be, and how that'll affect access, but Monashee Prov Park lies east, then north from Vernon. superb backcountry (in summer, at least). and Mt Fosthall is an easy but lovely peak. park: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/monashee.html search google for images under "Mount Fosthall": http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://bivouac.com/img/Mtn/2239_Fosthall.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bivouac.com/MtnPg.asp%3FMtnId%3D2239&h=239&w=350&sz=29&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=Jkg7VfTvjGxknM:&tbnh=82&tbnw=120&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmount%2Bfosthall%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX the snow line on the N face would be a fine moderate winter climb in firm conditions. the rib to the right looks a good bet too. cheers,

...gives me plenty of GUILT in MY book, but a) we had about 4 weekends worth of ice experience when we set off to climb the routes at Marble Canyon (thirty years ago - jeez, time flies...), b) we had shit gear, and c) we'd heard this was how you dealt with steep stuff in the Rockies. luckily, we 'prevailed'. that's definitely a good goal. how about this for a try: tie 'em to your wrists, not your harness - that way they don't fuck up your swing dynamics, and you don't have 'danglies' catching every available rugosity. what i'm saying is to attach a pair of clip-off style leashes to your tools, set WAY slack. stay 'in' 'em when you're worried about dropping 'em, unclip 'em when you want to be 'artful', or when you're gonna climb some mixed, or at belays, or when you're plunging the shafts, or ????. i've got a friend /prior partner (now living in canmore) who does this some, and he's been happy enuf. just a thought... cheers

choada, oops, had a cpl glasses of wine after dinner, so my inhibition level is down. which leads me to comment: is anybody AWAKE out there? we went down this path about 30 years ago, and it's NOT the path to take. ANYTHING that you attach to the bottom of your tool will affect the balance and swing of the tool, and not for the better. i spent the first half-decade of my ice-climbing career frightening myself with shit tools on routes that were (looking back) beyond my skill and strength and equipment, and I came to rely on umbilicals to save my ass. or, at least to keep me from dropping off. but when i finally got on top of my fear and took the fucking strings off my tools, the climbing was suddenly about a half-grade easier. and - big personal surprise - i didn't actually need to be any stronger than i already was (i.e., pretty fucking weak) to get up at least 5+ ice. i just needed to understand how to move, and to rely on good, early placements, which come SO much more readily when you have 'freedom of swing'. go back, it's a TRAP... jesus! i know we old timers are boring and stupid and out-of-tune and irrelevant and past our best before dates, but... your loss if you can't learn from the past... and, sorry to diss you trogdor (i don't even know you! and this is not really anything personal, it's about the whole umbilical 'thing'), but if you REALLY can't notice the difference between the swing of your tool with and without something attached to the bottom of the shaft, well, you just gotta try a little harder. it's there, big time, man. try 'em both ways again. and again, preferably on hard, steep terrain. deal with your worries by dealing with your head and your technique, not by hobbling yourself. i can still remember the trepidation with which i was filled when i set off up my first steep route after I'd pitched my umbilicals, and i can also still recall the comparative ease of my swings and the (to me, awesome) accuracy of my sticks. the secret of mastery is... self-mastery. sure came home with a smile on my face that weekend. cheers,