Jake_Gano

I stayed there a few nights last winter. The kitchenettes were handy. The price was pretty reasonable. They weren't the cleanest rooms I've ever been in, but they weren't offensively dirty either. The major downside is that it would be really hard to pack a bunch of people into the room - the hotel manager has a pretty good view of things. So no real dirtbagging it.

Since WA Ice was published has access to the palisades been reopened?

I had a set. I wore them for thiry days in the Chugach. In the last few days, they broke about four tines. Wouldn't buy them again. Also, they had some seriously puny front points. They barely stuck out past the end of my size 12 plastics. Steep ice was sketching me out.

Hey akicebum, Do you live near the palouse? Have you been here before? The ice season last year was exceptionally good, we had many things form up here that I hadn't seen in my previous three winters. That being said, there still is pretty slim pickings, and I think the longest routes are still about 40ft. I'm not trying to tell you to keep away or anything, but I doubt I'd go out of my way to visit here. Jake

Where's Aunties?

Yes, I have seen Craig Peak from Ice Lake as well. In June the snowy face looked about 40 degress, but it was hard to tell. My guess is that when it's melted out (think now - oct?) it's probably pretty prone to rockfall. Late spring or early summer would probably be your best bet. That being said, there are others here more familiar with the area who may do more than spread rumors and lies. Good luck. Jake

Bug, Thanks for the info. That's about what I expected to hear. When I hiked through there I was amazed at the amount of seemingly virgin granite. When I was there in Oct there was definately some ice forming up. Argus, I don't know what to think about a new guidebook for that area. I'm not one of those old foggies that shuns guidebooks. I think a good guidebook can be a great service to an area, but a poor guidebook can be a disservice. I don't own Brunkhort's rock guide, though I have flipped through it, and I do have Brunkhort's ice guide and I think it's a great guidebook. When it comes to guidebooks less is more. Too many glossy route overlays and pitch by pitch descriptions widdles climbing down from great adventures in the mountains to connecting the dots on a topo. I think Mr. Josephson's waterfall ice guide is exemplary; Winter Dance is a little polished for my tastes. I think that the northern rockies are desperately in need of a CAG-esque guidebook. It should cover the Sawtooths, Selkirks, Glacier NP, the Bitterroots, and all the other 'lesser' ranges in between. It should be comprehensive (or, as much as possilbe) of all the long traditional climbs and ice climbs you can find but still be tastifully ambiguous. The Tom Lopez guidebook to Idaho could be great but unfortunately misses the mark. It's obviously written for peakbaggers, and if you pulled out all the class 1 or 2 'climbs' you'd be left with about twenty pages of real climbing. A lot of good climbing (like Slick Rock) is ommitted, and faces like Chimney Rock and Elephant Perch are shown with only a few routes, despite actually have dozens. It also arbitrarely stops at the Idaho border, despite great climbing just over the border in Mt (Cabinets, Bitterroots, Beaverheads) and NE Oregon (Wallowas). I can't rag on the book too much, he is just writing towards a different audience. The new Bitterroot guidebook shows that it includes Kootanie and other sport/single pitch trad areas. There is a new Selkirk guidebook on the press right now; I wonder if that, like the old, will include both long/alpine routes and local crags? The problem I have including both cragging areas and long routes in the same guide is that I end up with ten guidebooks, each of which I am interested in about ten percent of. This would be akin to putting Barney's Rubble in the CAG. I think that the guidebook authors should take a cue from the Northwest. Put all of the big destination routes in one big guide like the CAG, then put all of the hike ups and small crags into a smaller local guidebook. After all, hike ups and craggin is just training for the real deal, no? Ok, I think I'm done. I'm getting all worked up and in need of a cold one. I'm out like my fashion.

Who knows of any? I was in there awhile back (Oct 05) and saw lots of possiblities, on Trapper, N. Trapper, Trapper Creek. So are there any know routes? What about alpine ice on the peaks? Jake

So... aside from the obvious (diff materials), how do the new viper and cobra stack up side by side? Does either one stand out over the other? How about the new cobra vs. old cobra. Is the balance and weight distrubution about the same? The weight dist. and balance were what really sold me on the old-style cobras?

The map in the guidebook makes it look deceptively close to the road. It's a but more of a hike, and a good bit more uphill, than it first appears in the book.

I believe Steve House put up a big rock route on benthos buttress in the early nineties. It went at 5.10. I don't have any additional beta on that climb.

Hey pup, I haven't climbed the route but I approached it and turned around because of some seriously deep snow. Even post holing to the face didn't take that long. I bet you could do it car to car. As for conditions, your guess is as good as mine.

Hey Kurt, just saw this. You got a date/time in mind?

I hate to burst your bubble, but the drive to Twin Falls from the palouse is almost as long as the drive to the Icefields Parkway. Why drive 8 hrs for some desert sport-mixed climbs when world class ice is the same drive? To each his own, I guess.

I have a copy of the aaj article back home. I can check it tonight and post details.

There was a write up on a route on the Roman Nose in an AAJ in the 70s. gIII, 5.7 I think?

I was there last weekend. More ice than this time last year. Lots more ice. But it was all going pretty fast. I ended up soaked from head to toe. It looked like I just left the shower. Yeah, I don't know if there will be much next weekend.

Hans Florine gave a slideshow here a few years back where he claimed a very fast time on it... 4 hrs? Less? My memory fails me. He has a website, I'm sure he'd answer an email if you dropped him one.

Hey Kurt... did you notice if shoestring falls froze up?

Damn Kurt, I remember running by that place last spring and noticing water running down it. I took note to come check it out after a good long cold spell. Looks like you got it done! Nice job.

Kurt, if you want to borrow a copy I have it. Drop me a PM.

There is an outside mag a few years back where Mark Jenkins approached from the water. Sounds like a lot of bushwacking and getting very wet. They ended up sending a new route. When I get back home I will look to see how they approached it.

BTW Kurt, as per your website, the ice by klemgard was 'in' last weekend, though it was pretty steep and scary looking. I know where theres another climb just a steep and long very near moscow, but I'm gonna wait and bag it before I go spraying about it.

From iceclimb.com: "Yellowpine: Caton Creek--Take Warm Lake road to Stolle Meadows (20 miles), Turn left to Krassel/SF Salmon river(25 miles), turn right towards Yellowpine(8 miles). Ice on North side of road 1/2 mile before sign marking Caton Creek. Up to 10-12 climbs 80-100+ ft. WI 2-5 depending on route and conditions. Also some WI4+, M4/5 possibilities with good conditions. Fun playground for many abilities in a great setting. " It's not lack of water, cold, or vertical that's your crux, it's access. I bet the sawtooths or the 7 devs would have some steep mixed if you could get in there in the winter. I made a half-hearted attempted to get up in the 7ds last winter, but the long slog and bitter cold sapped our will. I think all over Idaho there is a good short period where there is ice up in the mountains but the roads accessing them aren't completely snowed in. Dean Lords has put up some excellent routes in oct/nov that set a precedent for this. You might want to check out hydnaman/old hyndaman routes in the AAJ (2004?). They are probably within 100 miles of McCall. As the crow flies, the wallowas are within 100 miles, though I bet it's way longer as you'd have to drive it in the winter. Good luck.

Nice work Kurt. That's been on my tick list for ages. How long did the fin turn out to be? I've heard anywhere from 10 pitches to '4 with some simul-climbing.'