Jake_Gano

I have no idea how to resize these pics. Here are links to the full-size versions:

I was hiking in the Wallowas in May when I snapped these shots of a prominent rock feature looming overhead. Is this Benthos Buttress? If so, where are the routes? If not, what is this? Has it been climbed. Notice the farm in the foreground. These were all taken from the road.

Hey I'm going to be moving up to Anchorage next month. I want to get out often. Drop me a line if you live up there. I'm mostly into alpine but I want to do some after-work cragging too, if there is any.

I'm moving to AK soon and I don't want to carry a truckload of stuff I don't use anymore with me. All prices are best offer. PM or email. Checks, no paypal, buyer pays shipping. Scarpa Freneys - size 11 (44.5?) These are the leather boot. I'd actually say I like these a bit more than the my Freney XTs, as they are more waterproof and stiffer. Unfortunately, I have a allergy to natural leather and I can't really wear these for long periods of time. These are in great shape, they have a fresh coat of waterproofing. They need new footbeds, the Dr. Scholl's I had in were pretty beat up so I tossed em, but a replacement set is only about $10. Scarpa Invernos - old school purple top. 11.5 (45). Well used but still good boots. I spent a whole month in the Gach in them a few years back. These were the standard issue for hard men about ten years ago. I'd probably let these go pretty cheap. Montrail Splitter rock shoes - size 43. Good trad/crack shoes but they're made of leather, so I'm getting rid of them for the same reason as above. Plenty of life left in the sole. If you by them I will thoroughly defunk before shipping. Petzel Ascender - I think they call this the 'basic' ascender. It's the same as their jumar-style ascender but without a handle. OR Waterproof Stuffsack - Any more I end up canoeing/kayaking about once a year. This is a pretty cool sack if you do these activities. It's big, plently of room for a summer bag and some dry socks. BD Lockdowns - Some people like 'em, but I prefer twist leashes or leashless. Petzl Zoom - I'll throw in a AA converter plus one of those big 4.5V batteries with some life left in it.

It's on private land, about 15 minutes outside of town. It's looks to be about 20 (25?) feet of hero looking ice on shitty basalt. John Crock has toproped ed it, said the land owner threatened to call the authority figures. I may be just getting old, but if I'm gonna risk getting harrassed by authorities or breaking an ankle, I'd rather do it on something a bit more, well, worthwhile.

Chicken or Egg-type situation. Why are there not more sewers, or any skilled laborers? Cause the jobs suck, people pursue other things. Why do the jobs suck? Because every time people working the job collectively (unions, etc.) demand better pay/benifits/conditions, industry says they can't afford to do that. Their competition is making there gear in China, if the cost of production goes up, they'll have to fold or go overseas.

I have talked to Steve, he is a very nice guy and has pointed me towards those two routes. I don't know that he posts here anymore. I was hoping for some sort of low-angle walk up or maybe a ridge climb or scramble that wouldn't be exposed to much avy danger. That might be a bit much to ask, but who knows? When I started this thread the conditions were looking pretty bad, probably too warm for ice. I just bought a set of AT skis to get to the ice. I'm still of the belief that coming down a mountain faster than I can rap or down climb is considered falling, and falling is scary and in poor style. Some day I'll pony up and learn to really ski. Some day, when there is no more ice to be climbed or no more cheap beer to be swilled. Yes, some day.

I know a local who had his break. I had the chance to look at it. It looked about the same as the pic. He did not fall on it. I think it broke when he was placing it. I believe it was the red size too.

I wouldn't worry about shipping them. Just PM me if you'll be in the area, that ought to do. I've been the the TriCities three or four times in the last six months, but it slipped my mind to get ahold of you to get them.

I have seen some ice in the river gorges down near lewiston, but nothing worth driving far for. This was in an exceptionlly cold, snowy winter a few back. I wouldn't count on those lines forming in most years. I would be anything you climb down there would be a FA. Apparently there aren't many climbers in that camaro sporting, def lep rocking hole. PS Sobo, if you are ice poaching in Lewiston, does that mean you'll take 45 extra minutes to come deliver my frosty adult beverages?

Yeah, I've been to Ice Lake in June. Like to check out some new territory, maybe something around Aneroid Lake or maybe the Hurricane Divide?

The weather's looking good this weekend but I don't think the Wallowas ice has had time to form up after our warm spell. I'm thinking about heading down there to do some peak bagging, maybe an easy long traverse? Does anyone have some favorite winter routes that aren't too exposed to avy terrain? Even though the ice condition and snowpack are probably not the best right now, I'm going to have a really hard time letting a nice w/e pass by.

That was big news ... last February.

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?

By free, I do mean contributions of beer strongly encouraged. BD Lockdowns Petzel Reverso Julbo Glacier Glasses In High Places by Dougal Haston - good read but probably won't read it again Climbing Free by Lynn Hill - ditto

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

How much for the twist leashes? Where are you in Idaho?

Where's Aunties?

I have a set of scarpas infernos, I think they're 11, good shape, new sole, $25+ship.

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?