vert

need a partner for saturday september third- see ya, mh-

Sure, my bad. I was talking about ne oregon around La Grande, Baker City, Halfway, Joseph etc. I have a flexible schedule during the week especially afternoons/evenings when the crags are in the shade. I will be climbing a lot of weekends in october/november as well down in Hells Canyon.

Thinking about dusting off my gear and tying into a rope for some cragging. I have lots of knowledge on routes/areas out here.

i have a pretty good collection going of childrens climbing gear. i will look and see what size of rock shoes i have and i also have a body harness. talk to you later, mh-

neoprene works for dexterity, but they are a bitch to take off when wet and stay cold once you lose the heat. bite the bullet, get some good quality schoellers. you get what you pay for-

here is a little help maybe for those of you who need some new ground to go at. the weather in hells canyon has been great, even if it is in idaho it is not choss! when you get there, get outta the car, fill your lungs with good air; (or any kind you want!) look for the cleanest rock, there is lots of it, then go there and clip up the bolts. this place is home to some of the best climbing anywhere the PNW has to offer and the south faces offer great winter climbing. sorry no guide book- the cliff above enterprise is called benthos. interesting history: check out the old thomas guide to oregon rock. dave jensen was prolific on early lines at smith and beacon. he is also responsible for pioneering benthos as well as the matterhorn (marble mountain) up hurracaine creek. on benthos,he did the ice gully wi-2/3 and the main prow 5.7 a1 700'. it is good granite, a lot like stuarts complete north ridge but without the soft middle. this line now goes free with an athletic 10c layback at 9000' near the summit. other routes are the kozak route, named after the slovenian climbing club of which steve h. is a member, we put this route up in 89, the west face 400', the north face 5.11 a1 900', and cutty sark, 10b 500' up the eastern prow. its obviously out now but try next june. other crags around here are also feeling the winter hit but the water ice is forming in the elkhorns. if its good yet i will let you all know next week.

I know what you mean, I am in the same boat only on the other side of the river. If you want to climb in hells canyon (big drive for you) let me know. I might be heading east sometime in november. vert-

i like to keep an open mind- i have climbed a lot of routes all over out here. truth be told, granite, greenstone, columnuar? basalt, andesite and limestone covers the types out here. i just want to climb for fun, no debate no bullshit just flat out balls to the walls climbing. the kind that makes you howl! this used to be the norm for me, but bridges burn and i am hoping to find new like minded partners for here and elsewhere. the routes i have put up in hells canyon are far from trad for from sport- it just seems logical to follow the rock, and it hovers in the grades of 10 and above. so educated by the stone- and thanks for the thanks

the routes i mentioned are my own. i have put up a 100 there as well. they differ somewhat from the 'cliche' modern top down trad. i like to ground up mine drilling from awesome hooks. they are quite safe yet remain unreapted by the new and old 'locals'. aparently, they lack challenge enough. any way that is the reason for my plea-these routes are great if you like long pitches and enjoy climbing as much vertical as you can in a weekend. i am the living guide book!

i am looking for a partner with alpine rock experience for climbing the multi pitch routes down in hells canyon. one wall has adjacent 120 meter routes, 600 meters in all, mid 10/upper 11 on excellant limestone. climbing with double rope experience is helpful as well as endurance. this month through april-then again oct on through are the times to go.

i would be down, sounds like a decent match. send me a private message with your given name. Im forty, simuled the circus eight years back with house in four and one half car to car, not as much mileage as you if you are who i hope you are, but i can gun pillars with enough ibuprofen-

Climbed a route near ainsworth monday, it was cold! wild mushrooms, lots of wind. the routes over at cape horn looked to be the best. have not looked at the temps lately, but if it freezes good at night and does not surpass forty during the day it may stick and even fill out. happy hunting!

I did the after image, it is at 7600-8000'. Like it will ever happen again, if the gorge freezes, Alex Brown and I did the massive curtain above cascade locks within that towns watershed. Sustained wi 4 for three full ropes. Also did two routes with steve house, one above ainsworth, hard and long, the other at cape horn, not so hard. Locally, check out lostine canyon, 12 routes or so, one 400' high, with a 95 degree crux when formed. I have seen it in for 14 days and climbed it twice in a hurry before it fell down. These climbs are easy to get to any time. they are at about 5000' so it takes a good freeze.

Awesome photos! The middle image is at the top of a descent/ascent gully that allows access to the west face from the east and/or summit. Just right of the photo and across the canyon is steele peak a looooong way away. The west face is of course on its far side. Later-

I have a slide that will blow your mind it is so beautiful! The nose is indeed an awesome line. It will definately require bolt lines for an ascent unless you are able to free perfectly smooth sections of Dolomite. On our attempt, whilst drilling the first bolt, we did not notice the 1/4 hangerless stud up and left. After contemplating this lone bolt, it became apparent that it was used to gain the ten foot square flake that used to live there. Scanning the ground, you can see the rubble left when Jensen ripped it off. Returning to the rotten pedestal, he removed the hanger, easily down climbed and chose to leave it alone, no doubt because of the apparent drilling involed to make that first pitch go. We did the same. The mosquitos were horrendous! We ran down to Hurracaine creek, up the other side, across Hurracaine divide only to find no relief from the bugs. Miserable bivouc, heads inside packs all night. Next morning we did a new route on the west face of steele peak. Nothing much, 400' of 5.10 on incredible REAL granite. When I first visited this face in 90', I found one of Coughlins wires at its base circa 70'! These guys were indeed prolific in the dark ages. Billy, lets climb in the berries soon! Give me an e-mail. Oh yeah, there is a possibility to climb Matterhorns left hand west face route in winter. Torquing and ice beneath said funnel, cheers-

Well alright! Its good to hear about others checking out A Lakes for back country skiing. The "chutes" as they are collectively called, offer great steep skiing. From the top of the lift, the peaks connect in a ring as follows. Lakes lookout, Lees, Angel and Gunsight. Across the valley to the east from Gunsight is Van Patten the third highest summit in this range. From this one on a clearrrr! day you can see Jefferson north to Baker, very cool! All of the north faces have butt puckering angle and Gunsight is definately the most challenging one in the immediate area. Later in the season and depending on prevailing winds, this couloir can approach 60 degrees for the first ten (pedal jump) turns and is pretty narrow. The other mountains are more reasonable and you can cut loose to roll with the slough. I have seen them crown right on top but usually if this happens it will be at the base of the steeps, still scary and may require a summer rock visit to retrieve you lost gear in the boulders. Usually however if you know a little about inland maritime snow, they can be judged safe. Else where in the range, Rock Creek Butte (9106') has a 3000' east face up to 45 degrees. The nearby Pine Creek Headwall's Western couloir has 1700' of up to 55 degree horror, the only decsent that rates extreme to date in this range. Better climb this one first as it makes Gunsight feel like a breeze. The North face of Elkhorn Peak, east again, is easier than it looks but very exposed. The peaks around A Lakes are without a doubt the easiest to access taking at most two hours to ascend from the lodge given you know ahead the lay of the topography. Go around the backsides of them all on moderate avalanche slopes, cut the tops, let them slough out, then go! They are fantastic! Maybe I'll see you there-

Hermiston is a climbers waste land. However, out here in ne Oregon we hunter gathers have been harvesting new routes for three decades now. In the past nothing seemed tall enough to be worth the trip. But now that most climbers live for the "shorties" this region is bursting with activity. Problem is you have to be backcountry savvy to get the most of your experience. Understanding how to dress an elk, identify edible plants and locate shelter is definitely a must as the area is devoid of civilization and culture.

They are spring fed and form every year. Waterfall ice begins forming in late october at the high elevations around here and is usually well filled in by christmas. Snow melt throughout the season can form twice the number of climbs but is usually ephemeral at best thus hard to predict. The climbs i described for you will be there probably as we speak. The crux pillar on after image usually does not touch down until the upper sixty meters fills out. This route, if you want the best and more sane conditions, is best done late in the season. The first ascent however was done in early february, 1996. Later, vert.

You can drive as far as the county plows, usually to the timber just below McNaughton spring. If the snow is to deep, do not attempt going any farther as you will possitively get stuck and rut up the road! This is highly frowned upon by the locals. After image is obvious above and south of strawberry lake. In fact, with a good scope, you can view it from 26 at the conastoga overlook north of prarie city. Camp at the trail head campground or find a bivvy at house rock adjacent little strawberry lake. Regards, vert.

The strawberry range has excellant ice opportunities. Strawberry falls provides half a dozen routes up to ninty feet mostly pure some mixed. (wood finishes on a few!) To the west of the lower lake "little provo wi 4/5" climbs the deceptivly steep broad flow in one long pitch. East of the upper lake amongst the island of trees, the honey pot offers some fun climbing as well. The gem of the area however is called "the after image". This grade v wi5+ is a serious alpine endeaver. It consists of 120 meters of steep ice in the middle of a 420 meter alpine north face. The overall grade depends on timing. Later in the season when the cave pillar touches down, its a bitch to approach, often bad depth hoar. Early season it can be a cruise to get to it but, the overhanging climbing pumps the technical grade. Anthony lakes, because of its granitic substrate, does not offer anything consistant. The rock routes on Lees peak could be interesting dry tool training routes, good pro, maybe one or two real sticks. Happy hunting, vert.

Climbed three full ropes of water ice high in rock creek, elkhorn mountains ne oregon, on nov 2. Thin 3+4 on pitch one then fat green bubbly crusin' then on. Finished with 400' of class 4 to the ridge over bucket lake which is totally frozen! Without much snow this is a worthwhile route. It is in the fifties at 7000' today and with the light snow things could get real good with the next cold air mass. There are eleven routes in this range with the odd ball ephemerals adding to the selection now and then. Happy swinging!