LYleK

that is likely the case, they are placed in an unfortunate location. speaking of booty, on the FA of OJ I dropped a new Chouinard screw and it landed about a metre from the belayer who watched it land in the powder. He waited 'til I topped out before looking for it, and we never did find it . I went back the next spring to get it, and of course there was a pool at the base with a silty bottom, it's still there somewhere.

I just got a call from a friend who climbed OJ on the weekend, he said they had it to themselves for the day (whereas Marble sounded v. busy). He had to park back by the last cabins/ houses, and there were no tracks into the falls. He said it was thin but fun, the screws were squeaking as they went in and lots of dinner-plating. He noted a bulgy, cauliflower section just before the tree/ ledge at the 3/4 point. So anyway, he rapped near dark and his two ropes got stuck, and his g/f was ready to go (home ). So, hanging down OJ are a couple of ropes; one is a 10.5mm fuzzy blue caterpillar that is close to retirement, the other is a new, dry 7.5mm. Booty is booty, but if you happen upon the ropes and you're feeling generous, he can be contacted at tedtiger@hotmail.com.

There is a weather station in Clinton (http://weatherpixie.com/index.php?place=CWCL), so you'd think the forecasting for the area takes their local conditions into account. That said, the 5-day forecast for 100MH and Clinton are identical.

It's staying cool in Clinton though (only 28km to the north of Marble), it's -8C right now and is supposed to be below or near -10C at night through to Monday. Though I guess I'm kinda of blowing my case if I'm trying to keep people away ... Is the lake "unthawing" or "thawing," I always mix that up...?

Everything has melted. The lake has unthawed. And the road has been blocked by a landslide. Got it

Did you notice conditions on the upper tier at Marble? Could IcyBC still be led or was it gone ? Lyle

Cougar Canyon - Vernon, BC. Similar rock to Skaha (though more choss), about 150 - 160 routes plus some v.cool bouldering at the bottom. Worth a look if you're passing through but dunno if I'd roadtrip for it. FireArms and Steepers Creepers are pretty sweet, though.

Thanks for the update, amazing you could get up Yak in early March! It looks like we're back to more seasonal conditions now, so back to cougar we go. lk

Just wondering if anyone has beta on Yak conditions at present? I seem to remember that it streaks wet 'til the snowcap is gone but if you've got a recent conditions report to post I'd appreciate it. Thanks, lk

Yea, I have to admit this particular genre of mtn. film/ adventure isn't for everyone. The whole "climbing for a cause" topic would make a good thread: "Is it worthy of climber-related lit and film (do climbers really want to see it?) or is it more designed for pop press to raise awareness and $$?" I have the same opinion of films about penguins at mtn. film fests (or threatened nomadic tribes, Arctic caribou, Russian kayaking, etc.), the "mtn. culture" umbrella seems to cover a big area. Not that there's anything wrong with penguins.

Here's a link to Brad's website: http://www.verticalchallenge.org/ Bogen, why the negative attitude towards his efforts? bz was a good climber dealt a really tough hand; he still wants to get vertical and it all works towards providing hope/ motivation to others affected by spinal injury. brad's a good guy and is doing his best to make lemonade; I only hope I'd have the same drive if I found myself under similar circumstances. lk

Here's another pic from the Viewpoint. It's about 60m from the top to the Wilow River.

If you find yourself in Prince George during the winter it's worth checking out the Willow Canyon for ice. It's about 30km east of Prince George on Highway #16 and you can pretty much drive to the top of the climbs (if the logging road is not plowed then it is a 1.5km flat hike). While there is a serious lack of snow in the area this winter (they had to truck snow in for a Provincial x/c comp last weekend) it is still at least -10C every night so there is a good supply of ice. There are four routes in the picture, from top left: Farmed 1: A thin mixed line that may not be in. Farmed 2: The next one down was a thin pillar a few years ago but now looks mixed and likely unprotected by bolts (but I think it has a chain belay). Farmed 3: The main pillar is formed fatter this year than I've seen in the past. Chain belay, WI5/ WI5+. Natural 1: There is a fourth climb that is just visible lower right, and moreso through the trees on the second pic from the viewpoint. It is a braided WI2/ WI2+ and has bolt anchors scattered around, lots of options. If the river is not frozen then you've got to rap in and climb out of the farmed routes so check conditions from the Viewpoint before rapping down (and either TR it first or fix a line for getting back out). If the river is frozen you can walk down left of the Viewpoint on a trail and to the base of the routes. The natural route can be rapped or walked into, there is a wide spot at the base to set up. You can also traverse in to a tree near the base of Farmed 3 (main pillar) from Natural 1, but would likely want to be roped up. The terrain above is flat and swampy, the farmers have set a cut barrel into the ground which draws in water, and then is piped off to the top of the canyon. Kudos to the farmers (Cox/ Lacelle?), we had an excellent day out on Saturday (Feb 19) enjoying your efforts. PM me if you want directions.

The Theft

A New Leash On Life (some cooler weather may bring the unclimbed second pitch (Unleashed- WCI vol2 page 202) in ...)

Here's a few pics from the Bridge Canyon north of Lillooet taken last Friday (Feb 11), courtesy of Garnet: Old Dogs New Pics

It looks like a big house of cards, I don't think I'd park my truck under it (let alone climb it); and they're crawling around on the inside!! They may be trying out for the 2005 Darwin's ... edit: Any armchair-physicists with thoughts on it's integrity (or lack thereof)? At first I assumed it would eventually collapse under it's own weight but maybe I'm off base. Would it self-compensate as it grew from the ground-up? He does talk about it collapsing from being top-heavy earlier in the season, and it sounds like it makes a lot of noise from movement. Sure looks cool though, it'd be hard not to get on it if it were in the backyard.

Ground-up ice farming http://www.alaskanalpineclub.org/IceWall/04-05IceWall4.html

I used my new "Grip Rests" Saturday on my '03 Quarks (at Guiness Gully) and had mixed results on fat (not mixed) ice. I used the axes with and w/o leashes; without leashes I found they focussed my weight onto the pinkies. So instead of being able to grip evenly throughout my hand it seemed to render my pinky and ring finger useless with body-weight cramming them into the "V," leaving it up to the other three digits to hold on. This effect was minimized with leashes as it held body weight above the "rest." IMO, the name "Grip Rest" is a misnomer as it seems to do the opposite. It puts a lot of strain on the grip and didn't seem to provide much of a rest. That said, I'm of the opinion these tools aren't designed for climbing leashless in the first place, unlike their Ergo-handled sibling. The "rest" seems to be more of a marketing device and I'm sure they had many requests to provide this item, I'm just not convinced of the usefulness/ functionality. They did save my knuckles on a couple of bulges, though. I paid $14.95CDN X 2 plus $5 shipping and regular taxes from Valhalla Pure.

ditto, imo not worth packing a rack to climb kitty litter but at least take the shoes and chalk bag. There's some fun traverses at Lover's and around the point.

At this rate it might be more appropriate to hold a wake.

I 'll bring a few pics on CD of Fear n' Loathing in Lillooet and probably my notebook, though it's a bit slow.

This is a very sad story and clearly outlines the seemingly insurmountable hazards associated with ice climbing. It's probably for the best that you didn't go. Climbed Monday at Denison Creek Falls (near Vernon, BC), 60m WI4/ WI5 (depends on what side). Ted led the first half to below a 10m cauliflower headwall that resembles a serac, I climbed to the trees above up the left side column. Cool views of the Monashees and Silver Star from the top. Denison Lake is about 100m back in the trees, nice spot for an ice farm but too long of an approach to maintain on a regular basis. Approach from Vernon is 1 hour drive, 1.5 hour hike. Pic of Denison Creek Falls from early December (bottom half is now more flow than cauliflower):

Very, I wrung a half-cup of water out of my gloves after Deeping. I'm a big fan of spring ice climbing conditions though, you just can't go wrong; every placement sticks, there's no shattering or breakage, feet are solid, every screw threads first try and feels good. The suffer factor is way down. It's just that narrow window before it becomes slush, for me it's the ice climbing equivalent of waist-deep powder You do have batten-down the gortex, though.

Deeping Wall