LYleK

Body Shop

There were three parties there Saturday (Jan 22); a group of 3 arrived and left early, another party of 2 from WA (white Toyota 2wd p/u). We were the 2nd group in, the first was already setting up in the Dihedral area so we roped up for IcyBC. There was a gusher about halfway up the first pitch that was pouring down on/ spraying the lower half. By the time I had my second axe in I was already soaked so backed off and came in through the top of Torn Fish Lips. Ice was thick and plastic throughout. 2nd pitch was fat and dry, third pitch is HUGE all the way across and all the upper pitches are formed fat to the top (see pic). IcyBC in WI4 condition. Climbed Body Shop next, ducked in behind the pillar at mid-height for natural pro, it was dripping a bit on the lower half, upper-half dry. Again ice stellar and fat, light WI5'ish. Deeping Wall in v. cool shape, consolidated flow ice, sticky plastic WI4. The left side is flowing water leaving the middle part in the pic fairly dry. There's dead-fall across the normal exit left at the top so climbed out right. The new route far left is in great shape, as is Dales and the Dihedral. Waite for Spring and the new farmed lines are climbable but were running pretty good and eroding fast. Deeping Wall as per the pic. No Deductible bolts are iced in, but not thick enough for screws. As per above, all the top pitches are FAT. It'll last a week or two in this condition but will be gone quickly if we don't get some cold weather. Take gortex. 3rd Pitch IcyBC

It's a tough spot to get good pics. According to sources, "Condon and Geisler made an attempt in January 2004, adding 3 bolts to the leaner-than-previously first pitch 'so it's not a death pitch,' and installing 8 bolts on the fourth pitch to reach the incomplete column via bolt ladder/ dry-tooling/ thin ice combination on rotten rock." Maybe in similar conditions now?

For those unfamiliar with the area The Gift (WI5 - 290m) is on the left and The Theft (WI6R, 5.9 - 240m) is the fang on the right. The two smears left of The Theft are unclimbed, to my knowledge (I haven't seen them form before). The Theft looks amazing. And they're all likely to get fatter as this snap continues, woohoo!

Is it the ridge above Kingdom and Noel Lakes (Mt. Fergusson)?

When I built the tables I used "R" for Regular but use "N" in the legend for "Normal," my mistake.

Useless Trivia Warning. Actually the reason Lytton is used by the bigger reporting networks runs a bit deeper (or shallower, depending on your perspective). Lytton is somewhere around 350 people while Lillooet is more like 2,500+, so in this case it's not based upon population. Lillooet didn't have a weather station until the mid-1990's while Lytton has had one for much longer. This is likely due to it's proximity to the Trans Canada Hwy (easier to maintain). Also, being on the Trans Canada meant that people may have a rough idea where it was (this was pre-Coquihalla Hwy days), somewhere between Van and Kamloops. Therefore it became a transitional weather-reporting reference point between coastal and interior weather patterns. It is centrally located between the warm and wet Hope station and the dry, cold Clinton station, with not many others in between that would matter much to the travelling public. Here's why Lillooet now has a weather station... Lillooet and Lytton have always had a bit of friendly rivalry, esp. in all things weather. Lytton boasts to be the Canadian Hotspot but Lillooet has always claimed to be hotter and drier (incidentially neither is the Hotspot for Canada, the highest temp. recorded was in Yellowgrass, Saskatchewan in 1937 (45C)). However, they could never back it up as Lillooet didn't have a weather station. So through a series of political/ letter-writing/ fund-raising efforts in the mid-1990's Lillooet finally got their coveted weather station. They could now squash Lytton's "false claims" of glory and reap the promotional benefits of being mentioned on the evening news. Tourists would be flocking to town, as you just can't get enough of that 40+C heat with 5% humidity ... But it just wasn't meant to be; the news networks and their viewers had grown accustomed to seeing Lytton mentioned and had a rough idea where it was located (plus it's on a major travel corridor). Lytton remained on the digital weather maps while Lillooet fell into weather-obscurity, as a convenient reference station for currently ice-starved PNW climbers.

Wow, quite the facility, it's gotta be worth millions. They put in 15m of concrete "under" the giant refridgerator just to deal with the weight. The simulated 18m Scottish gully sounds interesting. And it goes to -50C, they should put in giant fans and fill it full of freshiez for the full spin-drift effect.

And another. It's aptly named, it gets a lot of sun:

Melt Out:

Maligne Canyon is a fun adventure, easy access in and out if you're watching the clock. It's a scenic, essentially horizontal romp through the chasm with a couple of 30m WI3's along the way. At the starting end there are 3 or 4 short (20m) climbs, WI2 to WI4. Melt Out is also good, 2 short pitches of WI3 not that far from the Parkway. PM me if you need more beta on approach.

Hey, that's a great start, thank you. I know there's some efficiencies to be had if you can coordinate with others flying in and out before and after so good to have some potential contacts. NOLse, that'd be great if the R&I article handy, otherwise don't worry about it. I'm mostly interested in access, thanks.

Has anyone got any recent beta on flying into the Cirque? I've been to Bell's website which is great, but it seems access options can change/ improve frequently with mining and logging camps moving around. Watson Lake seems to be the best option but have also heard of groups flying from Whitehorse and Ft. Simpson. Any info on the subject you can provide is appreciated.

They can change the name but it will always be The Mugs . The new kitchen there is called "Feelin' Good," any reviews?

> Cliffside - Squamish > Mugs N' Jugs - Lillooet > Barley Mill - Penticton > Fox & Hound - Kamloops

"The Bugaboos" - Atkinson/ Piche (Elaho, 2003)

I think I pretty much break even on gear, lose some/ find some every year. Okay, maybe a slight net loss, but it's probably leading up to a bigger score. Like a big bag of money tossed out of a plane in the Cascades somewhere. Do grow-ops count as booty?

One spring I was flyin' up the Tom Cole FSR in a green FS pick-up and swerved, but did not miss, what I thought was a rock. On the way back out I stopped at the same place to pick up the crushed remains of a really expensive ($500+) pair of binoculars. They'd likely fallen out of the cab of a hunter's truck and into the snow the previous fall.

I was just kidding about the farmed ice-thing Don, I'd like to check it out as it looks pretty cool. I also like that it may draw some of the pressure from the Marble Canyon climbs. I'm just not a big fan of the Whistler/ Blackcomb over-the-top level of excess and enviro-manipulation, so I choose to avoid that scene. And yea, we were TR'ing it. The hose is back a bit and the water seeped through cracks in the rock, so is completely detached at the top. But now I'm just making excuses; we just couldn't figure out how to get the bolts to stay in the ice!

Yah, it's an imperfect world; I could brush them out for you if that would help. You're just bitter that Fern pummelled you in another round of "Guess That Flow."

Fern wins! good work, lass! the late, great Chris "Beeker" Romeskie on Farmer Finestone, up on Blackcomb. Jia Condon photo. 20m WI5. note the absence of the cord... Blackcomb has become one of THE 'hot-spots' (to use an inappropriate metaphor) for ice and mixed climbing. there are 32 routes in WCI2 on Blackcomb Mountain: 11 mixed-cum- alpine dry-tooling on Husume Buttress and Flanks of Phalanx; 7 at "The Office"; and 10 (including the pictured column) at "The Farm" (all ice there man-made, btw); plus 4 more scattered about here and there. it's becoming a great place for winter climbing. yah, it costs you $30 or so for the single ride lift ticket (cheaper than gas to Lillooet...), and yah, you gotta have the avvy stuff to show (beacon, probe, shovel), but the terrain is high [above 2100m on Husume; about 1600m at the Farm] so the season is long. and it's kinda fun climbing in the midst of a ski-resort, i find. lotsa trendy clothing to check out! Farmed Ice?!? No wonder I didn't get it first (good job Fern;)... Farmed Ice/ Farmed Salmon, all the same blasphemy. Next the farmed ice will start co-mingling with the natural ice, bolts will pop up around the natural ice like sea lice. It'll be the end of natural ice stock. And at a ski resort?!? I got in to ice climbing to get away from that scene!! Though if it bleeds off the gumbies who are into that ... Gumby at the Farm, Vernon

I'd guess Blackbird.

It's more like this:

I'd guess Millar's," too. Is the creek crossing in to "Salmon Stakes" or "Shriek...?" By the background and road location I'd say "Salmon Stakes," it looks cold. Don, good choice for the front cover, it's a well-deserving route.

Downward Bound is great, Harding put on a slideshow of the same name in Van a few years ago, it was hilarious. Canadian Alpine Journal (scanned cover of # 1)