oldgoat

Was in Marble Canyon today. Bottom half of pitch 1 of ICBC is a slush pile. The top half is forming but streaming with water. We didn't walk up to pitch 2 or 3 but they are forming and appear very wet. There is NO or only marginal ice on all other climbs.

All of the climbs on the first tier of Marble Canyon have been fitted with fixed belays (slings with 'biners and/or rap rings) to make it easier for people to lower off or set up a TR. Please don't steal the 'biners, the Karma police are watching

I can see that people are starting to get the ice itch (or rash as the case maybe) so, here are the current Marble Canyon conditions. Body Shop, ICBC, Deeping Wall, The Dihedral, and Dale's Route are all starting to form up nicely but will require at least another 2 weeks of cold weather to get them into leadable condition. At this stage, it's probably not a good idea to TR on them as it will just knock the ice down. Pink Cadillac has a veneer of ice starting to form at the crux but it is still not thick enough to make the climb possible (at least not for us mortals). The best ice in the canyon is on the lake. It's clear, smooth and is prime skating territory.

Climbed OJ two days ago at about 3+. Overall the ice is a little brittle and is thin on the upper pillar (about 4 cm thickness). The climb, however, is in better than average shape. Enjoy!

We were on the ice hunt yesterday. Unfortunately, with the exception of what looked like some marginal ice at the Rambles, there is NO ice along the Duffy. Marble Canyon is still holding out with leadable ice on the Deeping Wall and the Dihedral and TR'able ice in the vicinity of Waite For Spring, the Jolly Rancher, and No Deductible. I guess it's time to go to the Rockies.

We walked across the lake. It appears to be OK.

This last warm spell has created a fair amount of havoc in Marble Canyon. Dale’s Route, Waite For Spring, The Jolly Rancher, and all 3 pitches of Icy BC have collapsed or severely melted out. The Dihedral is thin but leadable (a couple of 13 cm screws will help). Deeping Wall is still in but very wet. The driest line is on the far right (solid 5 – bring lots of screws).

Oregon Jack is only marginally better than the ice in Marble Canyon. The ice on the bottom 5m and the top tube is quite thin. As well, the rock step in the middle has not frozen over. Although it is probably climable in its present state another week of freezing temperatures will probably improve things dramatically.

There is good news and bad news. The good news is that the climbs are starting to form. The bad news is that they're in a very fragile state and probably need another 10 to 14 days to fill out. Climbing (TR'ing) on them in their present state would do more harm than good. If you're really desperate to swing your tools, the best bet is the left side of ICBC (Pitch 1). On a related note, the lake has just recently frozen and is not safe. If you're going to ICBC park at the north end of the lake and walk the shoreline. There is no info on Oregon Jack. Hopefully that will be rectified this weekend.

Has anybody got any info on the road and/or approach into Gimli?

If you’re thinking of making the long haul to Marble Canyon this weekend because temperatures have dropped – don’t! I was in the Canyon today and it hasn’t recovered yet. With the exception of some thin chandeliers on Deeping Wall there is NO ice between The Dihedral and ICBC. The column on The Dihedral is thin but could be TR’d. The first pitch of ICBC is still in existence and could be led on the right side. The second pitch is in the process of reforming and, at present, is a thin, hollow tube that is open at the bottom and running with water. The top wall has a large section of ice missing from it. The ice that is there appears to be hollow with a lot of holes in it. Having said that, Air Care and Body Shop are still there. It looks like the ice season might be over so I think I’ll go to JTree.

Way to go Don! Point #3 is where it's at. Howie would be proud of you.

Best of the Season to you to Don! Just put it down to overwhelming inertia, lack of planning, and old age. Are you going to be in the area over the holidays????

Merry Xmas Merrycans, Just a short update to let you know the state of ice climbing along the Duffy and elsewhere. The Rambles: Still in and still fun! Carlsberg: Solid WI5 along the right hand side. The Tube: Getting hacked out and hollow. Loose Lady: See previous posts. Red Wall Wanderers: Appears to be in. Everything else looks like it has melted out or is only partially formed. In Marble Canyon ICBC is in but thin, as is the Dihedral. Everything else is @ the TR stage. Pink Cadillac is now fully bolted and awaits its FA (tentative grade is M8). Further to the south, Oregon Jack is in and fun as always. For those of you that wish to bring your cows ice climbing with you, you should probably check out this website Mad Cow

Chimo Merrycans Here's your Mable Canyon sitrep for 03/01/05. Daytime temps are in the order of -5C to 0C. As a result the climbs are quite wet. Concerns have been raised about the amount of water in the 'ice ranched' areas and the generally lean nature of ICBC. Adjustments to these water flows should be completed over the next few weeks (unless we go to the Rockies then all bets are off). All righty then! Here are your route conditions. The Dihedral Wet but leadable @ WI4 to WI4+ Waite for Spring Dry and leadable (stubbies needed) @ WI4 R/X. Waite for Spring (right) This is a new 'ranched' climb immediately to the right of WFS. It is dry and leadable @WI4. Waite for Spring (far right) Another new 'ranched' climb to the right of the previous climb. This is wet but leadable with sporty pro. Pink Cadillac Almost finished with the retrofitting (3/8 stainless bolts). Until then it is still @ TR. Deeping Wall The left side is still too thin to lead. If it cools down another 5 to 10 degrees the new center section should be leadable @ solid WI5. No Deductible Coming into shape. The bottom half is a fun TR on verglas and rock. The top half (the ice half) still needs some work before it could be led. ICBC Pitch 1 is sketchy but leadable. Pitches 2 & 3 didn't really survive the last blast of the Pineapple Express.