LillooetIceFest

What a wierd winter this has been. I do not think there has been one ideal weekend for climbing in the Lillooet area. I have been worried that it was going to warm up too much and kill off what ice there is out there, but it has stayed in place. Just to be clear, we are going ahead with the icefest this weekend. Also, Lillooet tends to be a few degrees colder than the weather Canada forecast says. The forecast is for the Lytton/Boston Bar in actual fact. So, factoring in the forecasts for Cache Creek, Pemberton and 100 Mile House, looks like it should be clear for the weekend with daytime highs in town of just above freezing and overnight temps of about -6.

Just to let everyone know, we will have the road cleared of snow and rock and open for this coming weekend. Conditions continue to be not the greatest. In town here in Lillooet nighttime down to -5 range and daytimes upt +5 to +8, slightly colder today. Freezing level rising to between 700 and 900 metres elevation during the day (depending on location, shade etc......) The Ice Fest is going ahead this weekend as it looks like there will be climbable ice in enough locations to accommodate people. Sorry about mislabeling the pics, Catherine took them, downloaded them and headed out right afterwards and I confused them then. Bernard

What we are doing for the IceFest is a small bound booklet that will guide people to where the climbs are. I think it will be about 8-10 pages on 8.5 x 11 printed off of my laser printer - expect some basic black and white pics from this winter. It will have some hand drawn maps in it so that people can get some idea of where they are. Something with a few more details of than what is in West Coast Ice, but nothing on the scale of what Lyle has done (which needs to be published).

What you get for $60 CDN A guide to the climbs in the area - nothing as impressive as what Don Serl's book will be like when in comes out or Lyle's Map when it is published, but a good description of what the climbs are and where they are. A chance to try out gear from a number of manufacturers. Access to Phair Creek Chance to take some of the Ice Clinics Dinner on Saturday night and a chance to mingle with all the other ice climbers up A bag of loot/swag which will include among many other things Bob Meredith's honey At least one slideshow/presentation by Rob Owens - there might be a second one, but details are not yet secure Chance to get access to some unclimbed ice (unless the ice does not hold till then - we have a few options for this) Friday and Saturday night socials (Saturday night with beer company swag available) Door prizes of the gear and clothing variety. I figure all in all a very good value for your money If we can do a decent job with this one, we can do more for 2004. I think I may have a spot to do some ice farming - it is on private land (1100 metre elevation with good road access and water officially available). My ideal would be to have a competition there someday if the site works.

Pic of Phairwell to Arms

Hi, this is Catherine Schulmann I took a ride up Phair Creek today, thanks to the trucks and sleds from Ainsworth. The good news is that the avalanche hazard is low, and the top two climbs, It's Only Phair and A Phairwell to Arms, look decent enough. I couldn't see Phair Game from the road (yeah, probably should have trotted across the canyon). I assume that, like the others, there is a bit of ice there, but it's thin. Nectar of the Gods didn't look like it had reached 35 m, and Airy Phairy is naught but a small chandelier at the top. Just Walkin the Dog is long, but thin, like maybe 1m across most of the way. A Phairly Phast Tick looked interesting, in that it has the widest curtain, but a mile wide and an inch deep - I dunno, does that cut it for you guys?? In addition, around 5 km in Phair Creek road, there was a biggish blob of ice heading up to the left straight off the road sabout 10m. Maybe it's not worth climbing, though as a rank beginner, I'd think about putting on some gear and giving it a try as a warm up to the "real" stuff. Ice bouldering, anyone? Certainly it's not marked on Lyle's map (which I brought with me) Access was fun - it was the first time I had driven a snowmobile, and in parts, where we stopped and kicked rocks out of the way, you could have set up a fun curling game on the road. But I'm assured it's nothing that a quick trip through with a grader can't fix. That's the plan for the Ice Fest. We have some pics from Marble Canyon on Monday, and as I stopped to take a picture, I saw two climbers crossing the lake to the base. So some think it's fine- Kai thinks that both here and the Rambles are good. We'll try to head up Bridge River later today, but before the light goes There will be ice to climb around here for the IceFest!!! There will be clinics!!!

Lillooet IceFest 2003 Update: Jan 29th OK, so the weather’s a bit warm. We still have the best climbs in the Pacific Northwest, and enough elevation that you will find ice, guaranteed! While at town level, we are a couple of degrees above freezing during the day, it’s still freezing up again at night, and as soon as you head up into the hills, we’ve got great climbs developing. What’s more, we have great support from the climbing community: The equipment manufacturers will be out in force, supplying the latest in gear for you to try out. Petzl / Charlet Moser, Black Diamond, Arcteryx, Kayland, La Sportiva, Mammut, and Metolius will all be here. Coast Mountain Sports, one of our BC retailers, will be here. Of course, they are bringing good stuff as door prizes, too. We’ve got the pros, as well. Thanks to good response from the guides, we will be able to maintain a safe and sane 4:1 participant/guide ratio in our clinics. Here’s a list of confirmed pros Rob Owens Rob, fresh from placing second in the Ouray Ice Competition this January, has been climbing for 8 years. He loves climbs that are long, remote and difficult, and has several first ascents under his belt, particularly in the Canmore area, where he now makes his home. He brings with him his expertise on modern mixed climbing. Rob has a raft of sponsors, including Petzl /Charlet Moser, Arcteryx, cliffbar, and BLURR. Rob will be the featured guest on Saturday night Scott Semple Scott, also from the Canmore area, is here thanks to Black Diamond. Happy on rock, ice and mixed climbs, he has climbed throughout western Canada, the United States and parts of Europe. Scott has been a featured climber in several print, film and multimedia projects. Geoff Creighton – Geoff, with Canada West Climbing School from Squamish, knows the local ice like the back of his hand. He leads teams of climbers to the area throughout the winter to teach climbing skills at every level. Geoff has been climbing as a multi-disciplinary rock/ ice/ alpine climber since the late seventies, garnering a number of first ascents in these disciplines. He is also a regular contributor to the North American climbing magazines. . He is a certified Rock Guide and Level 3 Climbing Gym Examiner with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. Geoff has worked and managed operations at several climbing facilities - including The Edge Climbing Centre and Cliffhanger in Vancouver. Kai Hirvonen Kai is an accomplished local guide who has been climbing for nine years. He has established first ascents in Alaska and the Waddington range of B.C. and has traveled extensively through North America, Australia and Asia. Kai enjoys all types of climbing including rock, ice and alpine. Mike Crapo Mike is an enthusiastic, experienced local guide with Canada West Climbing School. He’ll be helping out in the clinics. You’ve asked for a guide to local climbs – we’re making it! And as a participant in the IceFest, you’ll get a free copy, listing the whereabouts of each climb, its difficulty, the consistency of formation, avalanche risk and other details where available. You’ll want to bring this back with you on each climbing trip. Now’s the time to register Go to our website – www.lillooeticefest.ca – and print out the registration form. Send it with your cheque, and let us know you are coming. We’ll even take your e-mailed information at info@lillooeticefest.ca. We’re going to have fun, and it’s your best chance to experience ice climbing in all its glory, here on the dry side of the West Coast.

Hello all Just got word from BC Parks that they are not too happy with not knowing about the water diversion at Marble Canyon for the ice climbing. Words like violation of water and park act came up in conversation. yours Bernard

Hello all Just got an email and then spoke to the BC Parks supervisor for the area. He is pissed off that water has been diverted without them being told about it. I asked "Is this serious?"" He said "It violates the water and park acts, so yes it is." Whomever wishes to talk to me about this, please call me at my home 250-256-0137 yours Bernard

Well folks, the temps have risen a lot in the Lillooet area - looks like it is above freezing at Marble Canyon and on the Duffey. Freezing level is about 1000 metres today.

Hello there all. Time to think about coming to the third annual Lillooet IceFest. This will be bigger and better than ever. Here is the URL for the website - www.Lillooeticefest.ca We have set the festival for Feb 14 to 17th - we looked back at the past years of ice reports and every at that weekend has had good ice for climbing. We will be getting access opened up to Phair Creek. There will be ice climbing clinics - details still to be figured out. We will be getting a gear tryout set up. We will have an indoor climbing wall for anyone that wants to do that. We think we have at least one unclimbed bit of ice that we will let people know about who will get to climb it - we hope have more than that by working with some local snowmobilers. Friday registration Saturday and Sunday Climbing and social events. One slide show, TBA who at this moment. Monday depart This is a long weekend in the states. Anyone wanting more details should call us at 250-256-0137 or email me bernard.schulmann@lillonet.ca Anyone wanting to volunteer, please let us know. Please forward this to your network. yours Bernard Schulmann Lillooet