kurthicks

I didn't say that it was. i bet there is more classic ice elsewhere in that canyon though.

2004. most ice seemed to form from the mist.

maybe not that irregular, but they are Wazzu favorites: case races. get in a group of 4-6 per team and kill a case faster than the opposing team. play some sort of skill requiring game between each case. repeat. The beer mile is always a fun one. pound a beer, run a lap on the track, repeat until you've done a mile. if you vomit, you drink another beer and run an extra lap. Century Club 1 shot of beer per minute for 100 minutes. sounds easy at first, and it is, but after about a half hour it starts to get hard. Regardless, it works out to about 10-12 beers in 1:40, depending on glass size. miss your shot that minute and take 2 for each missed.

Pics? misspoke, sorry. corrected.

bummer. i want one, but can't justify that low mpg.

First off, I'd like to see some data on the self arrest grip being safer. Secondly, the self arrest grip (a.k.a. poilet poulet de merde or "chicken shit axe") is a defensive position...meaning that you are expecting to fall and have to arrest. Holding the axe in that position is really only functional for arresting. I use and teach poilet canne (i.e. self belay for some, although this is technically a misnomer as the self belay is poilet manche) since it is an offensive, active position that can readily be transferred into seven or eight positions including poilet panne (low dagger), ancre, poignard (high dagger), traction (steep ice tech), appui, etc. that can be used to secure oneself from falling in the first place. It simply takes practice to switch from poilet canne to the self arrest position while falling. try it sometime. ultimately, don't lose your axe and know how to use it efficiently to climb and arrest in the event of a fall.

mpg?

I don't think any plastic boot will perform well on WI5 and expedition slogs. I might suggest something like the Sportiva Nuptse or Spantik, but those are leather/synthetic double boots.

shhhh...

Let's get together for some swilling of fine Oregon microbrews. I propose Sunday night at the Redmond brewery, but I can do Saturday night if that works better. If need be, we could hit the BBC or Deschutes. What say you central oregon spraymasters? Kurt

why are you drilling 1/2"x5" bolts in 'good granite'? Sounds like overkill to me.

well, it is Snowshoe Creek that is falling down the slab, so the name makes geographic sense. Jake, Shoestring Falls has a little step near the base, maybe 30-40'. the falls at MP 115 are more like 100-120', WI3-3+...but aren't bonded to the rock at all. That route is certainly the prize climb down there.

Trip: Lochsa River (Idaho) - Snowshoe Falls Date: 1/21/2007 Trip Report: And everyone says there's no ice in northern Idaho. Some of the WSU Alpine Club was going to Lolo Pass for some skiing, but about half of the group wanted to go ice climbing instead. Being lazy, we didn't want to walk into Blodget Canyon, so we explored some ice I had seen last year (and some I hadn't). From what the skiers say, stuff in the canyon only forms like once a decade, but that might just be because they don't look too hard for it...or because they're skiers first and climbers second. Anyways, we did 2 routes that locals A) haven't done or B) won't tell us about or C) forgot about. Snowshoe Falls, WI3, 70M. This route is a lot like the Junkyards, with a nice steep curtain just above the main flow. One 30m rappel and a walkoff make descent quick. There were no rap slings present anywhere, leading to the idea that it's a FA. Snowshoe Falls takes the prominent broad flow in the center. Huckleberry Pillars are mid frame on the left, in the trees. Kevin on the final curtain of Snowshoe Falls. We walked down to the steeper pillars down below, where we did the best looking line. "Huckleberry Pillars", WI4-, 40'. This is a nice top rope crag that ranges from WI2-4. Taking on the right side. There are 2 more unclimbed lines across the river at MP 115 and 115.8 (Shoestring Falls) respectively. Gear Notes: Lochsa Lodge Cabins are sweet. Sharp pointy things. 2 sets of tools makes climbing in a foursome more challenging! Approach Notes: About 20 miles east of Lowell, ID on highway 12. Park at a small pullout at MP 116.9 and look north to see the climbs. Bushwack up to the base in 10 minutes. Topozone Link to Snowshoe Falls

yes. I've got a photo kicking around somewhere. go about your business...

more pr0n for ya. we climbed the lefthand line today (see first photo above), the two lines in the center are unclimbed (and poorly bonded!). let's hope the obvious hanging pencil forms sometime!

Trip: Snake River - More FAs Date: 1/19/2007 Trip Report: Knowing that all this stuff was going to fall down, pup_on_the_mountain, Sam, and I climbed all of the remaining "safe" new routes along the Snake today. Temperatures were mild (upper 30's or so) and the ice was rapidly delaminating. Many of the free hangers fell down while we were there! Don't go rushing out to climb these since they'll all be gone in a day or so anyways. We haven't named them yet, but here are the photos: A route in "The Auditorium" WI3/3+R, 40' another new route (WI2+R/X, 30'), with Higher Learning in the background. The only pro on this was a knifeblade at 2/3 height. I climbed to the top and then downclimbed back to the pin. Finally, one more (WI3R, 40'): Gear Notes: Stubbies, screamers, and knifeblades Approach Notes: MP 19 on Wawawai River Road, between Wawawai and Lewiston.

his name was steve. it does work well. just go slowly is what i've been told by lots of folks because if you remove too much then you have to get a new Fang and start all over.

because only anchor (a bush) was about 60' back from the edge, making it about 130' to the ground. If it stays up after this warm snap, I am going to go put a bolt anchor at the lip. This is no joke! One passed by as Justin was just finishing following the climb. I swear the whole place shook.

Trip: Snake River - Higher Learning (FA) Date: 1/18/2007 Trip Report: Justin and I decided to skip our formal coursework and take our education outdoors today. We climbed what we believe to be a new route along the Snake River, about 3 miles east of Granite Point. "Higher Learning" WI4+/5-, 65' of ice. Side view of higher learning About 2/3 up the route. The pillar above was fully detached and shook throughout whenever I swung into it. We decided to walk off to the right (which included horrendous berrybrush bushwacking and a crotch deep creek fording). It is better to rap the route with 2 ropes from the bush we slung. Justin post climb. It is the hardest route he's ever done. FA: Kurt Hicks, Justin Hougham Higher Learning WI4+/5-, 65' Gear Notes: A half dozen screws Gear to .75", mostly stoppers and pitons 2 ropes to rappel Approach Notes: At milepost 19 on Wawawai River Road, a couple miles toward Lewiston from Granite Point.

Thanks everyone.

the first thing I can think of with a ski like that is stuff in the Chiwawa area (Buck Mtn. comes to mind) and stuff far up past Colonial... interesting either way.

I don't own the ice guide that covers Blodget and the stuff south of Missoula. Anyone want to enlighten me as to what I can climb over in that area? Kurt

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