kurthicks

I'm out in Leavenworth at least 2 times a month. I'll keep in touch after I get back from Tahoe and Lee Vining . Kurt

Yep, I placed a red alien in a horizontal on the right. I managed to get in one decent screw just above that in a blob. all egg shells to the top from there.

it's in pretty fat (at least from what the guide says it is usually). we didn't have to place any rock gear. a litle thin at the very top. see pics here: http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/528573/page/0/vc/1

Dropped a screw yesterday on frenchman falls. 22cm BD turbo express. Went searching for it today to no avail, but if you find it--I would like it back. should be near the right of the spray cone. Kurt

bumpidy bump bump.

10m at a stretch. maybe stubbies or spectres would protect it. I'd say just be confident about getting from ledge to ledge. Craig did it today. pics of him. nice work boys.

Climb: Frenchman Falls- Date of Climb: 12/15/2005 Trip Report: CKouba and I climbed Frenchman Falls yesterday in thin, fun, and engaging conditions. We decided to check out an alternate approach and we rapped in from the top on climber's left. We decided to climb the right side since it was in much better condition. It went at WI4R in two pitches. We placed 2 pieces on each pitch (3 screws and a cam) and used the anchor at mid-height. The route is still spraying lots of water, but most of the wet ice can be avoided. The top out does not sport enough good ice for an ice belay or v-thread. I think the route is about 45-50m long. Here are the goods: Route: CKouba rapping in: me leading out on P1: We topped out in the dark due to our post-3:00PM start. Also, we dropped a 22cm screw, so if anyone gets it I would like it back. It should be on climber's right side of spray cone. Gear Notes: 3 screws, #2 Camalot (back up mid-belay), red alien, headlamp Approach Notes: drive on Silica road to the lake on the map (about a mile past the turnoff at a guardrail). park and follow the creek to the top of the climb. Rap down from the "Old Milwaukee" belay (beer can next to good pin crack/sagebrush belay) station with 2 60m ropes. saves some walking and makes getting off the climb SO much easier.

did Frenchman falls yesterday. doing Fuggs today. looking OK.

And now for your daily ice report: 12.15.2005 CKouba and I climbed a little flow in the Icicle yesterday, just to the right of Icicle Buttress. Nice 30M of WI2-3 to a tree about 20 minutes from the road. obvious while driving up the canyon. Most of the routes in the Icicle look better than last weekend. We could not see Hubba Hubba due to clouds. Drury was obscured in clouds. Lake Jolanda was frozed all the way across, but probably not enough to support weight. We climbed Frenchman Falls in the afternoon. see forthcoming TR. 12.16.2005 Fuggs is in great condition, no rock pro necessary: CKouba leading the crux on P1. Nice lead! Pitch 2: Careno climbs: EVERYONE GO GET SOME ICE. I'm heading out for a week.

background: I bought some Ergos this season and have climbed on them for about 8 days now. Done a variety of routes on lead (WI4) and TR (M7, WI5). I tend to stick with pure ice routes, but I do mixed/DT a little too. I don't know if I want to keep these tools or get something more like the quark or viper. Concerns: 1) If I don't think about my swing (or I'm pumped/scared), I revert into the swing pattern of my old Grivels and CFBPs. Do I just need more time to get used to the unique swing of the Ergos? (i.e. does it becomes instinctual?) 2) Harder leads. I am hesitant to take off on harder routes now for fear of a) dropping a tool and b) pumping out on steep ground. Will more mileage solve these? 3) pounding pins is difficult with the handle angle. 4) when the handles get wet they are difficult to hang on to. leashes at least make this less of a concern. Thoughts?

This climb is located in Moses Coulee, about ~20 minutes west of Banks on Hwy 2. It's strikingly obvious driving west (and stopped me cold while driving east, too). 5 minute approach from the looks of it. Faces NE I think.

Girlfriend just moved there. That, and finals are over. I don't have school on Fridays either. edit: going to be in Leavenworth or Banks on Thurs/Friday. stop by and say hey if you see a blue subaru w/oregon plates.

I'll check it out tomorrow night on my way back to Leavenworth. no pictures will come out of it though since it will be night time.

I made it to just past the gated parking spot for hubba in my suby before i got stuck. When i skied up the road on Sunday, tracks went to just past the bivy site. I'd call it WI3 in the current state.

Rainbow Right is "in" to some extent. the topout is thin, entering into the bushes. I bet that Careno Right is doable now too, I didn't have a partner though.

good

That was MCash and his partner. They bailed shortly thereafter.

Jens I'm interested in some picks. I'll PM you.

I too have a similar opening. I've got some ideas as well. I'll PM you in a little while.

Went to Banks yesterday on the way home. Met Jens and some guys from Spokane. Most of the ice will be good to go by next weekend. Jens leading H202. Impressive show! The Cable. some guys were TRing it. Marty's Sport climbing Cave. looks like fun!

Hubba Hubba Blast Rock Wall (you can drive there right now) Drury Falls The Drip Pencil

Dammit Bob! in Moses Coulee. You can walk/scramble from climber's left on a ledge to reach the start. looks like solid WI5 with decent pro. better than the photo leads you to believe. the other routes that I saw were not close to touching down. other pics in other threads.

Martin, i saw you guys driving around with a canoe all day. funny shit. too bad i didn't recognize you. have you grown a beard? thanks for the good beta on Drury. Trog- good to see you got out. too bad I missed you. I spent the day cruising the icicle. Did a couple little solos near Icicle buttress. fun stuff. edit: looks like a lot of Wet & Wild fell down. I also skied to check out Mountaineer Creek... no visible ice from the road.

It would be cool to have a link when you view someone's profile that said "Show all this user's TRs." Like an advanced "show all this user's posts" function. That way if you knew that that person did a specific route, writes good TRs, etc, you can find them easily.

that's what I tought too, but http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/526314/Main/521909#Post526314