kurthicks

Ryland...i'm guessing that's the place. i haven't heard any details, so you've got the most so far. see if you can get some more specifics...like length? Lambone - I'll probably go hit some Wallowa ice with TG in January when i get back to school. there's not a lot there right now. hey, want to make this post sticky? (why does that sound gross?) I think i'll probably be exporing the Central Oregon area for about 10 days this winter if anyone wants go join me. i know of some FAs to be had...if you're willing to ski for a while. keep the climbs coming

This might prove to be a futile search, but why not try? I've only done 3 of these, so all the information comes from CC.com and online hearsay. Submit any/all corrections and additions... ---------------------------------------------------------- Wallowas Hurricane Creek Drainage Note: All climbs mentioned here have huge avalanche danger Falls Creek Falls Elevation: 5,000’ Grade: WI3-5? M 4/5? Length: ~50 ft Approach: about 3/8ths of a mile from the Hurricane Creek trailhead. Follow the sign on a tree that says “Fall Creek Falls.” Couldn’t be more obvious. Alternately, continue on the main trail until you reach the creek and walk up the drainage. Time ~ 10 minutes Unnamed Falls Elevation: About 5,200’ Length: ~35’ Approach: Across the canyon from Falls Creek and up the hill. Slick Rock Canyon Falls Elevation: 5,760’ Grade: WI2 for the first steps, above unknown Length: 2 small steps (15’ each) with what looked like a longer pitch above Approach: about 3 miles from Hurricane Creek trailhead, about 150m from 2nd switchback) Time ~ 1-1.5 hours Wallowa Lake Climbs BC Creek Falls Elevation: About 5,600’ Grade: WI2-3 Length: ? Approach: From the Wallowa Lake TH, take the West Fork Wallowa River trail. At the Chief Joseph Mtn. Junction (0.3 miles), turn right. Follow the trail for 1.2 miles to the falls. Time ~ 30 minutes Boy Scout Falls Elevation: ? Grade: ? Length:? Approach: ? ---------------------------- Central & Eastern Oregon Three Fingered Jack SE Couloir Grade: 45-65 degrees (from Oregon High) Length: 800’ Season: Jan-March. Usually, by the time the trailhead melts out, the route is out of shape. Approach: From the Jack Lake TH, follow the trail to Canyon Creek Meadow. TFJ is obvious. Middle Sister Ice Hose / NE Face Direct Grade: WI 4+ Length: 2 pitches. The rest of the route was 55-60 deg neve to the top. Approach: just to the left of the NE Face route as shown in Oregon High. Paulina Falls Elevation: 6,200’ Grade: WI4-5 ? Length: 100’ Approach: From US 97, drive 6 miles north of La Pine and turn east onto Paulina Lake Rd. Drive 10 miles to the unmarked parking lot. Hike along an old jeep road at the end of the lot. After 0.4 miles, turn left (west) and hike for another .6 miles. Strawberry Lakes The Strawberry Range has excellent ice opportunities. They are spring fed and form every year. Season: ice begins forming in late October at the high elevations and is usually filled in by Christmas. Snow melt throughout the season can form twice the number of climbs but is usually ephemeral at best, thus hard to predict Strawberry Falls Grade: half a dozen routes up to ninety feet mostly pure some mixed. (wood finishes on a few!) Length: 90’ Approach: about 3 miles over pretty moderate terrain. The big issue would be getting your car to the trail head Little Provo Grade: WI4-5 Length: 1 long pitch Approach: the west of the lower lake Honey Pot Elevation: ? Grade: ? Length: ? Approach: East of the upper lake amongst the island of trees The After Image FA: Feb. 1996, who? Elevation: ? Grade: V, WI5+ Length: 120m Approach: drive as far as the county plows, usually to the timber just below McNaughton spring. The After Image is obvious above and south of strawberry lake. Note: “This grade v wi5+ is a serious alpine endeavor. It consists of 120 meters of steep ice in the middle of a 420 meter alpine north face. The overall grade depends on timing. Later in the season when the cave pillar touches down, it’s a bitch to approach, often bad depth hoar. Early season it can be a cruise to get to it but, the overhanging climbing pumps the technical grade.” Camp at the trail head campground or find a bivvy at house rock adjacent little strawberry lake. The crux pillar on “after image” usually does not touch down until the upper sixty meters fills out. This route is best done late in the season. ----------------------------- PDX Area and Gorge Climbs: Ainsworth State Park Grade: WI 4-5 ? Length: 700’ Approach: take I-84 east from Portland to Exit 28 (Bridal Veil), and follow highway 125 for about six miles past Multnomah Falls and Ainsworth State Park entrance. Crown Jewel Elevation: ? Grade: ? Length: ? Approach: ? Sheppard's Dell Elevation: ? Grade: ? Length: ? Approach: ? Mt. Hood Eliot Glacier Moraine Season: October-May Approach: From the Tilly Jane Campground, hike up the Timberline Trail for a mile. Holly Falls Elevation: ? Grade: ? Length: ? Approach: ? Illumination Rock “March Madness” Grade: ? Length: ? Approach: Walk uphill from Timberline Lodge. Ski Bowl Grade: ? Length: ? Approach: to the right of the main ski run at Ski bowl Pete’s Pile Elevation: ~3500’ Grade: WI4+ and up. Most are TR able with bolts at top. Length: Mostly 1 pitch, some 2 pitch Season: They will form when the Gorge does, and stick around a little longer. Approach: a steep 10 minute hike from pull off on Hwy35 to main crag. They are visible from the road. Note: Find a copy of "Portland Rock Climbs" by Tim Olsen ----------------------- Salt Creek Falls Area Anyone know more about it? ---------------------------------------- I can't find my copy of Washington Ice right now, so someone add the info for the gorge climbs if they get the chance. Post away....

i'll go ahead and post what i've come across in the Ice Conditions page. maybe a Mod can put a sticky on it for the season?

yea, got mine yesterday. It's pretty sweet. definately worth the $5.

What, a Xeroxed page that says pray for hell freezing over? yea, pretty much. But contrary to popular belief, there is actually ice in Oregon. I actually climbed some on Turkey Day in the Wallowas. I was kind of thinking of starting an online or pdf file of routes that come in. just from cruising the forums I've come across about 9 separate areas that have ice (well, sometimes). Maybe people don't want to give up anymore beta, but it sure would be nice if they did...

1. go to the library or gear store. 2. sit on the floor by the guidebooks. 3. look at "Selected Climbs in the Cascades" vols. 1 & 2. then check out Beckey's Cascade Alpine Guide...all 3 volumes. then look at "Washington Ice". If you're in Oregon, check out "Oregon High" by Jeff Thomas. There isn't an Oregon ice guide, but it seems like it could be a decent idea. Those are just a start...

can we do it siege style with fixed ropes and a high camp? maybe we can grid bolt it too. check your PMs.

bastard.

thanks. mouse, do you know if the NF has been climbed? it seems like winter would be the only time to do it.

show 'em a topo.

i went into the Hurricane Creek drainage last week. There wasn't a lot of snow on the trail, probably about 18"?, but there are lots of loaded spots (read "waist deep w/o snowshoes). Trees were down across the trail already too...and there's been lots of high winds this week also. you might ask mr. Terminal Gravity for more beta. check the winter possibilities...

closeout from Northern Mountain Supply... they still have standard ropes, but they're out of dry coated ones online. maybe you could call them and see if there are any lying around? they've got a 30m rope too...

i just picked up a Bluewater 8.6x50m for glacier/alpine. it was $60... and it's super light.

apparently we aren't equipped buy a "rock climbing nut sack"

I saw a guy take a 30 footer a couple weeks ago onto a medium screw clipped with a quickdraw. he lowered off and walked away. i also met a guy in Banff who said he took a 25 footer onto a spectre clipped with a screamer and it held fine. go figure.

seems like wednesday's the night for everyone. i'm in too. but back to the ice... anyone been to the southern areas by recently? bull river or the climbs just north of Radium especially?

the guy on the left has a sweet Cassin bike helmet...

i met Conrad Anker and Will Gadd at the Bozeman Ice Fest. nice guys. last january we gave beta to Kim Csizmazia on Cascade...we felt pretty dumb later. in February, Abby Watkins told us that we were going to get killed if we continued to stand where we were in Johnston Canyon. (we were right under the pillar that Barry Blanchard had broken off). we felt dumb once again.

"i'd love to go 'epic', but i've got homework."

from the sound of it, thanksgiving prevented mass communism in america.

I don't think this has been posted before...but if it has, here it is again. The NOAA surface weather observations page. temp, snow depth, wind, etc...it's a great resource for current/past few days conditions. http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/Missoula/nwsomso.sfcrgl.html

here's some current weather info from Bull River. it's kind of hard to decode at first, but the temp and snowfall are there. it looks plenty cold enough. I haven't been to that area yet, so i don't know where the weather station is in relation to the climbing.... NOAA Weather

check your pms...or PMs. whatever.

there's a good thread in the ice conditions about this. check out gravsports.com, wickedgravity.com and live-the-vision.com for current conditions. just a note--haffner is closed for the season because of a fire there this summer.

one more thing... go somewhere new and don't take a watch. that way you'll have no idea how far or how long you've been running until after the workout. it sounds kind of wierd, but i've done some incredible workouts this way. you don't think about how bad you feel or how much longer/further you have to go. just go until you feel reasonably tired and turn around. one note about stairs, be careful with those. they alter your stride because they're uniform and "real" ground isn't. not really a concern for you probably, but just a thought. also, walk down them because you can really screw up an ankle if you trip on the way back down. my last $.02