JoJo

Lost Horse Canyon offers splitter granite cracks littered with crisp Bitterroot edges up to three pitches long at all grades, free car camping next to a beautiful stream with hundreds of boulder problems scattered throughout the forest. It is spectacular. Last summer the local county government wanted to quarry the cliff. After a long fight and overwhelming public outcry against it, they tabled the issue indefinitely. What appeared to be a victory to save what I consider one of the best crags in the entire Pacific Northwest from being quarried into chip seal now seems to have been little more than a ploy with the hopes everyone forgot about it. Well many of us haven't. The fight has just begun... Please take a moment to read the below note I just got from Steve Porcella, Access Fund Regional Coordinator for Western Montana. Better yet sign up (it's free) with the Bitterroot Climbers Coalition and get the email updates directly. http://bitterrootclimbers.org/ We are going to need your help writing letters to the Forest Service and the County Commissioners. Basically the road department have all along wanted to quarry this and don't give a damn about us "rock fairies" (that is what they have been overheared calling us climbers). The scrapping away of materials will destroy the parking, much of the trail and perhaps permanently alter our ability to reach the cliffs. More likely, it is only the start of their desired development of this area for "resource extraction" (their words not mine). Much of the backstory for this issue can be found at http://www.firstascentpress.com/losthorse.html and at the above link for the BCC. Thanks in advance. I'll keep you all posted. Long live Lost Horse. Joe Josephson ---- With zero public notice the commissioners had a meeting yesterday (Commissioner Grandstaff is driving this issue). I was the only climbing rep there, I spoke up, but you can see the results below. This article came out in today's Ravalli Republic. I would like to get a letter writing campaign going again to the Commissioners and FS. More information to follow on that shortly. Steve Lost Horse quarry reopened by commission by ANTHONY QUIRINI - Ravalli Republic The Lost Horse Quarry issue reared its head again, despite immense public opposition to halt any action at the site in the past. On Wednesday, Ravalli County commissioners agreed to let the county road department take 1,000-cubic yards of rock from the Lost Horse Quarry to be used for rip-rap near a new bridge being built on Kootenai Creek Road. The commission voted 4-0 to extract the rock. Commissioner Kathleen Driscoll abstained from the vote, similar to when the issue came before the commission in 2007. The commission said the rock would save the county thousands of dollars and if the county didn’t come up with the rock, the grant money from the bridge project would be pulled. Also, Commissioner Carlotta Grandstaff said that during past hearings citizens were opposed to the rock crushing, not just taking rock from the quarry. According to Ravalli County Road Supervisor David Ohnstad, the department will not be using any crushers or explosives to extract the rock and the project should take a week. The rock will be taken from 500 to 600 feet west of the quarry’s access road, and in another location 100 feet north toward a vertical rock wall, Ohnstad said. Forty-three truckloads of rock will be hauled from the quarry. There is no date for when the project will begin. For the 15 or so citizens who attended the meeting, which was posted on Monday, the resurrection of the issue wasn’t well accepted. Residents who live in the canyon have serious concerns about the truck traffic and safety concerns. “Safety is my biggest concern,” J.C. Howell said in an interview after the meeting. “But the biggest problem I have today is we will be hearing this conversation a year from now.” During the meeting, the Forest Service hinted that it will be looking at the quarry for additional projects down the road, a topic that raises citizens’ hackles. “So, in a year from now are we looking at the quarry being used for crushing?” Tori Nobles asked the commission and Forest Service officials. Kent Miller of the Bitterroot National Forest said it’s a possibility the agency will use the quarry for more rock and rock crushing. Recreational users, primarily rock climbers, are opposed to quarry being used. The rock in the quarry is hard, clean granite with many natural features which make it an ideal climbing area. When the quarry issue first arose it prompted climbers to organize to keep the quarry for recreational use. Climbers formed the Bitterroot Climbing Coalition. “In our opinion it is a very valuable recreational area and it has a high use for residents in the county,” Steve Porcella of the BCC said. “The value they think they are getting out of that quarry is counter productive to recreational use.” Porcella is the western Montana coordinator for the Access Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving climbing environments for rock climbing, mountain climbing and bouldering. “We want to work with landowners regardless if they are public or private to represent the sport or to mitigate or deal with impacts to areas,” Porcella said. This past weekend climbers cleaned up garbage, gun shells and spray paint off boulders in the area. Last fall, a number of recreation users created a proposal to upgrade the quarry, placing a toilet, dumpster and signs to deter off-road damage to the environment. The funds would have come from federal payments to the county, but that proposal barely failed because of the plan’s location for the toilet, Porcella said. Four weeks ago recreational users met with the Forest Service to try to work out a solution. “All we were asking for is input on what they’re thinking,” Porcella said. “I understand that the county has constant and forever rock needs, but I think it’s dependent upon the county and Forest Service to get their resources in a place that doesn’t have a conflict with a valuable recreational area.” As well, the canyon is popular for bikers, hikers and fisherman - all of which may be impacted with heavy truck traffic. “Frankly, from a Forest Service perspective this goes against everything they are trying to accomplish - for this to be a premier recreation area,” Howell said. Others questioned Ohnstad’s numbers. “It seems like we’re hearing erroneous numbers again,” Mark Bearman said during the meeting. In 2007 the Ravalli County commission was deadlocked 2-2 on a vote to re-open the quarry. Commissioner Driscoll abstained from voting, saying she wanted to review Ohnstad’s numbers. After researching those numbers, Driscoll was ready to vote, but the commission indefinitely tabled the issue after dozens upon dozens of citizens protested the issue. The Forest Service is supposed to conduct an analysis on how to mitigate dust and road issues, officials said. At this point, many questions remain - such as when it will occur and what residents and recreational users can expect. “There’s a bigger picture in this thing,” Driscoll pointed out. “Is this the only time we’re going in there?” Reporter Anthony Quirini can be reached at 363-3300 or aquirini@ravallirepublic.com

Yo ML, Kelsey is still the bible for the rest of the Winds. And what's this "you guys" stuff about FAP? You wanna help? I'll pay you twice what I'm making ;-) Hell, make it three times. Also as a matter of fact, Sean Issac and I are working together on a color book to the Rockies. Maybe next year, maybe not... And before you blame anyone of murder, check out the book first. onward, JJ

Hey John, Still working on Trevor Bowman's Big Horn Rock Guide, trying to wrap up the Cloud Peak info still. Also working on a new Teton guide (by Aaron Gams) to 65 routes also in full color like the Cirque book. It's a monster but going to be super cool. Needless to say I'm slammed. Getting em done as fast as I can... Thanks for support dude. It's going to be an epic mountaineering season in the Tetons and Beartooths. My shoulder is finally getting better and can raise my arm above my head for the first time in a year. Needless to say, I'm amped up to cut loose this summer. I'll save a spot on my floor for you. Onward into the fog, JJ

Dear Friends and Colleagues, Good news! The new guidebook to the Wind Rivers' Cirque of the Towers & Deep Lake by Steve Bechtel is on its way from the printer, a month earlier than I anticipated. You can go to the web site now for more information and even see spreads from this unique and spectacular FULL COLOR guidebook. Better yet, order your copies now and I'll ship it to your door the day it arrives in Livingston, sometime next week. Time to start planning your summer climbing trips. Thanks everyone in advance for your continued support of First Ascent Press and I look forward to seeing you in the mountains. Cheers, Joe Josephson First Ascent Press

I've climbed California Ice in April at it was great. Some routes in Cody like Moratorium, Mean Green, High on Boulder, etc will also be good until April. The sunny side of the South Fork should be good for months still. Cody is having one of the best years you will ever see. Hyalite is wide open too. The road is ice but casual.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by this. When the road closes it will be gated at the very bottom. This is 13.5 miles from Genesis I in the Main Fork, 11.5 miles from Palisade Falls in the East Fork, 12 miles from the Flanders drainage.

Here's the deal.... The Grivel North America Hyalite Ice Breaker is on Saturday December 1st. Instructional classes for the Ice Festival are on Friday (women's only) and then both Saturday and Sunday. So in theory (assuming you are a guy) you can do the Ice Breaker on Saturday and take a class on Sunday. Girls got it lucky, they can do classes both Friday and Sunday. Anyway, the Ice Breaker isn't a "normal" comp. It's just like going out climbing with a buddy for the day -- except you are trying to climb as many pitches as possible (along with a few other rules). It's designed to be accessible to everyone regardless of ability (as long as one person in the team can lead climb). The Instructional classes are just that. We ask for your experience level to help in putting groups together of similar abilities, etc, etc. The more advanced groups get plenty of time on various mixed lines and steep ice. Many of the people in the novice category do get a chance to get on steeper stuff depending where they are at for the day. If you are really concerned you should just put down intermediate. We are all pretty easy going out here so don't sweat it too much. It is class environment so there isn't really any leading going on (liability reasons) regardless of the class level. It's all on top rope. Does this help?

Eeh Umm... There are plenty o' pictures in the guidebook "Winter Dance."

As a reminder... There are two days of Hyalite Ice Breaker. The INVITATIONAL is Thursday November 29th and is limited to 16 climbers. This is where Pete Tapley, Whit Magro and all the other hard core locals will be competing against Guy Lacelle, Sean Issac and others. The OPEN division on Saturday, December 1st is open to everyone (that means you!) and hard core local knowledge will be less important than simply an ability to get after it at whatever grade you climb. The overall winner of Saturday's event get an automatic invite to the Invitational the following year. We will score all the climbs and if you climb two or more routes above a certain level you are automatically in the "advanced" segment. Otherwise you will be in the "recreational" segment. So you can actually climb no harder than WI 3 and 4s and still have a chance to win prizes. Hope to see you out here. We need you all to come out and help beat out the road so we can keep it open longer! BTW: the Sphinx is in and getting climbed lots and I'd bet Ice Dragons is in too. Come and get it.

Indeed. Once it calms down I bet the Big Ice Hose on the South Howser Tower will be perfect. It has six of the best back-to-back mixed pitches of any route you will ever do.

ALL snow machines are restricted to the Main Road ending at the Grotto Falls Parking Lot and to the East Fork Road no further than the Emerald Lake Parking Lot. This is part of the adopted travel management plan where snowmobiles are cut out of Hyalite all together except for the above mentioned roads. In the past, snowmobiles have been allowed anywhere and everywhere in Hyalite. It is important to note that in our negotiations with the FS last winter, we as ice climbers had to condone the plan of no snowmobiles past any of the trailheads in order to, in part, help gain consessions on the closed gate on January 1, which was the original adopted plan. I can not under-emphasis the process we went through to get them to change the gate plan and arrive at the positive place we are today. The Forest Service claims they will be enforcing these new rules rather strictly this first season. So in order for climbers to maintain our hard-won positive relationship (and out of respect for the hundreds of hours myself and others have personally put into this), it is imperative we are not among those that will be breaking the law (we all know the motor-heads are going to push the boundaries big time). Snowmachines on the road is a temporary situation until we sort out the plowing of the road and location of future XC Ski Trails. Eventually, snowmobiles will be banned from the road as well. The USFS is, however, committed to maintaining vehicle access to the Window Rock Cabin and Grotto Falls Parking Lot. This year it is snowmobiles on the road. Next year (08-09) this will be via a new snowmobile dedicated route on the west side of the reservoir starting at Blackmore. Long term, we hope and pray it will be via motor-vehicles on the main road once we get it paved and plowed to the bitter end. At this point snowmobile access will be irrelevant. So please for the sake of Christ, Allah, Yaweh, my own Buddha belly, or whatever floats your boat; help everyone out and do the right thing. The payoff down the road could be way better than any of us ever hoped for. And make no mistake, this new era in Hyalite and the potential we have for radically improved ice climbing access will be quashed faster than you ever thought possible if we don't show the Forest Service that ice climbers can be proper stewards of Hyalite and the current regulations, whether you like them or not. Comprende?

The reason they are not allowed past the Trailheads is because the larger Travel Management Plan that is now in effect is designed, among other things, to limit snowmobiles throughout Hyalite Canyon. In fact, the only reason we are able to use the road with snowmobiles or even cars at all is a direct result of the negotiatons last winter and spring between ice climbers, the Southwest Montana Climbers Coalition and the Forest Service.

NO snowmobiles are not allowed anywhere in the canyon except on the Main Fork Road to Window Rock Cabin and the Grotto Falls Parking Lot and also the East Fork Road to the Emerald Lake Trailhead. That's it. It will be VERY tempting for climbers wanting to go to "Dribbles" to ignore this (especially when other non-climbing motorheads do) but it is imperative that when in Hyalite we do the right thing. The Forest Service hopes to crack down pretty hard on enforcement this season as a few big tickets ($250) are one of the quickest ways to "educate" the public about the new regulations. We have worked extremely hard and put WAY too much into this. That is, we wouldn't even be in the position to have to road open at all if climbers weren't perceived by the USFS as responsible stewards. I'm serious here. With the golden fleece in sight, it's important we don't blow it now. Our goal this season is to pound that road into submission and get climbers and their vehicles to the trailhead as long as possible. Come one, come all. As you know, if climber traffic stays consistent there will be good climber trails going wherever you want to go. Go to www.hyalite.org for the latest updates.

Dean Lords is my hero. Seriously.

You know, Pete was climbing that pitch with a pair of the orange leashless BD tools (hell if I know what they are called) and in order to make it look like the new carbon fiber tool they are launching (hell if I know what it is called), they photoshopped the tool. Check out his hand. It's not angled right...

Hello everyone, I'm sure you are all anxious to hear the latest news on the ice climbing community actions regarding the Gallatin National Forest Travel Plan. Quite a lot has been going on behind the scenes but we are still up against the wall and are required to make a formal appeal which is due February 1, 2007. In a nutshell, the Forest indicated to Bill Murdock (County Commissioner and long time ice climber) they may be willing to reach a discretionary compromise without an appeal as it is in the Supervisor's authority to do so. Encouraged by these overtures, several of us spent many, many hours of coalition building with other user groups and developed a clear and simple plan requiring only minor "tweaks" to the Record of Decision (ROD); one which would have solved most of the concerns ice climbers have over future access to Hyalite Canyon. On January 12th, Bill Dockins, Bill Murdock, Sean Becker (City Commissioner and ice climber) and I along with several representatives of other user groups had a meeting with the most of the Gallatin Forest administration (seven total including Supervisor Becki Heath) and although they claim to be "listening" and are "very pleased" to see joint efforts between user groups, it is very clear they are happy with, if not proud of, the ROD and will resist any changes tooth and nail. Needless to say, many of us are now fired up. Fortunately, we have also been working on the official appeal process although it now needs to kick into high gear. Immediate concerns are determining who can be appellants, which is something of a frustrating, moving target. That is, what the regulations state versus who the Forest Service claims can be an official appellant is not entirely clear. The Access Fund and The Wilderness Society have been helping us sort through the legal and writing processes of the appeal. To my knowledge, several people have already volunteered to be appellants: Peter Aengst, Pat Callis, and Chris Naumann. If this administrative appeal process does not work then our only option would be litigation along with the huge costs involved (50K or more). A CALL TO ACTION So what can be done right now? JOIN or RENEW NOW Although the initial appeal process does not require full legal counsel and will not be too expensive, there have been (and will be) some financial costs. Most importantly, an quality appeal will require a certain level of legal research to create the strongest case possible. As the Forest said, "The responsibility is to prove us (the F.S.) wrong. And we don't want to be wrong." They actually said that. Our own, Bill Dockins has been a huge asset volunteering his time and expertise but he can not do it alone and we will need to hire some help. If you are not already a member of the South West Montana Climbers Coalition (SMCC) or the ACCESS FUND, please JOIN NOW. If you are a member but haven't sent in a renewal in recent memory, PLEASE RENEW NOW! Visit the Access Fund at: http://www.accessfund.org/ Additional Information on joining the SMCC can be found at: http://www.montanaclimbers.org/memberships.html OR, pay with a credit card at: http://www.firstascentpress.com/buy.html (I personally donate all the credit card merchant expenses so the entire membership fee goes to the SMCC) Fundraising: Any additional contributions or fundraising ideas are encouraged. Anyone interested in helping local fundraising efforts please contact me at joe@firstascentpress.com and I'll forward the information. Ice Climbing Survey: If you haven't done so already, please fill out the ice climbing survey at www.hyalitecanyon.com. PLEASE, take a few minutes of your time and spread the word. Here is a direct link. http://www.surveymonkey.com/Users/15554011/Surveys/719923082702/42E381A8-56AC-4028-A8E8-5EA9ED63BF73.asp?U=719923082702&DO_NOT_COPY_THIS_LINK Letters to the Editor: I really want to thank all the NW climbers that have taken the time to write letters. I would encourage everyone else to write a letter to the editor of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle (refer to http://bozemandailychronicle.com/webmaster/ for details). No one knows exactly how this might help but a full court press in the court of public opinion can't hurt. I can't suggest what to say nor would I suggest you simply rephrase anything else that has been published already. Write from your heart and specific to your own experience and needs. Suggestions on what the Forest Service should do are not needed. Write about how this personally affects you. Letter Writing Campaign: At some point, we will probably need to launch a letter writing campaign to our state and federal representatives. Anyone willing to spearhead this at the WA, ID, OR level should contact me. Additional Help: Moving forward, the biggest steps you can do to help right now are the ones listed above and spreading the word to all your local climbing friends and partners. As the February 1st deadline approaches, I am certain many additional tasks will reveal themselves. Please stay posted and active. Thank you all in advance for your time, energy and support. Please stay posted. Joe Josephson

Considering most of the posts on cc.com, I don't know if you're being facitious or not but in the spirit of assuming the best, the survey is at: www.hyalitecanyon.com

PS. Can the administrator of this forum make it a "Sticky" so it stays at the top of the page. Thanks in advance.

John F had posted this below in the thread regarding Hyalite Canyon access but since the survey we have developed is applicable to anyone that ice climbs, I thought I would re-post it here since it is getting buried in the other thread. If you've already filled it out, thank you and sorry to keep beating the horse. Note, the survey is set up so you can take it only once. The survey is at www.hyalitecanyon.com We greatly appreciate any effort you may give to the survey as it will be important down the road for us to show solid data on ice climbing usage and habits. Thanks again, Joe Josephson Here is the email that has been sent out: Recently adopted Travel Plans by the Gallatin National Forest severely threatens reasonable access to the world-class ice climbing found in Hyalite Canyon near Bozeman, MT. Montana State University, and the South west Montana Climbers Coalition have developed a quick survey on ice climbing and will be critical in our efforts to document Hyalite's unique status of one of the world's premier venues. The survey is located at: www.hyalitecanyon.com We encourage you all to take a few moments of your time to complete the simple survey. No sign up or registration is required and your responses are protected by secure encryption. We can not stress enough just how important it is for us to get as many participants as possible for this survey. Please spread the word to all your friends and partners interesting in ice climbing, even if they have not yet visited Hyalite. The data will provide extremely useful, if not necessary, information to present our situation to the Forest Service regarding the adopted Gallatin National Forest Travel Plan. If you are interested in reading more about this issue and the ice climbing communities reaction to this recent development, please visit www.montanaice.com/forums/index.php and go to the Hyalite Canyon Ice Conditions page. Thank you in advance for your time, interest and support. Again, the link for the survey is: www.hyalitecanyon.com Regards, Joe Josephson Director, South west Montana Climbers Coalition

OK. Twist my arm. Here it is. In Newfoundland. This photo is only one short piece of about 1500 feet of similar ice plastered onto an overhanging wall by the wind. Those ice fingers are up to 6 feet long. It is a day from the road (just) if the conditions are perfect and you know where to go. Since the approach is from the top, we TRed what we could and it was crazy, wild. We figrued we better try to climb it ground up from the bottom the next day (you can hike with one rappel to the base) but thankfully the pressure dropped 1,000 ft that night, it started to rain and didn't stop for 6 days. We got trapped by the storm with no way to get home and after escaping the flooded frozen lake we were on, the four of us subsequently ran out of scotch, food and fuel, in that order. As far as we know it has never formed since - going on 10 years now. But when it does - pure WI 8 baby. The skew of the camera and the way the wind caused the water to hit the wall, this photo doesn't do it justice but most of those slabby looking patches are vert to overhanging.

Canmore Junkyards gets my vote...

I could probably do it Friday night the 15th if someone wanted to rally and find a venue. I can send a poster file someone could print out to pollute the streets and notice boards of PDX with. I'm sure Climb Max would help out but isn't their new shop super small?

I know! Looking forward to more. Bring it on... along with beer.

Hey There, For all you CC "Ice Forum" Junkies that made fun of me or thought I was full of it last year when I posted a query about the longest ice climb, here is your chance to call BS in person. It'll cost ya five bucks though. All proceeds to benefit the Northwest Avalanche Center. Spread the word and see ya there. JoJo "Some Kind of Monster" a slide show and talk of experience, epics and the longest ice climb in North America by Joe Josephson. See images and stories of my seven expeditions to the Mount Logan area culminating in the 50+ pitch First Ascent of the North Face of Mount McArthur. Thursday, December 14th, 7:30 pm @ Feathered Friends. $5 suggested donation.

You can see the full color poster on the Feathered Friends home page. Thanks Eddie! www.featheredfriends.com