Lub

duuuuuude

Anyone know how the snow-pack is doing on the approach with all the weather? Also, any avy danger on the route?

would like to, but i can't leave town this weekend. so i was thinking about taking friday off and leaving thursday night. ...id like to get back there...

...anyone interested in going out there friday?

F*@%, I hate hiking, but I guess I better go back...

Anyone tick unclimbed A, yet? Or know if it's still there?

Boots are sold.

Let me know. It's been sitting around for a while. I've always had a different one that I use, so it's time to get rid of it. Plus, I need to pay for the new boots I just bought!...

Ortovox F1 Tranceiver is basically brand new. It is a few years old, but was never used. $150 http://en.ortovox.com/transceiver/f1_focus.html Salomon Pro Ice Boots, size 9 1/2. Used about four or five seasons of climbing ice. Still have tons of life left in them. They just never fit quite right on me. $50. (I'll get some pictures of the boots posted soon.)

Chill dudes and dudettes are good, but staying away from everyone is better. Cody will be empty during the middle of the week, Hyalite will be empty enough on the weekend...

Anyone headed that way mid February? I'm not looking for a partner, but I'd like to share a ride/gas. I could drive my car, also, and you could have it to use once there (pending the results of a 12 hour psychological evaluation on the way there). However, if I could get a ride, I don't need rides/a car once I'm in Bozeman. I'm hoping to get at least 4 or 5 days of climbing, but I'm pretty flexible as long as I go over Presidents weekend, Feb. 13th-16th +/- a few days (I could take that whole week off as well if anyone were interested in a 9 or 10 day trip...). Anyone? Otherwise, it looks like I may only get two days of climbing over the weekend.

I grew up in Sioux Falls, made a lot of friends from Rapid while living in Montana, and get a kick out of finding South Dakotans in strange places. Small world.

605? South Dakota!? Really?

Thanks. Oy, The Man. Oh well, real ice is worth a minor fiasco now and again. Going back in just a few weeks! Anyone else headed that way?

Huh, I thought that pillar was there every year. Well, now I know what to call it! Casey will be thrilled to hear that he had a mustache ride.

photos?

Ha, right. For some reason, I had the two backwards in my mind when I wrote this. The Good Looking One was super picked out at the bottom. Come and Get It...just looks terrifying.

Whoa, I think I was in some sort of illness-induced daze coupled with too many dreamy conversations of the route...Definitely didn't get on Come and Get It...Insert, The Good Looking One. I, certainly, don't have the balls for that at this point...

Moira took some from the ground. I'll have to get them from her or get her to post up. The left side was pretty picked out. The right side, though, was pretty virgin if you stemmed over.

Trip: Hyalite - Date: 1/16/2009 Trip Report: Due to my disdain for life in Portland and love of Montana and its frozen goods, I decided it would be a good idea to make my second trip of the year. Despite a cold causing me to hack my lungs out, Moira and I left last Friday after work for two days of climbing. After two incidents with the law (and roughly $250 in fines), we finally got to Bozeman at 6:30 am, tried to catch a bit of sleep and some breakfast, and slowly headed up the canyon. Feeling tired and sicker yet, we started our day at the Unnamed Wall. First off, a friend of mine from Bozeman and I jumped on The Good Looking One, which was great fun and a total hook-fest. After that we headed over to the Elevator Shaft and found super-plastic conditions. The Thrill is Gone was full of ice and looked great. However, I'm over frozen showers. We were feeling the effects of sleep deprivation, so we headed to the amphitheater for one last quick route. The steep pillar was full of brittle ice and finding good sticks was tough, but it was fun none the less. Day two was short on climbing, although fun. With Cleos in mind and an interest in checking out Airborne Ranger, we started at Twin and found generally funky ice and a party on the needle. So, we headed over to the mummies. Mummy II was stellar plastic with lots of fun lines. The Scepter is also in huge. I walked over with every intention of doing it until I found it to be a total shower. Something about 30 degree water really turns me off. Perhaps, not the most productive two days, but considering illness and lack of sleep, it was good. Every day in Hyalite is a good day! Pictures to follow (if Moira will post them. I didn't take any, oops). Approach Notes: -Extra cash to pay off the authorities. -Any necessary items to ease your agro nature (after dealing with the authorities). -The canyon is FULL of donkey trails now! -You could ride your bike to the trail head on the beautifully plowed road. Thank you JoJo and everyone else who made it possible.

Just got back from Bozeman tonight. Must go back... February couldn't come soon enough.

If you're headed to Montana or Wyoming... From http://mtavalanche.com/current/: AVALANCHE FATALITY IN WYOMING An avalanche near Cody, Wyoming, claimed the life of an experienced ice climber on Friday. He was climbing the "Main Vein", a south-facing route, when the bowl above the climb avalanched. The debris funneled down the gut of the climb like a freight train. His partner and rope held him, but not before being fatally traumatized. This area historically has minimal avalanche danger because of the lack of snow. Not this year. Lots of fresh snow and high winds have created unstable conditions. And these atypical avalanche conditions are not just in Cody, they're all over the west.

There's never a ton of information to be had on montanaice.com. Ice is in, and the road is plowed. That seems to be the important part.

Anyone want to climb today?