keenwesh

Report for 12/14 Plenty of ice today, Over easy, Curtains, and the last pitch of Land of the lost all looked good to go. Over in the Dribbles area (the only place I seem to go these days) Dribbles itself is in absolutely fantastic shape. Here's a shot of yours truly below the headwall pitch, with an 80 meter rope (get one, they rock) you can make it to the trees at the top. I went over to Silken Slot and Silken Falls after rapping down avalanche gulch and the ice conditions looked good on the upper pitches. The first pitch of Silken Falls has a 5 inch thick breakable ice sheet over snow which is all over the good ice. I knocked off a ton of the shit before deciding to rap off because if one of the sheets hit my feet I could easily envision getting knocked off the flow. With a rope and a partner both climbs would be good to go. I ran into Adam Knoff and friends who just bolted a mixed line in the amphitheater in between fat and thin chance. I think he said 3 bolts (M4) to a flow of ice that is probably in the WI4 range. Sounds like a fun one, get on it! He also said that Good looking one is in, but more difficult than it was last year. I'm planning on taking a look on Monday. More conditions on the Unnamed Wall. These are all from my observations from afar today: Fat One is looking not super fat, but definitely fun. As the season progresses the initial steep part gets shorter and shorter as the ice builds. Thrill is Gone is in good shape. I assume Elevator Shaft is good to go, ask laurel, he climbed it last weekend. The curtain on bingo world isn't super wide, so bulldog world is on the more difficult side right now. I'll try not to impale myself on my crampons if I jump on (fall off?) it on Monday. Needless to say, Bingo world is not touching down right now. Someone was pulling hard on Roman Candle today, we were cheering him on from the parking lot. Upper Mummy and Zach Attack: Both were looking promising before the warm spell, unfortunately they're not looking to good. Mummy 4 is a tiny hanger that needs a lot more ice to even come close to touching down. Zack Attack is looking better, but still far from in. Craig Pope climbed Rocket Boy yesterday. Said it was a 40 foot M7 runout above the last bolt to the first screw. Use this information how you will. One last thing to add, avalanche conditions: Pretty stable where I was. There's a 4 inch windslab that I could get to slid only after several firm whacks with my whole arm. It's snowing again right now so it's changing. The guys on here know what they're talking about. http://www.mtavalanche.com/current/

haha oh man, the unnamed wall is not the way to make it to twin, I can see that route eating up 6 hours. Was there a guide with you or did they just untether you and say: "head in that general direction"?

where'd you go? Twin falls? I heard there was group that ended up missing the trail and floundering through the woods for a good part of the day on Friday. I hope that wasn't you!

monos all the way, if one point is shearing out two points will as well, plus the BD crampons have little secondary points that provide extra stability in soft, mushy ice. I find that I get more shattering and have to give the ice an extra kick or two when using dual points. Plus, monos allow you to pivot your foot without shearing out. Even another bonus, they're lighter! You might want to get someones opinion who actually climbs a lot of alpine ice if you're envisioning an AK trip or something. I've never been but I have aspirations and I will be taking monopoints. I simul soloed a 100 foot serac wall with my basque friend in the waddington range this summer (we go up! dis is fantastique!) and my monos neither sheared or even slipped once.

First off, sorry I haven't been keeping this more up to date, Since I made it back here after thanksgiving I've only made it to the canyon two days, finals and warm weather/rain have driven me into a beer drinking spiral of self pity and valley lassitude. Hopefully I can get back on track before I have family obligations during christmas week. Update for 12/8 It's cold and stuff is getting climbed. I went up and got on responsible today. here's a picture. Good solid and dry ice the whole way, but bring a LA to protect the first few moves onto the ice. We approached via the first pitch of avalanche gulch. While we were up climbing some fuckhead stole my poles that I'd left at the base. If you know one or more of the 8 people on dribbles today please punch them in the teeth and get me my stuff back. Total bullshit. Anyway, back to conditions. I can't personally speak to other routes besides what I said above because it was a whiteout all day and I couldn't see shit. Cleos was climbed yesterday. It's stout for WI5 right now but is only going to get fatter. Killer pillar isn't touching down yet, Both champagne and champagne slot are really good. If I blow off studying for finals tomorrow and get out I'll post up on what I see.

BD stingers are sweet, both in how they climb and how cool you look with green antibots on the soles of your feet.

not so fast, the cody report sounds real gud http://www.coldfear.com/conditions/

it's colder in town today, with forecasted cool temps for the next few days. check out this http://winter.junkfunnel.com/ I'd say this weekend is shaping up to be pretty good. Not as fat as it might have been, but good dry ice in fun conditions. Worth the drive in my opinion.

He's not gonna be out here until February, stuff should be nice and fat by that time. Hard not to keep complaining every chance we get though. Dribbles is in good shape at least. This warm spell is like my head cold, it sucks, but it'll pass before too long.

bone, the government is monitoring everything you do, so you might want to stop revealing the "truth" on here in order to avoid being silenced. They're out to get you, nowhere is safe, we are all gonna die!

if it doesn't get cold next week and build stuff up that bodes poorly for the icefest and the routes that receive the bulk of that traffic, think elevator shaft becoming a totally hacked out ladder climb, however with any luck shit will still be forming afterwards and there'll be enough building to repair the climbs even with the regular traffic they get. The ice might not be as great as it could be, but Hayden and his dad on Friday will be a great show, and the comp on saturday will be good fun. Make it out here and chances are you won't be disappointed. All profits from the icefest go to plowing the road and maintaining access through the end of March every year. Rest easy knowing you're helping everyone out by seeing shows and participating in clinics. See everyone next week!

I went and did Dribbles last night with the (almost) full moon, used headlamps when climbing but otherwise hiked in and out in moonlight, really cool. Go for it if you get the chance. The route itself was in good shape, a little thin on the top outs but not too bad. Just made it from the base of the headwall to the trees up top in a full 80 meter pitch. Unfortunately it's 50 degrees outside my classroom and is forecasted to rain in the next couple days, perhaps getting chilly again around monday. We'll see how Hyalite holds up, but I'm not very optimistic.

just take 'em up half dome http://vocr.sri.com/herson/climbing/tr/halfdome-kara.html

with a pack at my feet I have even less room. How big are your feet? My dad has a 3 person hillburg (maybe the Nallo?) that weighs 5 pounds and stays dry because it's double walled, the thing is bombproof and I'd take it to AK if I could ever get my shit together and go. it's also long enough to fit in comfortably with two 6' 6" individuals.

Maybe it's my clown feet. when I get supine in a BD I end up with soggy footbox in my bag as they're right against the end of the tent compressing the down and collecting moisture. Perhaps if I had a tentmate that would let me sleep diagonally I could manage. Sometimes I dryhump in my sleep though so that isn't a very comfortable solution.

Being tall sucks, I have a lightweight extra long 3 season sierra design tent that I use when I go winter camping. in a actual winter storm I would get absolutely ass fucked though, so probably would want to get a hillburg if you plan on the big mountains. For summer backpacking and fair weather mountaineering it's damn nice though. Not sure what it's called but for a 6 and a half foot monster it makes a really comfy den.

backcountry carries up to size 47.

yeah, thanks kevin. As much as I like throwing shit back and forth lets try and keep this thread strictly about conditions. If we must make sheep fuckin' jokes perhaps that can be done in spray. Keep it on topic team!

careful now lazzara, yer sounding like some kinda pansy. Foreign women and pad thai? Real men brave winter cold alone or in the company of other burly dudes (there are no women in MT, the country is too rugged for the gentle kind) and eat fresh killed venison for sustenance.

people get pissy about pounding pins, place 'em and don't tell. It's one of my favorite things about mixed climbing.

Wayne, you just reminded me. Mummy 4 is forming, and the last WI5 pillar on zack attack should be touching down momentarily. Those shots of you on Mummy 4 last year are sick, I hope to recreate them in the next couple months. Mummy 3 can be done without much ice, correct?

I've been getting lots of people PMing me asking for Hyalite conditions reports. Check here instead. I copy and pasted this out of a PM, so I hope that explains the haphazard way I listed these routes. Maybe next time when stuff is actually in I'll organize it a little better. I assume people would like being able to check what the ice is doing over here, let me know if that is too bold of an assumption. I've been getting interrogated quite a bit lately from ya'll PNW people, I should probably post a Hyalite conditions thread on here or something. I can also give info on the rosebud climbs, but it'll be second or third hand info as I have to attend school and can't go driving into the beartooths every 2 days, unfortunately. Current Conditions: Dribbles ain't in, not even a little bit. I haven't hiked up to it but looking across there isn't anything. Don't be discouraged though, Silken slot could be climbable, that gash stays pretty cold. What is in that I have climbed: Elevator shaft, fun WI4 pillar right now, bring KBs to place in the rock behind. GII, good shape, but the top step is a fucking waterfall, wear your hardshell and put your hood up, save it for the end of the day as you will get soaked. Routes that should be climbable by next week if it doesn't get super warm for some reason: Scepter is looking like the picture on the back cover of winter dance, actual WI5, git' it. Matrix maybe, it's kinda a long shot, but if it is in it'd be in really fun mixed shape. Feeding the cat looks like a good WI4+. Twin is in (of course). Fat One. Thrill is gone is thin where there's normally fat ice but it has been getting climbed. Small possibility that good looking one will be in. needs a few more days of cold temps. Genesis is in for the hoards. Over easy and curtains are forming, but probably harder than their advertised ratings. This is the time of the year that dielectric breakdown forms, if we get a cold snap jump on this one. Slot corner would be in with a day or two of cold temps. That's all I can rattle off the top of my head. ask me about other climbs I didn't mention and I should be able to provide you with some kind of response. For those wondering if it's worth making the drive over in the next week or so: I'd say it depends, none of the more difficult climbs are in, and the easy routes are all in difficult early season shape. The ice is thin enough that if it's warm out stuff isn't bonded and pillars can easily come down. If you're confidant climbing stuff that is a little sketch but way fun come out, if that kind of thing makes yer balls suck up inside your body maybe you want to go to thailand to clip bolts and drink fufu shit on the beach (I have no idea what you'd do in thailand, I've never been there, but probably not as fun as ice climbing in MT). Also, I'm leaving MT Friday afternoon to climb at Index, I will be away for my computer for a full week. Hopefully ya'll don't get too lonely without me. As soon as I get back in the canyon I'll update.

Just spent all the daylight hours today taking the tools for a walk to the beehive. When we finally found our intended route the descent to it was windloaded, the route wasn't really in, and it was 2 pm. I'd guess that the temps with windchill were around -10. In a month you'd want a sled so you could make it to the base within the short daylight hours. A good climb for you guys that shouldn't be too much of a slog would be Silken Slot combined with Dribbles or Silken Falls. The Slot is one of the best WI3's in the canyon, and the first pitch is a really fun 5.7 mixed pitch. The last (3rd) pitch is fantastic WI3 with a topout right next to a cool hyalite rock formation. Send me a PM before you come out and I should be able to give you a up to date conditions report.

that OS space shot is sweet! brings back memories of the last pitch of Iconoclast, and reminds me why I was glad I followed it.

cut the metal strap off the front of your crampons and run the keeper cord directly around your ankle. That'll help some of the heel lift as your foot will be more locked into the boot.