Alex

Hey John, us Bellevue-ite workers could start going to Marrymoor on the nice days, I was thinking about heading down there this afternoon....

Climbed at Banks on Saturday with Paul, it was a fun time! Alot of the ice around Banks was still in decent climbable shape on Saturday, but there was no one there, not even at the fat Punchbowl. The warm winds and warm temps predicted this week will probably spell the end to a very long season.

Broken Top is a pretty popular climb in the winter because its a reasonable ski from where you can park near Bachelor. Do you have Oregon High by Jeff Thomas? It covers the various routes up the headwall in detail... Alex

I don't know if Dan Smith remembers, but we were at Index once when a pretty serious "rockfall event" occured while we were heading over to Steel Monkey. Shit the size of bowling balls was moving at terminal velocity down and accross the scree slope between lower wall and country. Its was very frightening, even from a safe vantage (cowering behind large talus and later the Steel Monkey cliff band). Makes me never want to be near the Lower Wall during a seismic event in the future... ------------------ Wimp Climber http://www.mountainwerks.com/alexk/

Hey Erwin, I have skiied it twice, and I think the conditions would not be really good this weekend. The snowpack right now is unconsolidated layer over a hard crust, and skiing last weekend was not all that enjoyable because of it. On windswept St Helens you typically get alot of ice and alot of hard windslab in March, I would wait a little until April to do it. As to how long, it takes an average person about 4-5 hours up. Its 5000 vert. You can get some beta on approach from Jim Nelson's Selected Climbs in the Cascades Vol 1 - it describes Monitor Ridge, but I typically ski Worm Flows. There is a snowpark that is plowed, making this access year-round. Cheers, Alex [This message has been edited by Alex (edited 03-01-2001).]

Posted to R&I Ice Conditions. This is a mirror post should people search this site instead of that one. Pacific Northwest ---date climbed: February 28, 2001 It is the end of February and only the beginning of the end of one of the more strange, but still fruitful ice climbing seasons on the PNW. - Lillooet: Conditions have been very good on many of the area classics, including Synchronicity Bridge River climbs. - Whistler/Pemberton: Has been getting warm, but ice still exists South of Pemberton near Green River Thriller. Another week? - Banks Lake, WA: Many climbable lines still in, including a fat Devil's Punchbowl. Might have to thrash some alder to top out though. - Strobach Mountian: no report - Alpental: A surprising amount of short to moderate length water ice things still around the upper valley. NY Gully on Snoqualmie was climbed in "very little ice" conditions last weekend. N Face of Chair looks mixed, NE Buttress has a fair amount of loose unconsolidated snow on it as of last weekend. - Drury Falls: was fat 2 weeks ago, now is slush. - Levenworth in general: thin or not in. - North Cascades: throngs of PNW climbers wait in eager anticipation for highway 20 to open early this year due to lack of significant snowpack, which may result in several more weekends of good ice for those willing to drive and hike a bit. Cheers, and Happy Spring! Alex

*** [This message has been edited by Alex (edited 02-28-2001).]

that was fun, did Rainier erupt yet?

Zenolith Late March to April is very late season for ice for Lillooet or anywhere the Cascades. I would be very very surprised if you found any at all, unless it was at Washington Pass or higher than 6000 ft. Really. Your best bet is to go to Banff/Jasper. From Eugene its going to be around 15 hours. Bow Falls especially would still be in in late March and is a wonderful WI3 - WI4 ramble. The WI3 is called Photographers Gully, and is really nice! The WI 4 is optional, but is also just really nice. There are other isolated pockets of cold along the icefields parkway that would have ice this late in the season, like the first few pitches of Murchison, Five Seven Zero in the David Thompson country, and stuff like that, so you would be OK for a few days... email me if you want more specific suggestions. Alex

David, you ask alot of loaded questions that basically had me saying "it depends" for every one. But in general, V-threads are for *your* retreat, you are not establishing a rap anchor for others. And since it is for you only, it is up to you to be safe and feel safe with the system. Ethics about leaving behind cord aside, v-threads *in good ice* are much stronger than screws and much stronger than conduit. Don't use conduit! So here are the specific answers to your questions. When you set one up, should you expect that someone else might use it? >No. If so, then should you put a rap ring on it or one of those screw-shut chain links from the hardware store so your rope doesn't burn the perlon? >No. What do you do when you come across one in place? >I often use it whether on lead or decending, but it depends on the v-thread. You need to inspect it, and use it, or not. Often when decending, I will use an existing v-thread, especially if its clear that some additional freezing has taken place around the cord and if the screw holes are frozen solid. I also may skip using it in sun-exposed ice, or on a warm day. How safe is it? >What a difficult question! Who really knows without strengh testing it? It can be very safe or garbage depending on who made it and what the conditions are. I have rapped on many v-threads, most of my own creation, often from hanging belays in scary places with dark approaching. It makes me uncomfortable to say the least when rapping off a single anchor, and I am sometimes inclined to put in a double v-thread and rap off two anchors, rather than take the chance. How many rope pulls render it "unsafe" if there is no ring or link? >Probably one, but again, who knows? Depends on the diameter of the cord, the age of the cord, and so many subjective factors. Never assume a v-thread that you have not made is safe. In the summer, is a bunch of perlon at the bottom of a climb any better/worse than conduit? >It is trash, just like conduit is trash. I usually back up the first person rapping with a screw, but pull it for the last person. Is this the best way? > Yes. The heaviest person raps first, typically with a pack if there is one. That person raps with the headlamp, if there is only one, and sets up the next anchor for the second while still on rope. Then its off rappel, the second cleans, raps and arrives at the next station hopefully as the finishing touches are put on the next v-thread by the first. Ideally, while the first raps, the second is not clipped into the rap anchor at all, but to a seperate screw. If the anchor blows, no sense in taking both people with it. What do you think? >V-threads frightened me when I first started rapping on them. They are still somewhat scary in poor ice, but in good blue ice there is no problem. I have never heard of a *newly drilled* one failing. I have heard of ones that are re-used failing. Alex PS: oops, I just realized there is another one of these, oh well. [This message has been edited by Alex (edited 02-27-2001).]

I did not use a VBL, the bag was warm enough, even in the snow caves.

AJ, I use the Kong FiFi too, in fact I got the idea from your bother (I can still picture him stepping up on a 00 TCU past the crux on Iron Horse, and the TCU just falling out!) It works pretty nice, but you do need the right cord. Alex

Zenolith, I was in there last in mid-January, and it was still pretty thin, but climbable. About 4 lines were in (a minority), most pretty thin/mixed. Larry Nevers Jr has been in a few times this year as well and from the sounds of it things have not really fattened up - it has not been any colder up there than in Decemeber. Paul Sobo or Larry or Dean & Dana might have more to add about the current conditions there..?

I went in 2nd and 3rd weeks of May 1998, with a down dryloft -25 'F bag (REI). It was fine, the temps never got below -35'C at night and were usually warmer. I would suggest against synthetic only because Alaska is so dry you will not need to worry too much about getting the bag wet.

Smoke, scott and I went and looked at NF 2 weekends ago, with the intent of coming back to it still this winter, it looked very good at the time and we were both kicking ourselves for only having half a day off, but GREs and stuff is more important... There is very little snow on the face. Not sure what the recent precip has done this past week. Alex

Just a note on the climb "just North of H202 with no first pitch and no name". This route can be gotten on by traversing and climbing the horribly loose 4th class rock on the left side, in 55m, to a belay on ice. I recommed small nuts, bugaboos, and a #3 camalot, as the pro is there, and you will really need it. Fun excercise though! Alex

I was in on Saturday above Source Lake. Conditions would be similar in Commonwealth Basin. Basically stable av conditions, a light 6 inches was on top of consolidated stable stuff. No recent activity, and its only snowed once since then (last night), so you should be fine (but take a beacon anyway).

radios are particularly handy in situations where you have more than 2 people climbing or skiing in seperate teams that move at different speeds, like on Rainier or skiing St Helens or doing day-long approaches in the backcountry, or climbing two seperate routes on the same massif. They work much better above treeline (duh), but in general are useful for coordination when it comes time to get back to camp. Also useful in alpine situations where you have a "basecamp" and are doing long routes from camp, such as on Dragontail. If you are overdue chances are your buddies can contact you at predetermined times to see how you are doing...

Those mixed reports are right on. Pun intended. Alex

Mike, if you don't drink the Big Rock Traditional and say "washroom" they'll peg you for the Yank you are, and you'll get no respect. The only Yank the Canadians respect is George Lowe, because he's the only Yank who has ever outdone them at their own game

http://steviehaston.com/

hahaha, you are right, jokes on me! Appologies to both Bruce and Lyle!

To expand.. As would be retro-bolting Wyoming Sheep Ranch As would be placing bolts on Online, which despite having one bolt per pitch a la Yosemite and Tuolumne standards, is a very safe climb, for a 5.10 climber. As would be placing bolts on established thin ice testpieces like Drowning, Burning. However, that said there are alot of incindents where placing post-FA bolts have been accepted - Dana's Arch to preserve the rock from further pin damage, Stern Farmer to protect the hideous groundfall HB offset moves 30 feet up, the freeing of established hard aid routes in some areas, when permission by FA party is given.... I think its ultimately a judgement call, err on the side of respecting other's style over your own inadequacy.

I'm sure Lyle (who reads this board) will love being referred to as "some other guy"

so much for "retirement"