Alex

thanks for the report!

I also have used a similar product made by Mammut, which is kind of a contraption really, and I found the Gigi and Reverso/ATC Guide better than the Mammut product.

I bought a GiGi after Gene busted it out a few times back about 10 years ago, and I agree for guide mode its ok but the lack of versatility made me go reverse/ATC guide eventually, I really only want to carry 1 device.

Baring in the center.

whoever is charging you 250 for that Panasonic is minting money. Its worth 50$ at most. If you are patient with craigslist and start refining your searches, you can find really excellent bikes for reasonable sums.

nice effort nick. im sure mark and colin would get a kick that they helped you, but always remember the fire comes from within!

The ice floss is great for really long multi pitch routes where weight is at a premium, or complex mixed routes where there might be a lot of rope drag. Polar Circus, Murchison, Trophy Wall, that kind of stuff. But I tell you what it's very stretchy and pulling it on long rappels gets very tiring! Its so small diameter it's harder to grip and so stretchy that at the end of the line even with 2 strands its extremely bouncy. If you are just buying a cragging rope(s) I honestly would opt for thicker strands these days.

I just posted a reply to your PM. Basically, the Smart Car will make it to Lillooet. Just make the call when there whether to go up the Duffy, or not depending on the snow condish in town. If no Duffy, go to Marble.

I'm finally getting around to revising and adding a bunch of info from the last number of years to wastateice site. By my count there are 40+ new routes the last 3 years alone, and trying to keep up with them and my kids was ill-fated. But anyway, the revisions and updates (do/will) include but not be limited to: * Some links to fun ice-climbing videos * Bunch of better quality images and image updates all around. * Ellensburg and Coleman Falls online. * large Strobach revision, new routes. * large Leavenworth edits and revisions. * the 800-pound Gorilla: trying to get Alpental online * hopefully much more! If you browse the site and see missing stuff or errors, pls give me a shout. Thanks, Alex

full disclosure, I don't have a sled anymore, still want to go?

thx for the update. I will head in in next two weeks and see what happens.

Housing isn't too hard. And you will have no trouble whatsoever meeting people. If you can find work, there is little if any downside.

Nice!

very cool, that reminds me of slab ice climbing in new England, thanks for sharing!

kind of silly. so when will my guide start selling for 250-500$??

I know its difficult to say just from looking at pics, but having done this route it doesn't look any thicker in your pics than it did when we did it in Spring conditions.

It's December and it's been very dry, so you should just go and not worry about it

mine are back from the "day"...a pair of cheap goretex shells from Campmor which were about 10$ and far less tech than anything OR made or makes, and a pair of double polartec 300 liners. idea is that if its that freakin cold, don't really need "waterproof" as there is no running water I've only used them occasionally in the last 25 years. back in the day when I would try to go ice climbing in colder than -20C, for example, but I haven't been that silly in a while.

There are two sets of lead bolts. (Or better be.) The summitpost.org page pretty accurately describes the routes, and even uses my own photo of my climbing partners at the crag, with routes traced in red. Thanks, Alex

Hm. I am a "route setter" too, and I never created routes for any kind of acknowledgement, actually. Some of the routes I put up, in hindsight, were kind of mediochre. Some were pretty good. I got to climb all of them first, with my friends, and open new venues to our own exploration without the crowds. Then we moved on. That was my reward. If some of my routes make the new guidebook, cool. If they don't, I honestly don't f'ing care. If my name is associated with them or not, I never drilled a bolt or did an FA for anyone to know about it.

bigeo, you aren't going to be served by waiting. you gotta just get out there and try. you fail/back off a few times, but you'll get up the thing sooner if you have the logistics wired because you've already tried it twice before the same winter. It's only Dec 14th! Drury will likely have at least 2 more months of likely in-ness.....

By "BC" assuming you are talking Lillooet because there is overkill of info on Canmore/Banff. The general "early season"/"most mileage for the buck" script for Lillooet is to head up on the Duffy the first day for practice at Rambles, and second day to Marble Canyon, heading home either back through Lillooet or all the way to Cache Creek depending on how you are feeling. By doing this you can probably get 3+ pitches in each day of relatively moderate ice with top-roping options. There aren't that many other places where you wont have to lead at least a pitch of 4 or 5 to get up and off a route. Honeyman's is one option but it is relatively high-flow and so can be not fully formed this early, though with the cold it probably is. Places to stay: I've stayed at Mile-0 almost always, but there are a couple other motels in town.

pretty cool, collectively it reminds me a bit of belmore / isadorth gullys up on the duffy

They crossed Lake Jolanda, downstream of the drainage, in a non-inflatable boat. I highly *highly* recommend this approach (from experience, ppl!!) to the other more traditional crossing spots further upstream. I also highly recommend you wear a PFD and helmet, regardless of what crossing you do. While crossing at Lake Jolanda adds hours to your day, right now there is not much snow so travel is as fast as it ever will be, and it adds a safety factor to the crossing that, compounded with the low av hazard in the drainage *this week* makes for one of the safest ways to approach and climb Drury. You know you will be heading back across in the dark, might as well make it the least stressful deproach possible!

If you are really constrained to WA, then the two places you haven't gone yet which have steeper routes are the routes to the side of Pandome Falls up at Baker, and Rap Wall at Alpental. That said, if you are stoked on mixed and not constrained by climbing in WA, I would head to Lillooet / Marble Canyon (closest), which now sports some really nice mixed lines, Banff (more sport oriented) or Hyalite (more trad oriented) over WA any day of the week.