jja

The drive down route 1 erased all evidence of your so called calling card, so w/o photographic proof, I am still unscathed. Did Honeyman falls on Saturday. The first pitch was mostly dry, with splashing water in the middle. Led up the left edge on mostly dry ice with so-so pro. Cracked led his second ice pitch ever to top us out bypassing the gusher in the middle on the left again. Tossed the rap ropes over the edge and right into the water. Was gonna do cherry ice, but a bunch of people were on it so drove out to bridge to check out some stuff. For those wondering, the log jam, boulder, 2x10 combination is still in place for NnG. Got back into town with some light left so did cherry ice (bring two ropes and rap, the walk off sucks). On Sunday, drove out early to do salmon stakes against dru's best wishes. shoulda listened. Crossed the river with garbage bags, and headed up the crap gully, in crap wet warm weather. Ice was all wet and crappy, decided it was better to head down the crappy gully in the morning when it was 35F instead of later in the day when it would probably be 40F and raining crappy boulders. So we bailed (we were the only car in the bridge canyon). Drove to marble canyon and had some fun watching Wayne1112 pull some amazing shit on tr. And for his 4th day on ice ever Paul led the dihedral. Look Mom, NO GORTS !!

yikes! and I thought -25c at lillooet was burly!

I'll give you two other rei optons Just south of sea-tac off of I5 in federal way is an rei, easy on / off highway. Further south in tacoma is another rei just off the highway. They are both on the way to the mountain. Also if you are headed to the paradise / nisqually entrance there is a climbing shop that is part of the rmi guiding outfit in ashford. click here

Forget everything I wrote, this is the answer:

PP, Pure ice climbing is easy. So I'd say you're right 80% of climbers are in the 4/5 range - if by that you mean able to get up the climb. Leading an ice climb is a whole nuther thing. Unlike rock (for the most part), the difference between tr'ing a pitch and leading a pitch on ice is more than mental. Placing pro on ice is a chore, and requires good technique on the steeps to avoid getting pumped. So I guess I'd say 80% of climbers lead in the 3/4 instead of 4/5 range. When I'm looking for a climb I look for 4's to lead when I think the ice is "good". If it's brittle, really thin, rotten, aerated, or dinner plating 2+ scares the hell out of me. So I guess I look at wi ratings as a starting point, they give an indication of how hard a climb is in "typical" conditions. I then adjust up or down (usually down in my case) depending on the other factors you mention. Go ahead and buy those tools!!

HR, Don't feel guilty, go to rei, try them on, find the correct size, and then order them through the web.

Earlier this summer I bought Kayland approach shoes at Second Ascent, don't remember if they carry the mtnring boots though.

I got it, I got it! I got your number on the wall! I got it, I got it! For a good time, for a good time call....

Jenny, Jenny, you're the girl for me. You don't know me but you make me so happy. I tried to call you before but I lost my nerve. I tried my imagination, but I was disturbed.

Jenny, I got your number. I need to make you mine. Jenny, don't change your number, 8-6-7-5-3-0-9, 8-6-7-5-3-0-9 8-6-7-5-3-0-9, 8-6-7-5-3-0-9

Jenny, Jenny, who can I turn to? You give me something I can hold on to. I know you think I'm like the others before Who saw your name and number on the wall.

WI2 ?? hell, even I can do that one!!

It was too cold this weekend to take out the camera and futz with the small controls. But I did manage to take a couple of pics. Here's one from today, ice ice baby at the rambles. There's a bolted finish on this one up to the tree - didn't do it. Thanks for the beta on this one Dave!

Here's another one I've never seen before. Just outside of town on 99 at one of the parking lot's near seaton lake. Looks fun, and convienently terminates at a tree.

hey dru, I don't know much about this area, but driving back home today there was a huge concentration of climbs between boston bar and yale, with more ice as you get closer to yale, on both sides of the valley, but especially on the other side of the rail tracks. Some of them seemed real real big. Has all this stuff been done?

Me and Greg_W drove route 2 last Sunday, it looked in then .. get a boat and go for it shit with all this cold the river's prolly frozen, fuck the boat

-22C and polish bob's firewater what more could you ask for this weekend

hey bob, I reserved a room at the mile-0 for thursday, friday, and saturday night. We'll (me and IIB) be there around 9pm on thursday. I'll be in the most boring car ever (white ford taurus), if somebody needs a floor <no bed snuggling for me > to crash on come find me (ask at the desk what room I'm <john aguiar> in).

ok mugs and jugs friday night. you like that kokenee crap right?

Dru, Do you know what the state of the river crossing for NnG is? Last year there were a couple of well placed 2x10's.

No photos. But kiddie cliff is on the left side of the valley a couple of hundred yards before you break out of the forest near source lake. It sometimes gets half buried in snow. From the upper parking lot follow the ski track (now closed to uphill traffic - see access forum) past the water tower until it turns into a single trail. Keep the cliff system(s) to your immediate left, you'll see some ice (or maybe not) in 30 - 45 minutes. There is some avi danger here, and at the climb itself, so buyer beware.

push me

I have to work on the 31st and the 2nd , but I'll be there on the 3rd and 4th with ice_ice_baby. Will there be a pube club north at mugs, or maybe the vic?

Dangerous, shamerous. Learn like I did .. buy a whole bunch of crap that you'll have to sell later cause you end up not liking any of it, then go out and find someone even less experienced than you and go have yourself an epic or two. Seriously, don't over think this. Find another novice and go spend a day on a tr on kiddie cliff at alpental. Then go to Lillooet and lead the first pitch of the left climb at the rambles (WI2) a bunch of times. Even a novice can do this with 3 or 4 screws. The central gully at rambles might be a little steep for you but the far right gully's first pitch is doable at wi2+ and the second pitch is 2-. You could also go do plan B in bridge river or god forbid go set up a tr at marble canyon. The point is, just get out there and climb, it's not rocket science, just stay on moderate terrain until you figure it out.

Somebody please sell me a more better ice map!! I'll even pay in canadian funny money.