Big Four Ice Caves?

[Lambone]

So I just ordered some new tools, and I cant wait to swing them...

I've heard a little bit about Ice Cave bouldering near the North Face of Big Four, and any time I hear the two words 'ice' and 'cave' in the same sentence I think "coooool" !

So if you please, forgive my ignorance of the Cascades and offer beta on this adventure. Stuff like how to get there, how far is it from Seattle, and what is the approach like would all be relevant and usefull information.

Any other personal opinions or anicdotes about Ice bouldering, the Big Four Caves, or Pre-Ice season Angst are also welcome and encouraged. Thanks yall...

[Cpt.Caveman]

Go to Big 4 mtn(details are in the Beckey Book and if you cannot find it then well.. You must be shmokin dope). The walk is 5 minutes on an easy trail. Wear your helmet. Rox fall off the mtn there. I have nearly been hit more than once when getting close to the face. Drive is not too far. I don't remember the time though.

Most of what I could have done there last time was boulder and toprope. Most of what I saw was 20 feet or less but maybe someone else has seen or done differently. I don't recommend getting inside the caves. They are known to collapse without warning and have killed people.

I think it would be a great spot to boulder around alone.

[ 11-06-2001: Message edited by: Cpt.Caveman ]

[Lambone]

Damn that sounds kinda sketchy! So it is on the terminus of a glacier like the Coleman or Nisqually? Is the quality of Ice pretty good?

Lets back up a second, where is Big 4 or at least which Becky Guide do I refer to?

The approach is only five minutes! Wow. Is it a popular spot for climbers or picture takers?

[Cpt.Caveman]

No glacier. They are basically avalanche debris snow sitting at the base of a large rock face.

It is in the green book. You are going to head out towards the area near Mt Pilchuck and keep going... Lots of parking. Last year I saw where some waterfalls could form. I am sure they have already been done....

The ice is good and is like glacier ice. I don't think it is sketchy I just put in the fair warnings. You don't necessarily need to climb inside the caves. THere is ice on the outside and plenty of it.

[ 11-06-2001: Message edited by: Cpt.Caveman ]

[philfort]

The approach is about a mile. If you can do that in five minutes, well.... you're pretty fast. It's an extremely popular spot for rural folk to take their families/girlfriends/boyfriends to. Usually tons of people wandering around.

I have been there several times - usually after having done somethign else in the area, we walk in, green Beckey book in hand, and marvel at the headwall above the snow accumulation, which sports "class 4" routes up nearly vertical, wet, unprotectable slabs.

Get a road map, go to Granite Falls, and take a left at the end of town onto the mountain loop hwy. There are signs, and large picnic/parking area. And the mountain will be pretty noticeable too.

I've only poked in the entrance of the caves, never gone in. Big chunks fell from the ceiling while we were looking in. I don't recall seeing any obvious stuff to boulder around on without going in the caves though (just lower angle stuff on the surface of the snow/ice accumulation). But maybe I'm not remembering correctly. Maybe on the sides of the snow? Moat?

It's obviously a dangerous area to approach if its snowing, or warm, since you have 4000ft of 45 degree terrain above you.

[TimL]

[ 11-07-2001: Message edited by: TimL ]

[Cpt.Caveman]

I was pretty fast last season before my beer gut grew For you to say it is a mile is kinda funny. I thought it was like 1/2 mile. I don't read the books much and give it a gut feeling. I think I could still make it in 5 minutes...

You can boulder on the sides and in moats. This time of year there would not be anything big enough to avie and kill you from the face. I doubt there would be anything but rox falling of the face for a while at least..

Don't let one man's reference as nothing to do deter you if you want a cool bouldering day to check out your tools.

[ 11-06-2001: Message edited by: Cpt.Caveman ]

[mattp]

The Big Four picnic ground is on the Mountain Loop Highway, probably twenty five miles from Granite falls.

The caves are reached by a trail, probably no more than a half mile and with a total elevation gain of no more than 300 feet, that has been under reconstruction for the last two years with the goal of making the entire thing wheelchair accessible.

The ice caves are in the "Rucker's Glacier," argued to be the lowest glacier in the lower 48 but I believe it is not really a glacier but more accurately described as a permanent snow remnant from the avalanche debris that piles up each winter (the face above is about 4,000 feet high). So there are a couple of caves, usually about 20-25 feet high, icy tubes that head under the snow which at this time of year will be more or less like firn ice. There are some falls on the cliffs above, and these freeze up a couple of times a winter but the elevation is very low. In the right conditions, some long snow/ice routes can be had there, and about five years ago there was a very nice article in the American Alpine Journal describing one route, mixed and ice and stuff, that was quite hard.

[ScottP]

In late season, I have set up a top rope and done some "seracing" in the moat. Beware your screws melting out. It might be better to hammer in (and perhaps tie off?) some shorter pickets.

On the other hand, I have done a six pitch climb up the wall above the western remnants, starting in the obvious low-angle groove to the top of the overhanging block. From there, wander up the path of least resistance. There were pins and an occasional bolt.

[philfort]

Didn't mean to deter you by saying I didn't see any ice worth climbing. When I've been there, I've been concentrating on that terrifying rock stuff, not looking for ice to climb. Go there, it's an impressive place.

And only about 1.5 hours from Seattle, not 2 or 3 as TimL suggests.

http://sports.yahoo.com/parks/acts/19/wa/0605/13011.html

Aha! 1 mile trail, I am right!

Yeah, probably pretty safe right now, until we get some more big snow storms.

More cool info, with cave maps:http://www.glaciercave.com/html/bigfou_1.HTM

[ 11-06-2001: Message edited by: philfort ]

[Lambone]

Cool, thanks guys! I'll have to head up there and check it out

[Jman]

Thanks Phil,

I was just about to post the same: only about one to 1-1/2 hours from Seattle and a 1 mile approach on easy trail.

Funny how all these guys spew out numbers, ratings, and other minutia about some wandering "path" up an obscure rock face (with absolute certainty, mind you) but can't seem to get correct just a couple of easy details about a major tourist spot!

[Cpt.Caveman]

Nice photos there on that page Phil. I rate the trail 5.9 WI5 V12 M9 B1 S7 Grade VI

[ 11-07-2001: Message edited by: Cpt.Caveman ]

[Lambone]

Is that what it looked like back in the sixties? Dwayner, Pope...???

I wonder how hard it would be to get fully horisontal on that thing... locked off figure fours, and campus moves. It'd be sick...until it caved in on you that is

[DLL]

I know for a fact that there are some really nice, thin lines that form on the slabs to the right of the main caves. Most are in the range of two to four pitches, just don't expect good belays. These can be descended by climbing until you hit the big bowl, then traversing to the climbers right and scramble down through brush, possibly making a rap. By the way, if anyone is interested, Sprindrift(referred to earlier in this post) was repeated a few years ago by some dude that Bart knows. Solo. Still awaiting a third though, anyone keeping an eye out?

[Cpt.Caveman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by DLL:

I know for a fact that there are some really nice, thin lines that form on the slabs to the right of the main caves. Most are in the range of two to four pitches, just don't expect good belays. These can be descended by climbing until you hit the big bowl, then traversing to the climbers right and scramble down through brush, possibly making a rap. By the way, if anyone is interested, Sprindrift(referred to earlier in this post) was repeated a few years ago by some dude that Bart knows. Solo. Still awaiting a third though, anyone keeping an eye out?

---

True True I saw some icicle wanting to form way out right and several hundred feet from the base last year. Looked like they were a bushwhack to get in there but could be worth it. Are those the ones you talk about?

[erik]

bone,

don't waste your time heading to big 4 to play with your tools. go up to rainier or another real glacier. the big 4 is a nice place to take the girlfriend or something, but not to hack on some cobra's.

[DLL]

CC, no the line that I did was closer to the center of the base, where melt from the bowl above comes dowm the lower slabs. I know the line that you are referring to though, looks like tons 'o fun. If it ever starts to get real cold, we could organize a scoping schedule, that way I don't have to drive all the way out there every weekend.

[Lambone]

Global warming sucks...

[thelawgoddess]

quote:

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Originally posted by lambone:

Global warming sucks...

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i agree.

[iain]

does every thread on cc.com have to become political like this?

[eric8]

I was at big four ice cabes two weeks ago. There was plenty of good bouldering outside the actual caves, mostly just traverssing. Don't both heading up to the moat if your just starting like me instead go to west side of the caves thats where the best traversses were.

[Colin]

DLL said:

 

"Sprindrift(referred to earlier in this post) was repeated a few years ago by some dude that Bart knows. Solo. Still awaiting a third though, anyone keeping an eye out?"

 

Who was the soloist? Miles?

 

Also, the route was climbed by 7 people last winter, in three different parties. When DLL made that post it was still awaiting a third, but I thought I'd clarify.

 

[ 11-06-2002, 07:10 PM: Message edited by: Colin ]

[Alex]

quote:

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Originally posted by DLL:

Still awaiting a third though, anyone keeping an eye out?

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Spindrift? Still awaiting a thid what, ascent? This route was climbed by many parties last winter...

 

Alex

[jules]

Lam,

Head up the Mtn Loop Hwy, approx 14 miles (?) past the Verlot Public Service Center, see the Big Four Ice Caves trailhead to the right. Road to parking lot is gated as of last weekend. Park outside of gate, adds about .25 miles to a 2 mile round-trip. Cold as heck last weekend, caves seemed pretty solid, but my partner reminded me "it doesn't bother you this is enough ice to kill you?" when I wandered inside. Toproping in the furthest-west cave and bouldering all over the basin with incredibly easy access. The drive is about 1.5 hours from Seattle.

 

[ 11-06-2002, 09:05 PM: Message edited by: jules ]