JoshK Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 erik said: JoshK said: Dalius s too! Talk about trial by fire for a guy's first real experience with mixed and crappy snow&ice climbing! SO JOSH WERE YA SCARED UP THERE, SINCE IT WAS YER FIRST TIME? DONT WORRY I AM SURE STEBBI WAS GENTLE AT 1ST!!!! No, I was talking about Dalius. But you are still a sick bastard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleblebleb Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Actually, Josh was a bit scared up there I think. Probably not as scared as I was when I followed what he had just been leading though I'm bringing a mallet for my next rime ice climb. It'll fit just dandy with the chainsaw and machete on the Cascades rack The couloir was swell though. Took about 2 hours to climb and we didn't rope up until we'd gained the ridge. Nelson says the character of the climb is dominated by the snow and ice in the couloir - not right now it isn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalius Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 Alpinfox said:That west ridge was heinous with big snow mushrooms all over the "mid 5th class" rock. Alpinfox, sounds like you had a similar experience. We got up there, expecting to find 5.6 blocky rock with some snow on it, but ended up finding a bunch of crap ice with a little rock hidden under it. 5.6 rock my ass. You could barely even see any rock! Like Josh said, some pitches required hours of excavation. So what is it? Why do the guidebooks suggest that you'll find 5.6 rock at the top in April and May? Why don't they say "mixed adventure climbing"? Is this year so different that the snow and ice are sticking around way later or is this the norm for this route this time of year? John, aka Juan, did you say you thought about rapping down to us? That was me belaying the guys up when I saw you on top. The terrain we were in must have looked pretty interesting from up there. Turned out to be some rockin' weather huh, considering the nastiness up there the night before? Too bad we couldn't swap tales over brews, but we didn't hike out until 3:30 this morning. Thanks again for the boot path. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleblebleb Posted May 19, 2003 Share Posted May 19, 2003 No he was going to lower GU not rap. He probably saw you at the belay and instantly figured out you didn't have any GU I guess the rime is normal, first time I climb a mountain this big and steep under these conditions though so I don't really know. That ice was so useless though! Bash bash, nothing solid to stick a pick in but still solid enough to resist clearing. Fucked up! Mixed adventure climbing, that's right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalius Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 GU, as in the pasty pre-digested energy crap? Missed the joke. Haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 dalius said: So what is it? Why do the guidebooks suggest that you'll find 5.6 rock at the top in April and May? Why don't they say "mixed adventure climbing"? Is this year so different that the snow and ice are sticking around way later or is this the norm for this route this time of year? This year is very very different! By May in a typical year all that stuff in the Stuart range and in Boston Basin is well on its way to melting away for the season! Not this year. Consider that in a normal year, getting on Triple Couloirs after mid-APRIL is pushing it if you want to get on alpine ice. Consider that people were water ice climbing in the Olympics in April! Everything so far says that this late Winter and cold Spring is making everything 4-6 weeks later than normal. Except Index Town Walls!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleblebleb Posted May 20, 2003 Share Posted May 20, 2003 Right-o Alex. I guess things make more sense that way. Either way it was a fun climb. The couloir is going to get more spicy as the season winds on, the ridge much less so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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