ivan Posted June 6, 2003 Posted June 6, 2003 almost climbed that whole damn thing last night...kinda like almost getting laid...the joy of anticipation...blue balls never tried it before, and was all by my lonesome on a very dark evening...can't believe how much hood's changed in the 2 weeks since i was last there....last time i saw i-rock there was what looked to be a continous snowfield to the top ridge, now there's just a big gully that ends in a wall, with a bunch of overhanging crap snow high up ...tried 2 gullies at the end of the main one, but each time ended up in 5th class stuff that, alone, in the dark, and in crampons brought out the think what ultimately turned me around was pulling lightly on this massive grey handhold, it popping off under only 5 pounds of pressure, then falling a foot before catching myself...got higher by taking the first gully to the right after entering the main gully, and reached the snowfield at the top, but it was overhanging the rock and had no holding power under tools...eventually i just circled around to illumination gap, scrambled up the rocks to the base of the wall right beneath the summit, decided shit looked really cool from that vantage point anyway, decided i had no desire to join the congo line of headlamps making there way up the hill, and took a nap for an hour...woke up and now i'm at work...swell so does i-rock usually go as a winter climb when there's more snow and ice holding the thing together? i've yet to see any route descriptions on it, but i'm sure the oregon high book must have them... Quote
Ursa_Eagle Posted June 6, 2003 Posted June 6, 2003 I was considering the snow gulleys a year ago when I was up there, but I decided just to continue on to Leutholds. I think some of my friends are going to be trying it in September. (i.e. rock climb, no snow or ice near it.) And yeah, there's a few routes listed in Oregon High. Quote
MtnHigh Posted June 6, 2003 Posted June 6, 2003 Eric, you should have asked Wayne about I-rock Wednesday night. He' very familiar. I think you can score photo copied route descriptions of I-rock at Climb-Axe. Quote
ivan Posted June 6, 2003 Author Posted June 6, 2003 shredmaximus said: I can't believe you did that shit solo and in the dark. You are one sick mofo! didn't feel so badass whimpering in fear while retreating down those crumbly ass cracks...in retrospect it was good times, but probably not what my mama needs to know about...i think that, when i finally get a chance to sleep, i'm gonna have bad dreams about the quality of the rock...i had this epiphany while descending; realized if i kicked hard enough my crampons actually bit into the grey rock...the only dependable feeling techinque was stemming....yarding on even huge blocks brought sphincter-quaking shifts can't wait to finish the damn thing...takers? we can do it during the daytime.... Quote
texplorer Posted June 6, 2003 Posted June 6, 2003 I suggest a summer attempt of Yokum including the first gendarme. More classic non-intentional trundling to be had up there too. Quote
ivan Posted June 6, 2003 Author Posted June 6, 2003 (edited) i did a good bit of trundling this morning...also had a near panic attack after a boulder shifted, trapping my foot for a minute before i could find a way to lever it out (and i didn't even have a sharp knife to hack it off, utah-style)...did you ever go back and finish off yoakoms, or are you waiting to prove it can be done in fall? Edited June 6, 2003 by ivan Quote
iain Posted June 6, 2003 Posted June 6, 2003 It has been done more than a few times in the fall already. There have also been some rescues off it in the fall. Enjoy. Quote
texplorer Posted June 6, 2003 Posted June 6, 2003 Yok can be done in fall, summer whenever. It'll just be hard to do that first gendarme. The rest of the route looks pedestrian but then I guess I won't know until I do it. Maybe this summer sometime. Quote
rbw1966 Posted June 7, 2003 Posted June 7, 2003 A friend of mine and a friend of Wayne's did it in August. The pics look awful. THe story is as Tex put it--lots of trundling to be had. Enjoy! Quote
wayne Posted June 9, 2003 Posted June 9, 2003 Great tr . It reminds me of when I first started exploring I rock It is a winter only thing, as things need to be glued in. Except for the toe-base area sport-rockclimbs which are summer only and dont have bolts yet. They are of high quality as well. It took me at least 6 or so attempts before I summited it in winter. It was too feathery along the ridge top mostly. It was hairball! Later I found out the walls below offer the most fun as the ice is firmer and the rock generally is too. I since have done 10or so new routes ,few of which I even summited on, as they would be grade 5 efforts if I had!!!!!. Just getting to the top of the west gable involves 3-4 solid pitches of hard mixed. It would still be 2 more after that to the summit! Quote
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