cracked Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 Did some ice cragging up there yesterday. Rained all day. The main (right) area that provided good climbing last year is a small hunk of snow. No caves, no walls. The left chunk is a bit better, at the top there are some moat walls/seracs that were about 60 feet high, but they are slabby, only the last ten feet make you pull on your tools. I won't go there again this year. I guess the combination of the warm winter and low elevation of the area kept the snow melting all year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambone Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 did you take any photos? just curious... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary_Yngve Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 Tom Lewis has some photos up on the Mountaineers forum. Don't know if we have any photos from yesterday. It was raining, and the digicam wasn't very happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracked Posted October 10, 2003 Author Share Posted October 10, 2003 Lambone said: did you take any photos? just curious... VERY wet...don't know. The climbing was fun, but I don't know whether it was worth it. FYI, the ice is great. Hard and blue, but not brittle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PONCHO&LEFTY Posted October 11, 2003 Share Posted October 11, 2003 What do you mean by no caves? This was taken a 10 days ago. Did it melt? Or are the caves usually diferent? Just wondering-not being smart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PONCHO&LEFTY Posted October 11, 2003 Share Posted October 11, 2003 I guess you are talking about the are above and to the approximate West this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracked Posted October 11, 2003 Author Share Posted October 11, 2003 PONCHO&LEFTY said: What do you mean by no caves? This was taken a 10 days ago. Did it melt? Or are the caves usually diferent? Just wondering-not being smart. Yes, that's where we were climbing, at the very top, the large serac walls. Â Usually there are 70+ foot high caves where the other hunk of snow is. These provide vertical to slightly overhanging walls that are perfect to get pumped on. This year they don't exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordonb Posted October 11, 2003 Share Posted October 11, 2003 Is that all that is left of the snow at Big 4? damn, I haven't been up there for probably 15 years and there was a lot more than that last time I was there. 30 years ago the snow was most of the way up the wall even at the end of the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshK Posted October 12, 2003 Share Posted October 12, 2003 There is a similar pile of snow at the base of snow gulch on whitehorse mountain. Rumor has it many years ago the thing was basically a glacier. Now it's a couple piles of shitty dirty snow like your picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracked Posted October 12, 2003 Author Share Posted October 12, 2003 I think the combo of a warm year and the low elevation drastically melted the ice. We had near normal precipitation, but I guess it was simply too warm. Hopefully we'll have a cold and wet winter this year to replenish the caves. They were really cool last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layton Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 Be sure to leave a note on your vehicle if you decide to check out the S.side of the mtn also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formaldehead Posted October 14, 2003 Share Posted October 14, 2003 michael_layton said: Be sure to leave a note on your vehicle if you decide to check out the S.side of the mtn also. Â Really cool out there, huh? Sweet winter canyoneering? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelawgoddess Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 i can't get the picture to download. grr. bummer if the "caves" are no good this year. i had fun up there a few times last season. guess i'll have to settle for the ice climbing around telluride and ouray this time around ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobo Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 Yah, yah, rub it in, TLG. grrrrrr... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken4ord Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 So how big is that hunk of snow? I have never been up there and there is nothing to give the picture perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 ken4ord said: So how big is that hunk of snow? I have never been up there and there is nothing to give the picture perspective. Â if you said this earlier: Â ken4ord said: Dude I'd like to scrape up something, but have the faintest as to where to find some ice now, and I am not up for a snow hike, I want the real thing. Â then big 4 aint gonna do it for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracked Posted November 6, 2003 Author Share Posted November 6, 2003 A month ago the only climbable walls were maybe 50 feet high, barely vertical at the top. Don't do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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