cicleclimb Posted January 2, 2004 Posted January 2, 2004 Does anyone know if the gorge ice is shaping up at all? Quote
cj001f Posted January 2, 2004 Posted January 2, 2004 I hope to report back tomorrow! With the cold Sunday/Monday should be good... Quote
kurthicks Posted January 3, 2004 Posted January 3, 2004 i drove through the gorge yesterday. It sucked. but there IS ice forming. lots of it...but the key word is forming. there are some potential mixed climbs in the park just west of Ainsworth St. Pk. i remember some more climbs pretty far east too, those were better formed. i'd post photos, but my digi cam cable is 2 states away. oh yea, the falls that spills from Crown Point was outlined and starting to fill in. i did not see any ice that was blue though. maybe if it stays cold for the next few days. Quote
Mtguide Posted January 3, 2004 Posted January 3, 2004 Sounds like east Gorge is gonna have the best possibilities; call Oregonian Inside Line @ 503-225-5555,X 8053. Last time we had really good ice in the gorge('90-91) it had been in the teens and single digits from Multnomah Falls to The Dalles for at least a week. Quote
Billy Posted January 3, 2004 Posted January 3, 2004 Has anyone been up to Pete's Pile? It might be starting now. Quote
MtnHigh Posted January 4, 2004 Posted January 4, 2004 I did a recon trip into the Gorge on Saturday. Checked out the climbs between Shepperds Dell and Ainsworth. There's ice , but it's thin. Hopefully it will thicken up Sunday. Quote
layton Posted January 5, 2004 Posted January 5, 2004 I drove by yesterday and it wasn't too formed up to be good. Anyone know how it is now. I'm stuck at school. I may have no school tomorrow due to weather, but if not I'll probably do a midnight climb. Bottom line is I can't check it out in daylight today so I'd really appreciate the info, (or a PM if you don't want it swarmed). thanks! Quote
luvshaker Posted January 7, 2004 Posted January 7, 2004 Could someone comment on what they have been finding/climbing in the gorge yesterday or today. IS IT WORTH A 3+ HOUR DRIVE? ...Thanks Quote
Winter Posted January 7, 2004 Posted January 7, 2004 No way! Try the columns. I heard someone hauled a hose to the top. Quote
kurthicks Posted January 7, 2004 Posted January 7, 2004 take and post some photos when you go... Quote
KingsMM Posted January 7, 2004 Posted January 7, 2004 Do you think there will be good ice by sat the 10th? Quote
vert Posted January 7, 2004 Posted January 7, 2004 Climbed a route near ainsworth monday, it was cold! wild mushrooms, lots of wind. the routes over at cape horn looked to be the best. have not looked at the temps lately, but if it freezes good at night and does not surpass forty during the day it may stick and even fill out. happy hunting! Quote
JayB Posted January 7, 2004 Posted January 7, 2004 Somebody needs to be a hero and scope the gorge, snap some pics, and post them.... Quote
layton Posted January 7, 2004 Posted January 7, 2004 Any beta for getting to the climbs with I-84 closed at MP 17??? Quote
Winter Posted January 8, 2004 Posted January 8, 2004 (edited) MtnHigh and I drove out the old highway this morning to look for ice. We had the beta from yesterday, but a huge drift made the road unpassable. Maybe tomorrow. Actually, check that. Don't go. Â BTW, the ice at Broughton's if PHAT!! Edited January 8, 2004 by Winter Quote
Northwest_Lunacy Posted January 8, 2004 Posted January 8, 2004 Here's a quick TR from climbing the Crown Jewel yesterday. It's a little difficult to type since my left pinky hasn't regained consciousness from the cold. Â Mark & I skated from work yesterday under the premise that everyone would stay home for the day. First we drove out and scoped the Crown Jewel but the wind was howling so hard that we headed towards Multonomah falls in hopes of finding something more sheltered. There was a line up the right side of the falls but A) it looked illegal and B) without any bolts/pins your belays would suck. So we decided to head back toward the Crown Jewel. The wind couldn't be that bad. O' contraire! It was 12 degrees and blowing at 50+ miles per hour. I figured that climbing in the Gorge is a once in a lifetime experience. What we underestimated was the havoc that a windchill of -11 would play on my ropes and ice screws. Once we finally arrived at the bottom the first pitch went great. There's a rap ring barely sticking out of the left wall that you can belay from. The first pitch was still somewhat protected by the wind although we still couldn't yell to each other because it was so loud. The second pitch was rough. Twice while climbing the rope froze solid to the waterfall. In other words it became part of the waterfall while I stopped to place both ice screws. I would have placed one more but I couldn't get the ice out of the inside or off the outside of the threads. I finally resorted to sucking on it (Dumb and Dumber 'esque) which cleared the ice inside the screw but coated the threads with more ice. Multiple times the wind almost blew me off the side of the cliff. At around 40 meters the rope finally froze solid. It had 1/2 inch of ice caked to it and was embedded into the waterfall. I couldn't move another inch so I headed over to the wall and lasso'd a rock. A hour later another guy lead up and free'd our rope but then his become frozen to the wall also. Soon both of us were anchored to my small runner. It was a bonding experience. Since the rope had 1/2 inch of ice on it I couldn't get it though the ATC so the only option was a hip belay which held inspite of one fall. Finally around 1pm we summitted to winds so strong that we occasionally opted to crawl up the gully rather than walk. More than once we got blown off our feet. It was a relief to see the Crown Jewel. By the time we returned to the car at 3pm the entire Columbia River gorge was closed to cars. My smallest two fingers on my left hand are still numb. I'll post a photo if they turn black and fall off. Mark also took some photos with a disposable camera. If they survived the conditions then we'll post one. And to the girl that was ice climbing for her first time... you're amazing. My wife would have left me at the top of the first pitch. Quote
layton Posted January 8, 2004 Posted January 8, 2004 Pretty fucking sweet! Â that's pretty hard core for that girl on her 1st time out. Â any more stories? Quote
KingsMM Posted January 8, 2004 Posted January 8, 2004 What would you recomend for a easy first ice climb in the Gorge? I was looking at PRCII What can you TR? Quote
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