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Ice In the Cabinets/Selkirks


NYC007

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OK, Matt, I thought about this some more.

 

There was once a guy I ran across on the internet (on rec.climbing.com, I think) named Joe Bensen who did some FAs with Randall Green and others in the Selkirks about 20 years ago. I think he still lives in Spokane or mebbe Sandpoint. You could try searching him out on RC.com or thru other means.

 

I think he told me he hooked up with Roskelley and Kopczynski as well for a few adventures. I know that JR is a county commissioner up there, and your Spokane climbing group has "access" to him. Mebbe you could pimp Ol' John for some hidden gems, eh?

 

Just thoughts... I'll keep quiet now.

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photo5.jpg

 

East face of the wall climbing out of Leigh Lake offers a good alpine climb early in the season with some water ice on it usually. More mixed than ice when i did it this time of year but a good climb. Pretty much like some of the easy Canadain Rockies with only slightly better rock. Road head is close from Libby. Trail in is 4 miles or so to the base of the face.

 

Check a topo map it is longer than you might suspect.

Get on top on a good day and you'll see others.

 

Snowshoe is almost 9K feet and just behind it.

photo3.jpg

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There are some short climbs east of Steven's also that are worth a visit this time of year. Martin has been in to Stevens. The ones I am thinking of are approached via St Regis basin just past the summit and not the normal Stevens approach up the creek bed.

 

Short steep faces you can see to the west from the valley floor.

 

Fred Spicker on Stevens. Link below has more info on getting there for a ny'er wink.gif

http://www.summitpost.org/mountains/photo_link.pl?photo_id=80665&object_id=2530&type=mountain&mountain_id=2530&route_id=

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I also saw a waterfall on the creekbed approach to Stevens where the stream climbs steeply up the slopes near the "headwall". It is probably WI2 or 2+, though. Might be good for running laps after doing a winter ascent of Stevens. Joe Lind did a first ascent last year of a waterfall on the soude wall of the Pyramid Lake cirque. That would be fun too. It's probably in already, since it's at almost 7,000 feet.

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  • 3 months later...
I tried climbing Liberty Ridge with Joe about 8 yers ago. I heard he died in an avalanche two years ago. Can anyone confirm that?

Jim in McCall, Idaho

 

Yes, he died on Mt. Ushba, Georgia, CIS in 2001 or so. He was a neat guy and quite a photographer...

 

 

Never fucking underestimate avalanches.

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OK, Matt, I thought about this some more.

 

There was once a guy I ran across on the internet (on rec.climbing.com, I think) named Joe Bensen who did some FAs with Randall Green and others in the Selkirks about 20 years ago. I think he still lives in Spokane or mebbe Sandpoint. You could try searching him out on RC.com or thru other means.

 

I think he told me he hooked up with Roskelley and Kopczynski as well for a few adventures. I know that JR is a county commissioner up there, and your Spokane climbing group has "access" to him. Mebbe you could pimp Ol' John for some hidden gems, eh?

 

Just thoughts... I'll keep quiet now.

 

This is the Joe I was thinking of. He lived in Sandpoint, wrote a couple guide books, published his photos, travelled a bunch.

 

Oops, should of clarified that a bit better, eh!

 

-Mark

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mccallboater posted using my post for his reply, which Marko subsequently picked up. Marko even quoted my earlier post for further clarification ^^. From this, I must assume that we are talking about Joe Benson as the one who was killed in Asia. I know that Joe Benson lived in Sandpoint when I knew him, and that he was an avid climbing photographer. All of the photos in Randall Green's Idaho Rock, with the exception of only two, are by Joe, including the cover shot. We must be talking about the same guy.

 

If this is correct, it is indeed sad news, and I am truly sorry. While I never met Joe Benson, we talked on the phone once or twice about climbs in the Selkirks, and we made that kind of plan where "...we should hook up some time and do some climbing...", but sadly, we never did.

 

Never do the words "carpe diem" mean more than in situations such as this. Rest in peace, Joe.

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