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[TR] Baker Ski Area- Pandome; Tool Shed 12/5/2004


Don_Serl

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Climb: Baker Ski Area-Pandome; Tool Shed

 

Date of Climb: 12/5/2004

 

Trip Report:

Graham Rowbotham, indyjones, and I flipped down thru Bellingham to pick up Polish Bob, and Allan Kearney joined us. Didn't seem like much snow at the parking lot, but once off the piste, it was hip deep - and only Allan was smart enough to use snowshoes. After a long struggle up the slope, Bob and Allen attacked the M8 just left of Tabasco Kid, while we traversed to Pandome. (The snow was so deep I had to dump my pack to beat in the trail - above the waist now and again!)

 

Pandome was VERY exciting. Hollow ice, plates cracking off slabby rock underneath, deep snow on everything low-angled. I managed to talk myself into continuing thru the initial 15m steep section, with 4 really poor screws and waves of pouring spindrift in the crux section, but moving out into the central low-angled section I ended up just plain running out of ice. Eventually the scratching (and the prospect of a l-o-n-g fall onto a highly dubious screw) put the needle out the top of my fear-meter and i backed down to an outcrop of decent ice. I placed 2 Abalakovs, backed 'em up with a screw, lowered off, and we TRed our way to early-season happiness.

 

As for the M8, Bob did an amazing job getting up it, and rest of us failed at various heights. Even with a serious "tow" from the TR, nobody else could even come close to getting beyond the second-to-last bolt.

 

Bottom line: it's still ski-season at Baker, and not yet ice-season.

 

Cheers,

 

Gear Notes:

shoulda had way bigger upper-body muscles...

 

Approach Notes:

the snow is soooooo deep.

and perfectly stable.

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Eventually the scratching (and the prospect of a l-o-n-g fall onto a highly dubious screw) put the needle out the top of my fear-meter

 

Pan Dome Falls has been the recent scene of at least one full-length (80+') ground fall when several screws pulled out of the usually shitty ice. The climber walked away bruised and sore but otehrwise unscathed, as he landed in the bottomless snow that thankfully acumulates at the base of the falls.

 

hellno3d.gif I'd rather suffer the drive to Banff thank you very much....

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side note about tool shed routes: there is much less now right now at the base, hence you have to climb at least 15 more feet before clipping the first bolt. i dicked in some shitty kb before doing couple of long pulls (remember- you have to get about 25 ft before you can clip the first piece). M7 should get rebolted, so one actually can find the bolts as they get covered in snow and ice.

pls also no thrashing on these routes. be delicate, as the rock is so-so and some of the edges are very critical for free ascent.

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hey bob, does 3 guys popping off it on top-rope constitute "thrashing"? how delicately can one fall off a mixed climb anyway? would the route be the next great unsolved problem if some of those oh-so-delicate edges went the way of the dodo bird? boxing_smiley.gif

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pls also no thrashing on these routes. be delicate, as the rock is so-so and some of the edges are very critical for free ascent.

 

i wuz gonna suggest adding a bolt and second set of chains at or about the 3rd-last bolt to allow mere mortals (such as myself) the pleasure of some pretty exciting tooling. there's not much around to get on. the holds get tiny and tenuous above there, whereas the bottom could withstand extra traffic. meanwhile, the top requires HUGE power - not to mention very sophisticated technique...

 

i don't know who put the route up, and maybe this suggestion would not meet with his/her approval, but it'd be nice to be able to get on a route other than something where i didn't even have the power to clip back in once i'd unclipped (2nd last bolt). talk about slapped!

 

something to think about...

 

cheers,

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Don, i think the solution is to set some more routes in the area. the whole wall to the left of pan dome is one possibility. there is a whole bunch of not so steep cliffs and with little imagination this would be a very accessible training ground for the situation like we are having right now- no rock or ice climbing within 4 hours of driving. at this moment i am lacking a drill, so my options are limmited.

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rat moon.gif does it answer your question? it's the same principle as not hacking on early season ice in marble canyon.

 

i was hoping for a more stridently nationalistic response laced with profanities.

 

no shit, this "kinder, gentler" Bob is a snoozer! Geek_em8.gif

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