Don_Serl Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 couldn't get enough hard beta, so went for a look myself. 6:30 a.m. outa the city. out east to hope, up to sumallo - 5cm fresh snow, no ice. back to hope, then up the coquihalla. stopped and took a gander at box canyon. about 10cm fresh snow, which seems to be the only snow so far this season at that altitude (no base), so no way to get in thru the blocks and bush. no signs of roadside ice anyway. fact is, the only roadside ice appeared about 2/3 of the way up the hill above the snowshed. nice and snowy, but - again - it's all fresh. crossed from Merritt to Spences Bridge. the little waterfall 15km E of SB (Private Idaho) featured only a pathetic collection of a few icicles. into Cache Creek by 11:30 - made the important discovery that the only place in town that'll still fry you up bacon and eggs after 11 a.m. is the cafe at the Petrocan. hit Marble Canyon at 1. about -5ºC, a pleasant covering of maybe 8cm of total fresh snow - just lovely. walked over to the routes and found Jens and (oops - didn't fully catch the name - Brad? Brian? Brent? I think it was a "B"? from Mt Vernon). soloed around for a while and caught a TR on Deeping Wall. things are very lean, but mostly leadable. Dihedral is an impressive column - looked full-on Grade 4. Waite for Spring has a continuous line way out right, and is thin and serious - Jens said he took 90 mins to lead it yesterday, and he's no gumbie. ice-ranching is alive and well, and Rancher's Pride is in nicely. Deeping Wall is still very sketchy in the bottom half (a fully serious lead right now, altho do-able), then very nice, especially the Direct finish to the right. there's lotsa ice forming across the wall towards No Deductible, but nothing has touched down yet. please DO NOT fuck up the hanging columns before they touch down and fully form, or the routes may not come in. Icy BC has some open water on the 1st tier, but it's climbable. the 2nd tier is in really well. the entire upper tier is a nightmare of hanging icicles. a couple of Jens' friends (Eric and ???) arrived about 2:30. they'd been up to the Duffey. there's ice on the Central Rambles, but there was also a party fo 4 ahead of them. they went to the Right, but it's just icicles. they also trudged up to Closet Secrets, and it's just disconnected blobs of ice. and Carl's Berg has lotsa ice on it, but it's still puking wet. headed out 3pm. home 7:30. 13hrs, 540 miles, a hundred bucks of gas, 30m of ice - pretty typical Coastal outing! net net: very limited options, but there IS ice at Marble. doesn't seem there are many other options though... oh yah. if u go to Marble, bring your skates. the ice was bare yesterday, and while there's now snow on it, it's pure powder and the underlying surface is still smooth. gonna be superb... cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squid Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogen Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Thanks, I almost left this morning, but recalled that you were going, so I checked here. I owe you a beer. Although I wonder, would Oregon Jack be in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don_Serl Posted December 31, 2004 Author Share Posted December 31, 2004 Thanks, I almost left this morning, but recalled that you were going, so I checked here. I owe you a beer. Although I wonder, would Oregon Jack be in? yup. i didn't drive up cuz i had a dependable previous report from Garry Brace. no open water, but cauliflowered and brittle in parts. very thin on the upper column - hook and move carefully. cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogen Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 I just called whistler/blackcomb about farmed ice, as the noob I had roped for this weekend is stoked now. They said that you have to hire a guide, and that they would prefer to take clients to Pemberton, where the ice is better. What do think they are referring to, and what about this mythical ice farm on Blackcomb? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 The Farm is under the Glacier Express chair on Blackcomb. No guide needed. There are also some climbs on the ski-out from Blackcomb Glacier. Show up with avy gear, get yourself a bc one-way lift ticket, ditch the avy gear in the car, ride the lifts up and climb at the Farm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don_Serl Posted December 31, 2004 Author Share Posted December 31, 2004 I just called whistler/blackcomb about farmed ice, as the noob I had roped for this weekend is stoked now. They said that you have to hire a guide, and that they would prefer to take clients to Pemberton, where the ice is better. What do think they are referring to, and what about this mythical ice farm on Blackcomb? whoever you were talking to doesn't have a clue. i did very careful checking with senior management at Blackcomb, who were very keen to encourage new types of recreation on the mountain. there was never anything considered about guiding. meanwhile, the real giveaway is that there is NO ICE at pemberton. the D'Arcy road is essentially barren. if it stays cold, the Plum etc will come in, but they were non-issues as of 3 days ago. i'm trying to confirm with my contact exactly what's up, but that's unlikely to happen till after the holiday weekend. i've heard from Jia, confirmed by Rob McCurdy at Whistler Alpine Guides, that there's no ice yet at the Farm. a) it was warm for a long time, b) they're using all the water for snow-making. Another Day at the Office is in, and some other natural bits and pieces, but not yet the farmed stuff. on the positive side, Patrick Delany tells me stuff is coming in fast on the Duffey (as of day before yesterday). might be OK if we get a week or two of good cold weather... cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogen Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 Thanks again. We're headed for Marble tomorrow morning, and OJ sunday. At least we'll do something. Happy New Year!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jens Posted December 31, 2004 Share Posted December 31, 2004 It's gettin' cold up there for sure. A few miles down the road after leaving marble yesterday afternoon my thermometer read 11 degrees F. and my thermometer reads about 2 degrees warm. Sorry Bogen, I don't know the C conversion off the top of my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don_Serl Posted January 1, 2005 Author Share Posted January 1, 2005 It's gettin' cold up there for sure. A few miles down the road after leaving marble yesterday afternoon my thermometer read 11 degrees F. and my thermometer reads about 2 degrees warm. Sorry Bogen, I don't know the C conversion off the top of my head. yah, bring your toque and your warm woollies. Clinton has dropped to -20ºC (-4ºF) last nite. Lillooet was -10ºC (14ºF). the Arctic air finally arrived! cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordop Posted January 2, 2005 Share Posted January 2, 2005 Stuff forming in hope!!!!!!!!!!!! Just drove it two hours ago. Fricken cold. photos after I have a shower and a beer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordop Posted January 2, 2005 Share Posted January 2, 2005 Mousetrap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordop Posted January 2, 2005 Share Posted January 2, 2005 http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/forecast/city_e.html?YHE What a wonderful week to return to work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon_Heshka Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Oregon Jack is in fine shape. Climbed it on the 2nd. A couple of recent Abalakov rap anchors are mid-route. Middle section is a bit cauliflowered and upper column is just a little thin. Jon Heshka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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