[TR] Pemberton Ice- The Plum / Politically Correct Valentine 1/8/2005

[Ade]

Climb: Pemberton Ice-The Plum / Politically Correct Valentine

 

Date of Climb: 1/8/2005

 

Trip Report:

Alasdair and I headed across the border Friday night narrowly avoiding stopping for a "quick drink" in Vancouver and dossing in the truck in Pemberton. I know, I know, we had big alpine plans and we bailed to the "sure thing" of a bit if ice cragging.

 

Saturday we hiked up to The Plum at dawn and climbed the whole route getting down after dark. The lower pitches are all in good with a little running water but even that is avoidable. The second pitch is solid 4 but the ice is good for the most part.

 

The final pitch, which is what you came for right? is full value. Technical off vertical ice leads to the main pillar. You can weave your way through the cauliflowers with some care on this lower section. The main pillar has a narrow ribbon of good, yellow, ice surrounded by somewhat less good hollow rubbish. Steep but gear is OK.

 

You can just about do this whole thing as one super long pitch if your second talks you into it and doesn't mind simul-ing the starting ramp. Best split it in two at the obvious ledge on the left.

 

The whole route can be rapped from trees if you have 60m ropes and are careful with your rap lines and maybe downclimb a couple of feet at the bottom. We re-fixed several of the anchors (black tape).

 

Sunday we spent some time trying to find PC Valentine. The simplest approach is to head directly up hill from the lot at the end of the road. We ended up too far right and had to cut back left. The route is much higher up the drainage than you might think.

 

The lower pitch is this super cool wall of yellow drips. There's a 4 line but harder lines could be done on the right - I passed as it looked a bit toooo hollow for a Sunday (this proved true on rap inspection while descending). The upper flow is nice also but much mellower. We passed on the top pitch. 300m of hiking for 40m of 3... Nah. Besides, it was getting late and the Pony Expresso was calling.

 

Pictures may follow if Al figures out how to use that new fangled digital camera thing.

 

Gear Notes:

Things to remember: A belay device, makes things sooo much simpler. A head lamp - these make it easier to see when the big bright thing in the sky (the "Sun") disappears and generally facilitates NOT DIEING.

 

Things not to forget: Your girlfriend's ice tools (at the top of pitch 4 while descending). At this point you have two options; 1 - reclimb the pitch in the dark and get them, 2 - untie and throw yourself down the remaining 250m of the route. The latter sounds a little extreme but nothing compared to the slow death that awaits you back in Seatle.

 

Approach Notes:

Do NOT stop in Vancouver. Do NOT go to any strip clubs - even if your buddy swears he met Sting in one last time he was there (like he wasn't so drunk it could have been anyone). DO stop at the Pony Expresso, multiple times if possible.

[Ade]

Al Leading P1 of The Plum

 

Ade starting P2 of The Plum

 

The Plum, final pitch looking nothing like the FA pictures in the guidebook.

 

Ade on the final pitch of the Plum below the entertaining section

 

First tier of Politically Correct Valentine

[Dru]

Don told me he and Andrew climbed a new route somewhere in a gully beyond Rocky and Bullwinkle on saturday. I'm certain he will have more to say but he is out climbing some more today!

[Ade]

He did. But from what he told me it was a lot of hiking for not much ice. He said he found some 3 but not stacks of it. The approaches are sort of sucky at the moment, 6" of soft pow over iced rocks in the gullies.

[Don_Serl]

Don told me he and Andrew climbed a new route somewhere in a gully beyond Rocky and Bullwinkle on saturday. I'm certain he will have more to say but he is out climbing some more today!

 

Yup! Andrew and I spotted some intriguing ice up the gully right of the Plum, beyond Rocky and Bullwinkle. Problem is, it's a long way up (just over 900m elevation gain - I carried an altimeter to check it), and the snow-covered rocks were not very suited to easy ascent, so we were 3 1/2 hrs to the route. (Mighta been better following the drainage, which is how we descended.) Soloed a 20m Grade 2 step, walked up snow gully another 15 mins, then climbed 2 pitches of Grade 3 (55m + 35m). Very pleasant ice, but not quite what we hoped for. Also cold, blustery, and spindrifty most of the day - up into the wind zone. Long descent by headlamp, so we were too "used" to hit it again Sunday.

 

We went up again today tho, and climbed Nocturnal Emission, on the cliffband above the Birkenhead River bridge 9km east of Mount Currie townsite. I've watched for this one for a long time - it hardly ever comes in, cuz it's low, and it faces SW so it gets a lot of sun. Today was perfect! Hovering around -10ºC, no wind, bright warm sun, superb views down Lillooet Lake to Cloudraker (?) and west to Mount Currie, etc. And the ice was magnificent - it stayed cold enough that there was hardly any flow during the day, and there is lots of entertainment - not very hard (1st pitch Gr3; 2nd with a cpl 5m Gr 4 sections; 3rd and 4th Gr 2+), but really interesting climbing, excellent placements, solid screws ( a few to the rock). One of my "funnest" days of ice climbing ever. I highly recommend people get on this line while it's in.

(btw, we walked up the little road that climbs from just east of the bridge rather than following under the powerline back from further east - 20mins up the road (to beyond the powerline), then angle up thru the forest back right to the route - 45mins total - pretty casual.)

 

cheers,

[pat_o]

Way to get on it lads! Booze, strippers, beautiful ice and a new fangled digi camera to record it all, but hasn't Al learned yet to relieve himself BEFORE he leaves the ground!

[Alasdair]

Way to get on it lads! Booze, strippers, beautiful ice and a new fangled digi camera to record it all, but hasn't Al learned yet to relieve himself BEFORE he leaves the ground!

One accident on lead while your belaying and you never let it down.

[glassgowkiss]

plum had to see a lot of traffic last week. it also had less ice on the last pitch compared to the pic from your trip. also a gaping hole spewing water at the base of the steep part. last night climb was turning to slurpie..... fuck!

[rat]

someone was walking down from white blotter early saturday evening. anyone here? if so, how was it (not that it matters now)? enjoy the floods.

[Don_Serl]

someone was walking down from white blotter early saturday evening. anyone here? if so, how was it (not that it matters now)? enjoy the floods.

 

yah, my suspicion is that bob was actually up to the Blotter scoping...

(good choice!)

 

cheers,

[dberdinka]

I was with Bob on Sunday and I refused to have anything to do with White Blotter.

 

He did a fine job of hiding his disappointment, and seemed fairly content to stick to plain ole' unsandbagged WI5.

[glassgowkiss]

that was jia condon and partner. i talked to him last afternoon and he said he did white blotter 2 times and he thinks it's wi6. looks like a nice line, i'd like to get on it at some point. as far as disapointment on sun, i wasn't that keen on it, since we climbed fairly hard on sat, so i was a bit tired. last pitch of plum is awsome and i always wanted to do this climb. i don't think any of them will last through this warm/wet spell, so get them while you can next time.

[rat]

thanks for the blotter info.

 

nice bit of pulling out onto the narrow pillar on the plum, eh? hope you hooked the holes my friend and i left for you on saturday. by the way, we took don's advice and climbed nocturnal emission on friday---a very nice line. we fucked up and walked off to climbers' right but saw some nice looking, but shorter, pure ice and mixed possibilities on the way down. i don't have a guide so am unsure if they've been climbed. anyhow, food for thought next time around.