Snoqualmie Pass Ice

[gyselinck]

Anybody get anything good over the weekend? Just wondering whats in, whats not...and whats about to be destroyed.

[Ade]

Now that's really funny...

 

Forrest, Gordy and I were out Sunday with the hope of climbing an alpine route up there. We only had a day so BC/Hope action wasn't an option.

 

Lots of new snow, hip deep unless you were on the trail, with high avie potential. The ski patrol were blasting most of the morning and we heard several releases below Chair Peak later in the day. It was raining freezing rain most of the day. Staying in the comparative safety of the trees seemed like a good idea.

 

We ended up running some laps on a half pitch long flow just above the winter trail before you get to the climb to Rap Wall. Soft, hollow ice. Quality.

 

You should try and go ice climbing (as opposed to winter alpine) in WA just once a year, if only to remind yourself why it's sooo much better to drive to Canada.

[forrest_m]

ade, a review of the literature reveals that what we climbed was kiddie cliff/oh tannanbaum. as someone said on another thread, "not that it matters now, but..." kiddie cliff had formed a continuous curtain directly over the cave, in addition to the normal lines to the right & left.

 

it was pretty foggy and hard to see much, but we did get a look at hotline, which was a long ways (at least 20') from touching down. the chockstone (i think that's what it's called, up high on the summer trail side) looked fairly fat. but i'm sure it's all just wet rock now.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

On sunday morning we were climbing the major waterfall on the source lake drainage. I was trying to figure out if it was Kiddie cliff becuase the GPS coordinates in WA ICE suggest that kiddie cliff is pretty far away from where we were. Dont know what the waterfall we were climbing is called, but it was in pretty nice shape (way fatter than any of the alpental falls) save a few follow spots (not bad for pick placements) and a breakable crust around the base. The directions in WA ICE sound like kiddie cliff is on the cliffs on the hill side above the winter trail, however we were below the regular winter traverse. Anyhow, if these falls can possibly hold out through some of this warm weather, it is a nice climb. Otherwise, we will have to wait a few years for this thing to come in fat again. A party showed up as we were leaving, maybe it was you guys.

[Alex]

Ah its the falls in the very bottom of the drainage right? about 2/3 of the way to source lake?

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Thats where we were, on what I beleive is the beginning of the south fork of the snoqualmie. Like I said, both the map and GPS coords in WA ICE put kiddie cliff up on the actual north facing hill side, south east (~.1 miles) of where we were.

[Alex]

yes, Kiddie Cliff is near that spot, on the S side of the valley up the slope about 200 ft of elevation gain. Its up in the trees climbers left; you can't see it from the valley bottom where you guys were. The normal winter trail traverse the big boulder field there, and passes Kiddie Cliff as it skirts a small cliff band to get into the upper basin where source lake is.

 

What you guys were climbing doesnt have a name or anything, its just the Source Lake outlet, basically

[TrogdortheBurninator]

I cant beleive that thing doesnt have a name, it was in super fat, better than any easy line I have seen at alpental. Also, it was 50-60 ft high at a consistent (2-2+) grade, with harder variations. Does it just rarely form because of the high flow, or what. Seems like it would form more often than the Exit 38 climbs which are named in the guide.

[forrest_m]

... Does it just rarely form because of the high flow, or what. ...

 

got it in one. most winters, it's a waterfall all year

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Is that what you guys climbed too forrest, or were you actually on kiddie cliff?

[dbb]

Kiddie cliff:

 

 

Couldn't find a picture but the easy WI2/3 above source lake on the summer approach for the tooth sounds like what you were on? Big lone tree at the top?

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Hmm, so how do you actually get to kiddie cliff? THe falls we were on was below source lake, probably .1 miles from the lake. If you hike along the river, you cant miss the main falls. THere is also an easier flow on the left that was in OK shape. Maybe this thing hadnt come in before. I think the falls is where the Topo gets steep right at the center of this link. http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=10&amp...amp;layer=DRG25

[Alex]

Trogdorth, the Kiddie cliff is literally a few hundred yards due S of where you guys were, up the hillside a few hundred feet.

 

Reality is its probably completely gone, now, with the rain.

[Ade]

ade, a review of the literature reveals that what we climbed was kiddie cliff/oh tannanbaum. as someone said on another thread, "not that it matters now, but..." kiddie cliff had formed a continuous curtain directly over the cave, in addition to the normal lines to the right & left.

 

What confused me was that the Washington Ice Guide describes this as two pitches I think when it's actually half a rope length.

[Alex]

ade, a review of the literature reveals that what we climbed was kiddie cliff/oh tannanbaum. as someone said on another thread, "not that it matters now, but..." kiddie cliff had formed a continuous curtain directly over the cave, in addition to the normal lines to the right & left.

 

What confused me was that the Washington Ice Guide describes this as two pitches I think when it's actually half a rope length.

 

No idea, it certainly is half a ropelength. Without the book in front of my I can't tell you if or why it would say 2p.

 

There is another route, called "Not Quite a Plum" that is closer to the Rap Wall that you climb in 2 pitches, however. Same side of the valley, its on the summer approach to the Tooth where it starts climbing up to the Rap Wall after it traverses above Source Lake. Its marked on the map in the book as "WI3+", without a name next to it..

HTH

[philfort]

Kiddie cliff is a full rope-length if you include the bottom section, which usually gets burried by snow pretty early on.

 

Edited January 19, 2005 by philfort

[Ade]

Not trying to get into a pissing match here, I'm thinking more of guidebook errata:

 

This is definitely what we were playing around on. We were TRing Oh Tannanbaum with a single rope 55m. You'd need more rope on lead obviously. Maybe I mis-read the guide.