[TR] Frenchman Falls- 12/15/2005

[kurthicks]

Climb: Frenchman Falls-

 

Date of Climb: 12/15/2005

 

Trip Report:

CKouba and I climbed Frenchman Falls yesterday in thin, fun, and engaging conditions. We decided to check out an alternate approach and we rapped in from the top on climber's left. We decided to climb the right side since it was in much better condition. It went at WI4R in two pitches. We placed 2 pieces on each pitch (3 screws and a cam) and used the anchor at mid-height. The route is still spraying lots of water, but most of the wet ice can be avoided. The top out does not sport enough good ice for an ice belay or v-thread. I think the route is about 45-50m long.

 

Here are the goods:

Route:

 

CKouba rapping in:

 

me leading out on P1:

 

We topped out in the dark due to our post-3:00PM start.

 

Also, we dropped a 22cm screw, so if anyone gets it I would like it back. It should be on climber's right side of spray cone.

 

Gear Notes:

3 screws, #2 Camalot (back up mid-belay), red alien, headlamp

 

Approach Notes:

drive on Silica road to the lake on the map (about a mile past the turnoff at a guardrail). park and follow the creek to the top of the climb. Rap down from the "Old Milwaukee" belay (beer can next to good pin crack/sagebrush belay) station with 2 60m ropes. saves some walking and makes getting off the climb SO much easier.

Edited December 17, 2005 by wazzumountaineer

[MCash]

Nice job Kurt. Thanks for all of the condition reports. So how R is it? How long of a section wouldn't take screws?

 

Thanks.

[kurthicks]

10m at a stretch. maybe stubbies or spectres would protect it. I'd say just be confident about getting from ledge to ledge.

 

Craig did it today. pics of him.

 

 

nice work boys.

[gyselinck]

Thanks for the pics Kurt! That was the one climb I really wanted to do in that area. We went down and saw you guys going up Fugs it looked like afterwords. We had to hit the road because my partner had to go to work. Good times.

 

I think I placed 3 screws on the whole climb. Pounded in 1 baby angle. Used a .75 cammalot up high.

 

Martin, in terms of the R ratting assigned by Kurt, if you look in the picture he took of us, im kind of hard to see, Im wearing the black jacket at the belay. I got a cammalot in at about head level, from where I'm standing, then had to run it out to the top with no pro. Ice was rather thin with a large volume of water running underneath at the top out. A little bit sketchy.

Edited December 17, 2005 by gyselinck

[kurthicks]

I got a cammalot in at about head level, from where I'm standing, then had to run it out to the top with no pro.

 

Yep, I placed a red alien in a horizontal on the right. I managed to get in one decent screw just above that in a blob. all egg shells to the top from there.

[ken4ord]

Damn that thing is much shotter than I thought it was. Good job though.