[TR] Johannesburg- NE Butt in da quasi-Winta

[curtveld]

Got to love this place sometimes..........instead raking the shag rug and walking the dog and posting about the Seattle Seahawks or something a coupla fellaz instead go out on the cold icy gloom of Joberg in December for a good effort and a noble amount of suffering and then they come back & put up a nice TR with some cool pix and receive in return..........a bunch of niggling over whether or not it was really winter.

 

Now if it they'd been out there on March 22nd, there might a be a legitimate gripe...

[Bug]

Rules are rules.

Rules are made to be broken.

If someone climbs the same route on the last day of winter in a breezy 75 degrees F, that counts as a winter ascent.

Letter of the law vs. spirit of the law.

[OlegV]

 

Red line:

we loose an hour or more probing the mixed ground on this ramp. We figured the ramp has low angle, so we started without crampons and unropped. It felt very sketchy - useless powder snow, no place for pro, unstable climbing. We repel down after facing the steep rock step and decide to explore the basin.

 

Green line:

We unexpectedly decide to climb the route.

1. Easy snow gully culminating in some weird ice/rock mixed climbing. While climbing this crux, we were continually showered by small snow avalanches (since this gully was very narrow and worked as a funnel).

2. Steep traverse. Felt exposed but easy – lots of small tress for protection.

3. The beginning of vertical bushwhacking. It is vertical!!! Somewhere at the point where the line splits, Eric led some of the most frightening pitch of the climb with no possible protection other than frozen moss.

4. We enter the sketchy territory and just push upwards in the woods in the search of the snowfield. 2 hours spent in the dark. High wind doesn’t cooperate.

5. We settle on the small ledge, anchor ourselves to the tree, boil plenty of water and sleep.

 

Yellow line:

Descent. We just kept traversing right. Trees, dead-end gullies, wind, cold, more trees, gullies, wind, cold. Need a tent and more daylight next time…

[greenfork]

Rules are made to be broken.

If someone climbs the same route on the last day of winter in a breezy 75 degrees F, that counts as a winter ascent.

 

Yup.

 

But by what you are saying, any ascent of Rainer would count as a winter ascent, as long as it's pretty cold and there is some snow.

 

Seriously though, good job guys!

[Dru]

Exactly - it's not about conditions.

 

Wayne1112 and artesonraju (I think) climbed Yak Check in March last year with sunny, warm conditions as a rock climb. That was the "first winter ascent" even though it had no "winter conditions". A far different ascent from when the guys from UCC climbed Yak Crack as an ice/mixed/drytool climb in -15C with spindrift in the late 90sfor the FWA of that line.

 

So this ascent was under "winter conditions" but was not a 'winter ascent". Personally I think the winter conditions thing is the important part - you have to go when the conditions are good. What are you gonna do, wait for the solstice and this rain to come in?

 

But it wasn't "in da winta". It was a couple days too early. Calling it a 'winter ascent' is like calling a flash an onsight. The ascent is still technically impressive but it is mislabelled.

 

So anyways lets stop talking about quibbles like this and talk more about the climbing! Did you guys have any Spectres with you? They are the shit for frozen moss...

[jmace]

receive in return..........a bunch of niggling over whether or not it was really winter. Jesus...H...Fucking...Christ

 

Niggling ????

 

The guy was there 5 fucking days before winter even started then said the climb took place on the 21st. I asked to clarify the dates. No one was getting down on anybody!

 

Some of you need to loosen up your panties and rub one out

 

and as I said in my first post, good effort

[ivan]

tr title fixed - i have taken no offense - offending people is my job!

[OlegV]

Right. So, Eric, I think the magenta ascent line looks more interesing (next time):

 

[JoshK]

Why the hell is there practically zero snow at cascade pass???? That is erie...

[curtveld]

Why the hell is there practically zero snow at cascade pass???? That is erie...

Actually it hardly ever snows at Erie.

Now the minimal snow at Cascade Pass, that is odd.

[JoshK]

lol, i wondered if somebody was going to catch that

[DPS]

Right. So, Eric, I think the magenta ascent line looks more interesing (next time):

 

 

Five years ago I climbed a line that roughly followed the magenta line to the snow patch above the green circle. It was really excellent climbing.

[OlegV]

Hey Dan, did you climb it in winter? What month?

[ken4ord]

Hey OlegV, what about those ice flows to the left of the magenta line down low? Are thinner that they look? When I first saw the picture, that is what caught my eye. Also the ones farther up and left too look good.

[DPS]

Hi Oleg,

 

We did indeed try to climb it in winter, late December of 2000. I have been into cascade pass 7 times in the winter and have yet to see the route in as good of condition as it was when we tried it in 2000. The route has either been very dry, or buried in snow.

 

We failed for several reasons: The stove was not working, I woke up sick with a sore throat, and we realized we would need at least 3 days to climb and descend and had only 2.

 

It was a bitter failure because the climbing was so very, very good and I believe would have been the second winter ascent of the route. I raved about the quality of the climbing to Colin who later went on to climb it in very challenging conditions in the winter.

 

We actually descend over the water falls to the left of the magenta line. It would have been an even better start, but we did not see it in the early morning light.

Edited December 23, 2005 by danielpatricksmith

[OlegV]

Hey OlegV, what about those ice flows to the left of the magenta line down low? Are thinner that they look? When I first saw the picture, that is what caught my eye. Also the ones farther up and left too look good.

 

If ice was the same quality as we encountered higher up, I wouldn't trust it much - thin, porous and hard to protect.

I don't understand why.

[OlegV]

Sorry to hear about your failure, Dan. We similarly underestimated this route - we had 2-3 days, and needed at least 4. Didn't have a tent, enough fuel canisters and it was too windy. Besides, we only had 3 screws - not really enough for hard WI climbing. I'd like to return and try the route as WI climb.

[glassgowkiss]

so for all you people with grafik skilz- can you draw me Bebbie-stoddard route. thanks