[TR] Icemaker Mountain- Success and Glory, or Lethal Alpine Seduction? 5/5/2006

[jordop]

Climb: Icemaker Mountain-Success and Glory, or Lethal Alpine Seduction?

 

Date of Climb: 5/5/2006

 

Trip Report:

Another part to Kurt's "Traverse the Coast Mountains Bit-by-Bit": a few weeks ago he suggested we have a go at Icemaker Mountain and ski back out to Railroad Pass. I only had three days, but this didn't seem to be a problem. We had flown in to the Pebble Hut a few years back for mad freshness and knew that the ~40km exit could be done in one long day. Kurt and Jeff H. had also just done a trip from Owl Creek to the Hurley mere weeks previous. We decided that getting up Icemaker would be a touch easier if we just flew to the base. Joining us in this sillyquick traverse were Jeff H. and Kellie M.

 

Tyax Air flies a beaver out of Pemberton for less than half the cost of a helicopter - a good bet if the weather's good and you have a big, flat landing area.

 

Landing on the FASP Glacier, Icemaker in background:

 

Skiing down the FASP Glacier:

 

It was a straightforward ski up Icemaker where the views were had and the incoming sh8tstorm was clearly noted.

Final bit of Icemaker:

 

It took a bit of time to get back down to the Pebble hut from the FASP, much longer than I would have thought. Wicked cornography runs down into the trees.

 

The hut kept moving on us in the tress on the valley bottom and only when we charged at it in frustration and anger did we manage to corner it and gain access to its mousey refuge At this point two things became clear to me: 1. I was coming down with some sort of brutally painful bronchial infection, and 2. The hut was overrun with rodents. Coughing and mice running all over you = no sleep

 

Saturday was pretty socked in so we lazed about in the hut, and read all the old magazines. Kellie read an article in an old Outside rag that purported to be an expose of the secret life of guides: "Success and Glory, or LETHAL ALPINE SEDUCTION?" We had no idea what a lethal alpine seduction might be, but after a while surmized that it must be a Mike Layton dating/body disposal technique.

 

Later on we went up the Pebble Glacier and took a good run off a steep side slope, and then went to explore the tres cool ice cave we had found two years ago. Unfortunately, the thing had totally melted out in all of two years and where there used to be this incredbile tunnel there was now only a big melting cavern. Still cool though, and still a good mine for cocktail ice:

 

I spent most of Saturday night in that cool boilng hot/freezing cold state you get when you're getting a bit sick. This is a really good way to be when you have to ski 40 kms the next day and can barely breathe in without keeling over in pain. I was looking forward to it. Also spent most of that night throwing things at the mice running around the cabin so only had about 2 hours sleep

 

So on the exit out we took a wee bit of a wrong turn and ended up in North Creek, which for those without the 92 J/11 mapsheet in front of them, aint the best move The weather was pretty bad and we couldn't see much and had to pull out a compass of all things. Maybe this was the lethal alpine seduction? Kurt and Jeff had been through this valley though, so they had the beta to surmount the headwall, which required a HEELHOOK OF DEATH (another wickedly excitable outdoor journalism junk phrase )

 

We pulled through though, and got back up into the upper Hurley and the usual exit out. I was pretty sick by this point and every breath was a rasp of broken glass on my lungs. 11 hours and 40 odd kms later we made it back to the truck where Kurt dug into a thirsty beaver:

 

Back at Pemberton I was shivering uncontrollably and had trouble standing up. Somehow made it home, curled up fetally beneath a scalding shower unable to stay warm. Total LETHAL ALPINE SEDUCTION!!!!!!!!

[G-spotter]

You need 'The Man With The Big Mouth' in there:

 

"Ow! My lungs!"

"HANTAVIRUS'D!"

[DirtyHarry]

You Canadians sure know how to have a good time.

[layton]

yeah, just need a roll of tarp, a shovel, and a bag of Lime, if you're gonna do the lethal alpine seduction. Just need to lose the map and get caught in a storm for regular sytle alpine seduction.

[AlpineK]

You Canadians sure know how to have a good time.

 

There was only one real Canadian on the trip; though by now I should have an honorary citizenship based on how much time I've spent in Canada.

 

I'll try and post some pictures soon.

[jordop]

What time did you guys end up getting back to Oceanville?

[jordop]

Quote

yeah, just need a roll of tarp, a shovel, and a bag of Lime, if you're gonna do the lethal alpine seduction. Just need to lose the map and get caught in a storm for regular sytle alpine seduction.

 

So is it the seduction that's lethal?

Edited June 4, 2021 by jordop

[AlpineK]

What time did you guys end up getting back to Oceanville?

 

2AM at my house. Then we had to shovel chips out of Jeff's pickup.

[layton]

"oh she's dead. i'm never gonna get laid....or am I?"

-Death

[MarkMcJizzy]

2AM at my house. Then we had to shovel chips out of Jeff's pickup.

 

Huh?

[Stemalot]

you better be well and 100% by the time I am back!

[hubris]

Nice. The North Creek bit made me spit out my Cheerios. I was wondering how you made out.

[AlpineK]

Here are some photos

 

Icemaker

 

Northwest is the future

 

Thiassi

 

Corn Trax

[olyclimber]

kurt, what are you using to take your pictures? are these slides that your scanning in?

[AlpineK]

Yeah they're scanned slides. I've gone back to old school photograpy after I broke my digital camera and accidentily lost a bunch of picture files. The last part was my fault, but I like to blame the stupid machine.