lillooet TR

[Buckaroo]

Ice is in, did 4 climbs in the Rambles and ICBC, get it while it's cold, looks cold enough for the next couple weeks except for tues. will write a better TR later today.

[Buckaroo]

everything a little thin, but stuff that usually doesn't form was in

 

 

Jan 16th drive up and did Icy BC 1st pitch, thinner than usual but do-able.

Upper pitch looks in but not fat. Top roped the Deeping Wall, steep all the

way but picked out. Hooked almost all the way but partner found an relatively

unmolested line.

 

having done all the regulars, loose lady, carls berg, syncronicity, tried for

some other stuff.

 

17th, the Rambles, the cirque in plain site directly across from the hiway

from the bridge, did The Column (4-) and The Peterson Smaridge Dihedral, (4+)

it was fully formed, full 50 meters, very nice, thin but good screws and the

last 30' was bolt protected cuz the top is usually very thin if it's even in,

the book says it usually only forms 1/2 height.

 

18th, the Rambles, the cirque viewable across the hiway and right from the

bridge. Closet secrets, very interestingly thin but ok screws, shallow ice in

spots, rocked the tools. Alpine traversed toward Shreddy (fully formed, rare)

to try for a top rope, ledge tapered to featureless slab, abakalov off a

little shroom, rap and tension traverse into below the top of Shreddy,

climbed up, cleaned the anchor and twin 60's reach the ground! AWESOME 5!,

fun on toprope, should have led it, several marginal rests on the upper

curtain but screws maybe not easy. Lots of shrooms, lots of chandeliers, sort

of wet on the right side.

 

Beta, the "foot/snowmobile bridge" described in the new guide as being 3k past

Carls Berg is more like 3 miles past Carls Berg. The foot bridge got washed

away, now it's a full one lane vehicle bridge, you can't miss it about 150'

off the road in plain site.

 

The approach to the Column cirque was icy rock, a beater set of crampons would

make it faster. The Shreddy cirque should not be approached in warm

conditions, it's a box canyon gully, if the huge free hanging daggers come

down on Shreddy it's not going to be pretty for anything within the upper 300' of the gully

and there's nowhere to go.

 

Almost had an epic, toproping my buddy on Shreddy, noted one of the ropes was

getting icy. We'd put a directional to keep the climber out of the wet but

the other side of the rope was in the wet. Decided I could pull up our third

rope if it got too iced before I needed to rap. It seemed ok, NOT. the rope

was iced in spots, the REI gloves got iced from the climb and started

slipping on rapel. Wound the rope around my arm and ripped the shell off,

luckily the liner glove was dry and got traction. All the while free hanging

at 120'. big sigh back on the ground. The rope is pretty new dry. Just a bad

combo of conditions.

 

The Lillooet weather report on TV at the hotel said below freezing for the next couple weeks except for next tues (0C), and -14C on the 27th.

[jordop]

Almost had an epic, toproping my buddy on Shreddy, noted one of the ropes was

getting icy. We'd put a directional to keep the climber out of the wet but

the other side of the rope was in the wet. Decided I could pull up our third

rope if it got too iced before I needed to rap. It seemed ok, NOT. the rope

was iced in spots, the REI gloves got iced from the climb and started

slipping on rapel. Wound the rope around my arm and ripped the shell off,

luckily the liner glove was dry and got traction. All the while free hanging

at 120'. big sigh back on the ground. The rope is pretty new dry. Just a bad

combo of conditions.

 

May I suggest:

[jmace]

The Lillooet weather report on TV at the hotel said below freezing for the next couple weeks except for next tues (0C), and -14C on the 27th.

 

Dont believe the hype

 

its plus 2 there right now, ouch and a high of 4 for tomorrow

[Buckaroo]

Yeah, I always carry two prussiks but had just used them on the abakalov. I know about backing up a rap with a prussik but have never seen it done. Does it work on iced ropes?

[Buckaroo]

Yeah, the weather channel ehh? We all know the forecast is right/wrong 50 percent of the time. Oh well guess we have to go to Banff now.

 

You never know though, the canyons are higher than the town, so if it gets cold again, these things could still be there in a week or so.

[Buckaroo]

The Column at The Rambles

 

 

Peterson Smaridge Dihedral, thin but full length

 

 

Peterson Smaridge Dihedral

 

 

Closet Secrets, pitch 1 grade 3-4, in thin conditions

 

 

Closet Secrets, pitch 2 , grade 4, Shreddie on the right, lens makes it look off angle, but top 2/3 is vertical

 

 

 

Shreddie, Grade 5, the camera lens distorts distances, the 3 to 4 ramp to the big cave is 1/3 height, the upper vertical grade 5 section is 2/3 of total length, about 40M.

 

 

 

 

 

[G-spotter]

Actually, for Closet Secrets, that is pretty damn fat.

[Weekend_Climberz]

Nice pics :tup:

 

Looks like things would hold up to a bit of a thaw, in the freeze/thaw cycle. Probably well below the 0C mark in the darkness.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Great pics, thanks. P-S dihedral and column look great