first ascent [TR] Highway 270, WA - "Death by Chocolate" WI 5+ M7 2/4/2007

[Craig Pope]

Trip: Highway 270, WA - "Death by Chocolate" WI 5+ M7

 

Date: 2/4/2007

 

Trip Report:

Finally I got a first ascent!!!

 

After getting kicked off the 'bouldering curtain' behind Shop-ko in Pullman, we (Lee Neer and I)found these two pieces of Ice hidden behind a new, (6 months old) Rock pit on the way back to Moscow. The climb on the left is for tomorrow morning as early as light will allow, and hopefully will be another successful F.A. The one on the right was option 'B', but looked safer, (relatively, lol), because it was not quite as overhanging as the left one.

 

I'm just excited, sorry. . .

 

.. . .pulling out of the cave scared the shit out of me, and the whole 'climbing on very brown ice' was totally foreign. The one nice thing about the beginning was the amount of 'hooking' available due to the heinously thin/new/overhanging ice, but it meant the burn held off till the end. . .

 

.. . .now to work on some endurance. . .

 

Going to get a couple of second opinions tomorrow, but as far as Big John (hyperspud sports), and I have figured it would go around WI 5+ // or M7-8 and I named it "Death by Chocolate", approx. 60-70ft. short, but oh so sweet. Pun intended. Going to pull a repeat and then a couple second ascents tomorrow morning and hopefully the left climb. . .hopefully. . .

 

(Photos by Amanda Wiebush)

 

CRAIGMAN

 

 

Gear Notes:

short screws approx. 5 and a BD spectre, (or 2), a couple small nuts, and a Trango 'ballnutz' size 3 if you care.

 

Approach Notes:

tomorrow

[Craig Pope]

so I pulled the second ascent on this thing with Lee Neer today... It was so much warmer. Grrr. Wet as hell, couldn't even get into the Mixed part of the climb, or the hanging ice that was so sweet yesterday. Oh well. perhaps it will form again in a nother life.

 

 

[Craig Pope]

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=24564&cat=505

[catbirdseat]

I think your route is aptly named. Good work.

 

[Craig Pope]

got a couple more photos of the repeat, just to know I wasn't a farse. . .but I am looking for someone to get on it soon, (before it falls off), and collaborate about the grading - primarily pulling the little cave before topping out.

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=24688&cat=505

 

Just curious, how do I put the photos directly in the post, not just the link??

[Craig Pope]

oh yeah. thanks, catbirdseat. Just excited to be doing this on ice now. Awesome season for the northwest, eh??

[kurthicks]

If it's still up when I get back in town next week (yea right), I'll go do it and help corroborate on the grade.

[Blake]

 

Just curious, how do I put the photos directly in the post, not just the link??

 

See the thread at the top of the list in the "newbies" forum.

[Craig Pope]

the mixed is climbing out of the cave above the top rope I set up/ you just have to pull a couple of inverted moves on rock, and pull out of it on the hanging icicle just to the right of the tope rope.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Looks like a heady lead. Nice work! What makes you think it is m7-8 (similar difficulty routes elsewhere perhaps?)?

[Craig Pope]

well, the M rating is more of an ecucated guess than anything. Honestly, I have not done that much Mixed, there were about three hard 10.c/d moves before I had to pull 2 Figure 4's, (someone else might not have to, but I am ot that powerful a climber). I've dry tooled a couple 11's and a 12c at granite pointe on the snake river, and thr dry tooling out of the cave on Death by Chocolate was a little easier. that was all I had to draw from. It is going to be getting back to the 20 degree mark in acouple of days, and I am looking for a couple people to repeat it with/without me, and let me know what they think.

[kurthicks]

I've dry tooled a couple 11's and a 12c at granite pointe on the snake river,

 

That is very poor form and is absolutely unacceptable. :tdown:

 

There is very limited climbable rock in the Palouse and the rock at Granite is friable when under the increased pressure of ice tools. If you need to go drytooling, go to Pullman Rocks or go back to that quarry and drytool there.

[vert]

kurt hicks, let a brother be free, the more diversity on rock, the better. nice job mister pope-

[kurthicks]

Nice job, for sure...drytooling on Granite Point...not cool according to any of the long time local climbers.

[Craig Pope]

good pointe, Kurt, I've was born here, and climbed Granite till there was nothing there I couldn't climb. So the next option was Drytooling, however, I was not thinking, and the other locals have a problem, I can def. find someplace else to go.

 

[Craig Pope]

I would really like to know who bolted 'rotten crack' at granite, and why they did such a horrible job. until you pull the crux, you will deck off the first three bolts, not to mention the first is completely un-needed, considering I can clip it from the ground. It is the easiest bolted climb there, and the people who are going to be climbing it may not have the discernment not to. that one 5.9 move could cost someone both legs.

 

Also, who the f*** chopped the bols on steriods to Heaven??? You could lead it trad but it would be a dangerous one as well.

[kurthicks]

I don't think it's that poorly bolted, but I do know who bolted it (not me, but I think it's a decent job).

 

let's get together and chat when I get back into town. I've been thinking about setting up a drytool crag and could use some help

[NYC007]

looks like a "Diarrhetic Convulsion"

[Alex]

"Death by Sewage"?

 

Looks....temporary!

[Craig Pope]

Yeah, wear your brown pants, and it already partially fell down.

[Craig Pope]

looks like a "Diarrhetic Convulsion"

you might if you got on it, I don't know.

[Craig Pope]

let's get together and chat when I get back into town. I've been thinking about setting up a drytool crag and could use some help

I would love to. I wont have a working phone till the 17th, but if you get hold of me on my email, then I would love to get together. That wold be something a lot of people would appreciate. I have some locations in mind too.