blueserac Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Trip: Mount Arrowsmith, Vancouver Island - Cokely Col Trail Ice Date: 2/3/2007 Trip Report: This warm front is doing great things for the melt-freeze cycles. The slab ice directly above the car park directly above the hairpin is a bit thin for some. However, the slabs and corners on the right halfway up the spur road leading to the Cokely/Arrowsmith Col Trail are full of ice. We spotted large slabs of ice up here and ascended the gully on the right in order to reach the slabs sans overhead hazards, the drawback of the SE winds and fronts. Jumajumalungma lead some nice ice on these slabs, and then she lead some more slabs over to the right. There is so much ice around that you can't be dissappointed. We walked off to the right and descended through the trees. Gear Notes: It's Island ice folks, short (10cm) and medium length screws; shoulder length slings; and "BFT" anchors up top. Approach Notes: The plus advantage of the warming is that it was possible to drive to the top of concrete barriers shielding us from the exposed drop of the Pass Main. Pass Main is mostly free of snow to here. Park here, a few heros have been getting their bushed out trucks stuck in the old snowdrifts that lead down the straight section to the hairpin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueserac Posted February 8, 2007 Author Share Posted February 8, 2007 Ummm, can you tell I am new to the site. Here is the ice in the area. Ice above right side of spur from Hairpin Trail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmace Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Awesome work buddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stemalot Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 (edited) Sweet! Some action from the island! I went backcountry skiing at the abandoned resort years ago and remember seeing a nice road side bluff just plastered with thick ice (my estimated...about 30 metre high)!!! If I remember correctly the rock face is about 1-2 km before the first chalet at the resort or I think it's located just before the logging road turns slightly uphill towards the chalet. Regardless, it's not a long walk to get to. As far as I know of at the time, the ice is still virgin... Maybe things have changed? Edited February 8, 2007 by Stemalot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevbone Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueserac Posted February 8, 2007 Author Share Posted February 8, 2007 Yeah Stemalot there are some longer routes after the gate en route to the old ski area. I think they are upto 120m when they are in. The slab just above the road at the hairpin is ~50ish meters when in. I was being washed out on Saturday. But yeah, the approach can't be beat on the island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stemalot Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 do you know how hard the routes are? who first climbed them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueserac Posted February 8, 2007 Author Share Posted February 8, 2007 No idea. Anecdotally, the long ice past the gate towards the ski area "felt like WI3" from a buddy; and I believe these ones are called Crystal Chandelier and Bloody Knuckles. Not who initially climbed them, nor who re-initially may have climbed then for the first time again. The "Weepy Wall" of slabs just above the road at the hairpin are fun at WI2 when formed fat. It can also look great from afar...but be not so thick up close. But always fun... These are gathered from a visit up Arrowsmith on the third weekend of January. We took the Blitzbuggy as far as we could up Pass Main, which turned out to be pretty sad and low down well before the switchbacks. Ice Climbing is always fun, so off we went. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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