[TR] Hope Mountain - Poker In the Rear 70m WI2 11/24/2007

[G-spotter]

Trip: Hope Mountain - Poker In the Rear 70m WI2

 

Date: 11/24/2007

 

Trip Report:

JMace and I didn't feel like hiking in to Sumallo Cirque after finding out the gate was locked so we drove all over looking for ice.

 

Private Reserve is coming in. Nothing else in near Hedley, very dry.

 

Sumallo Bluffs is forming up. Mess, B/K, Landmark all forming up but gray and thin looking.

 

Buszowski/Kippan on R with unclimbed stff above, and Landmark Gully on the left.

 

Anthrax Ripple, which almost never forms, is forming up. it looks real good!

AR takes the super narrow vein of ice. I have never seen this route formed before.

 

After driving all over & seeing a disappointing amount of ice & not climbing any of it we remembered some climbs Gary S. and jordop had put up up Hope Mountain. We were now on Plan D and it was 2PM so it was nice to be able to drive right to the end of the road. The icy section mentioned in WCI at 4km was just passable with some dirt shovelled onto the ice, so we avoided the 5km road walk.

 

 

It was a 15 minute hike in to the two ice climbs. A nearby potential WI4/5 did not look formed yet. We decided to do "Poker in the Rear", 70m WI3 as per the guidebook.

 

Approaching the route.

 

I was able to lead the whole route in one pitch with a bit of simulclimbing. The ice was about like on the first ascent as per conditions photo in the guidebook, but it felt more like WI2 than WI3 because the stepped nature of the underlying rock gives you so many rests and foot ledges to stand on even when the overall angle steepens. This was a good season opener route and would make a great first lead for anyone.

 

I tried out some new Grivel Helix screws I bought on close-out at MEC. They were pretty nice, not sure the big hanger radius would be so great if you had to chop away a bunch of ice to turn it though.

 

We were able to rap off in one 60m shot from a tree at climber's right of the top of the steeper falls and about 5m from the top of the climb where it kicks back to frozen creek bed. Walk back to the truck by Jesse's headlamp was pretty easy & the icy road was not any worse on the drive out although 4-low was used.

 

This is a pretty good early season area & the ice should stick around for a while longer it seems.

[Sherri]

Nice, G!

[jordop]

Generally speaking, one should not try to assign a grade to a climb on one's second ever day of iceclimbing. Ahem. It's a two - too bad it's enshrined in the book as such! Looks like you guys could drive quite far - looks like you got through the big ditch okay.

[canadug]

Bro,

Sweet looking. I'd be up for some ice climbing sometime.

[G-spotter]

Looks like you guys could drive quite far - looks like you got through the big ditch okay.

 

I beat on the ice leading down to the big ditch with Jesse's lumberjack axe, and he shoveled gravel and sand on the beat-up ice. After 15 minutes of that, we could get through without sliding.

[cheamclimber]

Is this up towards the Hope Mountain Trail? How far up the road do you have to drive?

 

[tlinn]

Look at the guide Westcoast Ice.

[jmace]

9 boring kilometers..worth driving if you can, that way its only a ten minute approach..

[G-spotter]

Yeah, a sled might be the way to go today.

[adamsbud]

Anyone interested in going to Wells Monday December 3rd? My truck will make it in no problem. Going once.....

Edited December 2, 2007 by adamsbud