Rumors of ice?? conditions update??

[rat]

drury and the pencil have actually lost ice over the course of the week.

 

plenty of routes to climb if you're willing to scratch and sniff. bring more rock than ice gear and watch for releases off the snow covered slabs.

 

there is a route high along nason ridge that is also formed but has high avi hazard both on the approach and climb. it's visible driving along hwy 2 but most easily seen from the whitepine creek road. approach time is about 2hr. pitch 1 is about 100' of wi3, plow up the gully to a 150' cliff and turn this via easy mixed climbing on the left, continue up the gully to a final 80' pitch of wi3-4. rap the route from trees (best to rap over the middle cliff as well). i soloed this a couple winters ago and have been waiting to see if the middle cliff would ice up. it hasn't and probably won't. however, it will provide some good steep dry tooling for anyone will to "climb for location".

 

[selkirk]

Anyone been up at Alpental in the last few days? Is there anything to get or is it all burried?

[Dannible]

Does anyone know anything about the ice around exit 38? I drove by today and it looked like there's some mixed stuff and a few small pillars on the hillsides. I didn't have time to get close to anything.

[selkirk]

Anyone found anything wortwhile down at Rainier recently?

[FBCC]

Don't know about Rainier, but curious what else is still up

 

I saw Kevins post that Fuggs and the rest of Vantage is falling so that is out for the weekend.

 

Anybody got anything positive to add about what is still up and not in extreme avi danger?? Anyone been on Hubba Hubba? We're looking to head out Sunday, so if anyone finds anything on Saturday it would be much appreciated if you posted it.

 

Thanks

[kevino]

Talked to Paul from Yakima. He says horsetail and union creek falls are both fat right now up on chinook pass. and clear creek falls on white pass is super good. Anyone want to go check them out?

[FBCC]

Thanks for the tip Kevino

 

I am already commited to drive with someone else, but if you are out there I am sure we will run into you somewhere.

 

 

[sobo]

Talked to Paul from Yakima. He says horsetail and union creek falls are both fat right now up on chinook pass. and clear creek falls on white pass is super good. Anyone want to go check them out?

 

So what did you find?

How did Strobach look from the highway?

[kevino]

Went to banks lake instead.

 

Want to skip winter training and climb instead?

[sobo]

Believe me, the thought had occurred to me... But that would be a hard one to have to live down after the fact.

 

Also, who would Alex have to go with him to the 3rd Annual Winter Training Prime Rib Feast and Beer Swilling Event at the lodge?

[FBCC]

Hi Sobo

 

We took the detour to Chinook Pass based on Kevinos post

 

Never been to the area

It was a good time, easy access

 

lots of stuff in

 

Horsetail Falls Below:

Edited February 5, 2008 by FBCC

[kevino]

I'm glad you had success. When I went there in Jan it was bare bones. Did you get to any other climbs?

[sobo]

Yeah, Horsetail, Union Creek, and most of the other Chinook Pass stuff is about the easiest access to ice I've seen anywhere. 10 minutes or less from the car. Makes for pretty lazy (read: spoiled) climbers after a while...

[peter57]

To use a climbing phrase "that's me"

 

in the picture.

 

Peter

 

PS Looking a the picture I'ma getting a very vivid recollection of the sound of water about 6 inches to the right and under about 1/2 inch of ice.

[FBCC]

yeah there were other climbs in

 

Sorry but only briefly reading the guide book I had a hard time identifying which climb was which.

 

maybe you can from the pics below.

 

There was plenty of snow so some lower angle stuff seemed covered

 

The drowning pool stuff did not looked bonded to the rock well and it did not look like it would hold pro that well.

 

Horsetail was good but 3/4 of the way up it was thin and hollow

we all knocked through it, and heard ice falling down behind the falls. I purposly soloed that thin section as I did not want to be attached to a large chunk via a screw if a big section fell off.

 

we climbed on something on the Great Wall that was nice but again the ice was really really airated so you really had to search for a good screw placement.

 

view the pics below and maybe you can tell me the names for future reference

 

[Jens]

Sweet access!

That is almost as "bumper belay" as H202 at banks- (I think I almost trundled some ice on my Blazer on H202).

[sobo]

view the pics below and maybe you can tell me the names for future reference

 

First pic's Peekaboo, viewed from upstream of the climb.

Sweetest route on the Great Wall ('cept mebbe Sniveling Gulley).

 

 

Peekaboo, from opposite viewpoint of Pic #1.

 

 

Two-Face. If you led it, you may now very likely have the FA.

Cragg and I have only TR'ed it.

 

 

Unclear... appears to be the flow that never forms, located between Two-Face and Sniveling Gulley.

Listed as "Unnamed on the Great Wall" on page 207 of The Guide.

 

 

Unclear... Definitely NOT Sniveling Gulley.

SG is in an amphitheater at MilePost 1, right after you turn the bend at the downstream end of the Great Wall.

Can't miss it. Surprised you guys didn't try that one.

 

So, is this shot across the river at Drowning Pool?

Or is it in the trees on the road side and just shy of Great Wall as you drive upstream?

FYI: There is a climb hiding behind some trees just on the corner before reaching the GW.

Has some tall pines growing right next to it that "scratch your back" all the way up.

It's short but steep.

Paul Eggurud of Mountain Mojo's in Crackima snagged the FA of that little gem last year.

[sobo]

Compare to the Great Wall in January of 2004.

This pic is shot from MilePost 1, with Sniveling Gulley out of frame on the near right.

The curtain in center frame that doesn't touch down is Two-Face.

The flow on the left in the far distance that touches down is Peekaboo.

 

 

 

Here's another pic for y'all of Peekaboo. That's Cragg at the base, on the day after we snagged the FA, in January of 2004.

 

 

Photos are in my Gallery on Page 4, if you want to see larger versions.

[FBCC]

Thanks for clearing up the names

 

with that info then Two Face was not going to be lead, at least not by me! too thin and wet.

 

Peekaboo obviously is in.

 

we did not identify Sniveling Gulley. there were a few patches of ice up high but none in that vacinity that touched down or looked like ice climbs, ugly mixed maybe but not ice.

 

I did not take any pics of Drowning pool, but again regardless of the size of your balls it did not look safe to get on what little had formed up.

 

Great access!

 

 

 

 

[sobo]

So would you say that WI-3 is correct for Peekaboo?

[Alex]

Yes, def not harder than 3

[FBCC]

Sobo

 

Tough one only becuase in general (like most folks) I feel ratings are guidelines at best that can be really subjective to the current conditions, length of a climb, quality of the Belay stance etc.. Again I know there is a whole grade scale for commitment etc... but all of those factor tend to get calculated into the leaders psyche to make the route feel harder or easier then it is rated. Of course angle and steepness of ice seem absolute, but I am sure you understand what I am saying.

I do not feel any better or worse of myself if one day I have an easy lead on a 4 and another day get uncomforatable leading a 2+ because it is all subjective to my confidence/mood which is influenced by so many factors.

 

That said I think the day we climbed Peekaboo I was not confident in ice to hold screws well. I did not like the top out as it was muddy with lots of big loose rocks (which I cleaned) so it felt more 3 3+ then just a pure 3

Another year it may be fat as hell with solid ice and be picked to death, so I might feel differently

 

 

I am not trying to open up a can of worms for people in reference to rating; just telling you why on the day we were there I might stretch the rating just a little bit.

Edited February 6, 2008 by FBCC

[sobo]

...I did not like the top out as it was muddy with lots of big loose rocks...

 

Yeah, I remember that part. We did it in March once...

Spent the rest of the next day washing my tools down.

[kevino]

This sucks. Its suppose to be in the 40s pretty much everywhere thats not a mountain pass for the next 10 days.

[sobo]

Welcome to the PNW, kevin.