[TR] Ice Bender - 12/13/2007

[John Frieh]

Trip: Ice Bender - Cody, WY & Montana

 

Date: 12/13/2007

 

Summary:

Day 0: PDX -> SEA -> BZN -> Cody, WY

Day 1: Sendero Iluminoso (1 p/55 m), The Moratorium (2 p/100 m)

Day 2: Bitches Brew (1st 2 p only/70 m)

Day 3: One Arm Bandit (6 p/235 m)

Day 4: Too Cold to Fire (1 p/70 m), Cody -> Bozeman

Day 5: Bozeman -> East Rosebud Canyon, MT: California Ice (4 p/200 m) -> Bozeman

Day 6 (today!): BZN -> SEA -> PDX

 

Slander and Lies:

 

So after ~5 months of dirt bagging and womanizing (and maybe a little climbing ) his way across the United States Bryan (Powderhound) was back in Bozeman to get ready to start his Master’s next term and called to see if I could escape the clutches of the cube farm and come out for some ice climbing before he was buried in books. As usual Bryan’s timing was impeccable: I had just been assigned to a new boss at work which can only mean one thing:

 

Ummm… so… yeah… I like have some vacation that I haven’t used yet and it ummm… is going to expire at the end of this year. So yeah. Some vacation.

 

I think if they actually kept track of it they’d realize I owe them like 4 years of uninterrupted work.

 

I packed the bags and hopped a flight to BZN. Bryan met me at the airport still sporting the same mohawk he shaved the day he left for the crusades 5 months earlier… ice climbing and mohawks… could this trip get any better?

 

It did: Cody was currently enjoying epic fatness. We pointed the car south and were in Cody that evening.

 

 

Day 1: eeny-meeny-miney-moe

 

So word on the street was that Sendero Iluminoso was in after a decade hiatus. JoJo describes Sendero in Winter Dance as When formed, the first pitch of this route is perhaps the most aesthetic in the entire book...

 

We hustled off to climb Sendero Iluminoso before it got beat out... When formed Sendero is roughly 18” wide and very thin (think 10s and 13s) for a good portion of the route.

 

Sendero Iluminoso: Can you see it?

 

Following Sendero we ran over to The Moratorium… though The Moratorium forms more often than Sendero it is another Cody route that doesn’t form every year.

 

 

So how fat is Cody this year? Compare this photo to the one on p270 in Winter Dance.

 

Smoke 'em if you got 'em

 

Moratorium pitch 2

 

Day 2:

 

Day 2 saw us head up the Deer Creek drainage for another rarely forming Cody route Bitches Brew. We should have known better as this route was a Todd "Mr South Fork" Cozzens problem child.

 

Bitches Brew p1:

 

Bryan stole my pitch by linking 1 and 2 which brought us to this: Cody 5+

 

We hung out for awhile to see if the pillar would go back into the shade (which it didnt). We waited for a bit before Bryan headed up...

 

Bryan climbed up to the business, took a long look at it and declined. I was glad he did as I doubted my ability to follow that pitch in the condition that it was in.

 

Day 3:

 

Bummed that we hadn't completed a longer Cody route yet (Bitches Brew was suppose to be 5 pitches) we headed up to One Arm Bandit.

 

One Arm Bandit: climbers left

 

Yes the book is right: the approach sucks but it's worth it

 

As Bryan sucks at estimating how much rope is left he ended up simuling p1 and 2 with me.

 

One Arm Bandit p1:

 

Pitch 3: the business

 

So when fully formed the LH pillar touches down... as you can see it isn't. After some discussion we thought the ice in the back of the chimney could go... it did

 

He just...

...might...

...go...

...all...

...the way!!!

 

STOKED @ the top of 3:

 

Bryan brought me up and we punched it for the top.

 

To The Top!

 

3 pitches, 2 ice screws, and 0 change overs brought us to the top of the ice. We hiked up a little further to see if any unclimbed ice had happened to make an appearance considering the conditions but no ice was found so we headed for the car.

 

 

I snapped a pic of p2 while on rap in case you were wondering what the chimney looks like.

 

Day 4:

 

As we had plans to climb near Bozeman on Day 5 we opted to make Day 4 a 1/2 day. We headed back up the Deer Creek drainage for Too Cold to Fire.

 

Deer Creek:

 

Too Cold to Fire:

 

We soloed the initial steps

 

Too Cold:

 

Bryan:

 

After Too Cold we hiked another 10 minutes up Deer Creek where you can see a sandstone arch over the frozen river as well as huge sandstone walls. Absolutely beautiful! I'd post some pics but I think I am setting a new record for # of pics in a TR so I'm going to leave them out. Highly highly recommended if you have the time.

 

Though we were sad to leave Cody we hiked out packed the car and headed to Bozeman.

 

Cody: Goodbye for now...

 

 

Secret shortcut back to Bozeman!

 

Day 5:

 

Somehow we managed to pull our tired, sore butts out of bed and get an alpine start for East Rosebud Canyon.

 

zoom zoom:

 

East Rosebud Canyon hosts a number of ice routes including California Ice... a route both of us have wanted to climb for awhile. In addition to ice routes the canyon has some huge granite faces and spires...

 

 

After a short jaunt on the trail we hit the drainage that leads to Cali Ice and started up.

 

Always dress appropriately :laf:

 

Dream of californication

 

I'm going going...

 

...back back to Cali Cali

 

Bryan took p1... I took p2 to the top of the WI4 section. Bryan came up and we simuled the last two pitches to the top of the ice. At this point the weather started to deteriorate...

 

Bryan:

 

Spindrifter:

 

Looking down the route:

 

To The Top!

 

To The Car!

 

We stopped in Absorkee for a and to sign the wall @ the five spot.

 

We then rushed back to Bozeman only to find out I wasn't holding the right cards... what can I say... story of my life.

 

Bryan and I ended up hitting McKenzie River Pizza for some non paleo food and drink before succumbing to food coma and the culminative effects of 5 days of ice climbing.

 

Epilogue:

All good things come to an end and well I'm back at the cube farm reading email that the Stanley Headwall is in super fat right now.

 

Hmmm... I wonder at what temperature do laptop screens freeze at...?

 

Cheers to Bryan for my first trip to Cody!

 

Is it officially winter yet?

 

Gear Notes:

Winter Dance by Joe Josephson

Stumptown

 

[wayne]

Great tr John, Brown and I are headed out there next week.So tell me about the secret shortcut

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Awesome John! Sendero looks beautiful. I can't stop thinking about how bad I want to go back.

[rmncwrtr]

Great tr, John. Loved all the pics.

[ryland_moore]

Awesome John! Hope you brought the cold back with ya!

[letsroll]

Thanks for the pics. Damn that looks nice. I have a question. In general how late does the season goes over there? How is Feb? Figure may will be a bit late.

[JoJo]

I've climbed California Ice in April at it was great. Some routes in Cody like Moratorium, Mean Green, High on Boulder, etc will also be good until April. The sunny side of the South Fork should be good for months still. Cody is having one of the best years you will ever see. Hyalite is wide open too. The road is ice but casual.

[Hendershot]

BAMF trip!!!

(Bad Ass MF)

 

mmmm, ICE porn

[sweatinoutliquor]

Awesome writeup and pics John. and Also thanks for the advice on how to work vacation... I'm going to have to try that out...

[marcus]

Way to ride em, boys!

[Weekend_Climberz]

Nice Time to get some American Ice!

[kevbone]

Wow…..what a great TR. That climbing looks dangerous…….all that ice climbing……

 

In one of your pictures….it shows one of you (I don’t know which guy is you John) clipped to a bolt at a belay. Where did the bolt come from?

 

[John Frieh]

Where did the bolt come from?

 

Dont know. I'm guessing the FA team.

 

PS: Red Jacket = me

[billcoe]

Tell Bryan if he doesn't quit smoking, he'll be back to only getting up 5.10's by the time he's 40....thats coming up in....like.....about 18 years or so?

 

Nice! If you got more pics bring em all John! We can take it! Ujahn just gave me some pics of Red Rocks last night, I should post them to show Bryan what he missed. (nothing really as he's hit every climbing area in the US over the summer I think)

 

 

Thanks for sharing! Good stuff!

[wayne]

Sorry to break into this stimulating dialogue, , I sent you the photos John, so.... Where is the secret goddamn road??????????

[ken4ord]

Hell Yeah!!! Looks like a freaking great trip, I am jealous as one can get. I gotta get off this freaking continent or either get my ass up to Morrocco.

[ryanl]

great pics man.

[G-spotter]

That looks fun, especially the one route with the chimney. What does it go at?

[John Frieh]

That looks fun, especially the one route with the chimney. What does it go at?

 

One Arm Bandit is WI5, 235 m. Very short chimney section (the book calls it a chockstone).

 

If you like chimneys put Birdbrain on the list.

 

You'll love Cody Dru! You won't need your velcro gloves as most of the baa come equipped with handles!

 

See...!?!?

[pink_chalk]

:tup: :snugtop:

 

Nice T.R. John!* Absolutely amazing...

[Chad_A]

Nice pics, I have to sack up and get to Cody one of these days. Looks like a good time...I'm sure the Stumptown helped out with that, heh.

[ZimZam]

I must move West. Thanks for the stoke John.

[powderhound]

Nice pics, I have to sack up and get to Cody one of these days. Looks like a good time...I'm sure the Stumptown helped out with that, heh.

 

stumptown mixed with cliff bar hot chocolate electrolytes kept us moving

[ElisifHarro]

John 7, Team Harro 4....Something tells me you don't mess around with this whole competition thing! Oh well, if I have to be beat, than I'm glad it's by you

Nice TR, it looks like you took full advantage of the time you had!

[wayne]

Just got back from my first trip to Cody! What fun. It worked well under the storm pattern on the west coast. >>>No Avvy Danger!

The concentration of ice is extraordinary. Once you get there , you can drive by 40 ice routed=s in 10 miles! Try that in Banff..

We had a good time in Pine Creek(Montana) on the way there> Green Gully didnt surive the avvy test.

In Cody we managed Stringer, Too Cold to Fire (great hike too) , Sendero, (got scooped on Moratorium twice), And the complete Main Vein in Arctic conditions. It was cold and windy and snowing.. But It was a great time!