Icicle Buttress

[bwrts]

neglected routes that about all I can say other than thanks for never crowding the quickest access crag in Leavenworth.

dirt never hurt anyone.

and the cracks are a bit short.

but the move to aestheticness ratio is fairly skewed.

overall another good day on the IButt.

went up arch to forking crack

then Tober to the Cave

followed by the the cave Route to I think 10- finger crack (of Jim Phillips as well).

 

A classic link up:

Spaghetti Sauce to the Ramp to any crack between Big Bertha

and The Rand D route.

 

-or-

 

what DC and I climbed today (see above)

 

-or-

 

The cocaine connect to the ramp to any crack between BBertha and RANDd

 

A test piece for little BigWallBen = Big Berhta

-need some strategic cleaing around the flower patch and bat hang/swallow perch

 

Another testpiece people spray about but do not relize the anchor is in the wrong spot is the "beast" route. A real route smith would have put the anchor above the end mantle. I Butt is a Trad Crag not a sportie Wall crag like exit 3420

 

countless slab routes some classic some not so classic and the unforgetable r and d leaner or weiner or even love donut routes...

why walk to castle

the creek is just as noisy if not more than the castle/highway scene in the tumwater.

 

either way thanks for the sunny rock outing w/o crowds.

 

btw- if anyone knows the idiot kayakers who almost drowned below the crag this afteroon- I am sorry.

 

 

 

 

 

[ZONK]

Was that You on Sunday afternoon ? Your Right, You dont see people up in that area often and there are some fun climbs you dont have to wait in line for. Cheers !

[KaskadskyjKozak]

 

I was there yesterday climbing R&D with two beginner climbers who followed all the way. No crowds (so we didn't hold anyone up) and a beautiful day. Awesome.

 

[KaskadskyjKozak]

btw- if anyone knows the idiot kayakers who almost drowned below the crag this afteroon- I am sorry.

 

Did you see the one guy hit the log, go under, then bail from his kayak and float downstream? Or was there even more craziness going on?

[Bishopp66]

Steve, is that you? yea, fun climb on Sunday. Man that water looked cold too... i think I'd learn to paddle in a warmer river if I was that guy.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Steve, is that you? yea, fun climb on Sunday. Man that water looked cold too... i think I'd learn to paddle in a warmer river if I was that guy.

 

yep.

[RideT61]

Assuming someone is an idiot kayaker because they swam on the Icicle is a little like saying a climber is an idiot because he took a lead fall. I doubt very much this person was learning to paddle on the Icicle.

 

By the way, Tober is a fun route, if it were easier to access it would get climbed a lot more.

Edited May 7, 2008 by RideT61

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Assuming someone is an idiot kayaker because they swam on the Icicle is a little like saying a climber is an idiot because he took a lead fall. I doubt very much this person was learning to paddle on the Icicle.

 

By the way, Tober is a fun route, if it were easier to access it would get climbed a lot more.

 

hey, I didn't say they were idiots. I even joked to my partner at the time "we think they're crazy and they probably think we're crazy".

[lancegranite]

I'm sure that the Icicle Buttress has seen a couple epics in it's time.

This spring's take:

2 slings

2 cordelettes

4 wires/ hexes

8 carabiners

 

 

 

[Bug]

Idiot kayakers?

Sheesh.

Should they be required to wear MLU's

[bwrts]

RideT161- As you many recall, the access to tober is 5.9ish (or easier) climbing for about one full pitch and then a short hike over to belay. seems about as easy as one would want when Tober is 10a. The old bolts and runout to the first bolt off the belay ledge are probably more of the answer to why it is avoided.

 

The idiot kayakers had one standout idiot. He/She nearly drowned due to poor style and (perhaps)knowledge of the Icicle Ck. They all came spinning into the rapids below the wall, hardly keeping the boat noses out front. The standout then nailed the log in the creek upside down before finally swimming. Oh and then the swimmer nearly got pulled under a second time and the boat was lucky to not be pinned. Your right epics are abound. And I suppose my previous statement should have been partially explainded better... To me with my novice kayak eyes, it appeared like these kayakers had no business in this section of the creek and are very lucky a rescue was not needed.

 

Anyrate, more Icicle Creek Buttress talk and less kayak talk.

 

[RideT61]

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said you had novice kayak eyes. The guy who swam has been paddling for over 20 years and is very good. We all mess up sometimes.

 

By the way, how can someone with novice kayak eyes determine what constitutes bad style that led to the swim?

 

Also, I agree, the old bolts are the real problem on Tober, I have thought about repacing them but fear being called out online.

Edited May 8, 2008 by RideT61

[bwrts]

My climbing partner is an ex-kayaker (with many friends that have kayaked probably longer than your buddy) and explained to me about the poor style. whatever. glad, he made it and you all had fun...

 

As for upgrading bolts:

as long as they are placed in same hole or very close to same hole then there should not be a problem as long as you remove old bolt.

[RideT61]

The ironic thing is that you and your partner probably know some of the people who were in that group. I think Dave Moroles was paddling Icicle that day. I suspect you may know or have heard of him?

My only point is that we are all (myslef included) a little too quick to draw conclusions from afar. The paddler in question had just styled the rapids upstream of there with are significantly harder.

By the way, I'm still curious to hear what looked so awry from way up on IB that it made you think they were idiots as you called them in your first post.

 

 

Edited May 8, 2008 by RideT61

[brock_g]

"idiot Kayaker"

 

BWRTS: you are an utter jackass.

 

BTW - i dont think you are crazy. Most likely just a "yo bro" chuckle head.

 

your pal,

 

Brock

Edited May 8, 2008 by brock_g

[Mercyful Fate]

Heavy Drama Shit

 

Ill just say If your up on a wall and see boaters having a little epic then go home and post smack about it your going to catch some shit.There's alot of climber/boaters out there.

 

 

[fenderfour]

Why does it bother you that someone you don't respect is giving you shit on the internet? This is what the internet is for; anonymous slagging of people you don't know. Jeezus.

[bwrts]

Doesn't bother me.

I laugh heartily and so does my wife.

Now I bow down to all you whiney kayakers

uttering appologies

as I wink at you from the cliff afar

with my jackass brown eye.

 

(I suppose I believe that we are ALL jackasses for partaking in climbing or kayaking as there are WAY more productive things to do in this world-let alone spray about it).

 

Ok now Back to the IButt-

anyone ever climb the routes called Yellow Wall or John Henry????

[Bug]

Only an idiot would climb those.

[RideT61]

No, but if you want to check them out I'd be happy to join you.

[bwrts]

name calling aside...

 

got back on the buttress this weekend with my wife and climbed the weiner route to the cave route to the top.

 

A good alternative to R & D as Kelsay says, "not that much harder; except for the first pitch"

except fot the weiner route, all climbing is 5.7ish and easier.

 

The connection from weiner to the cave is a bit dirty and does require a pitch or two of walking and easy slab climbing up low angle ledge system, depending on length of pitches. I elected to not climb too far above Kelsay due to rope drag across the grassy,sandy and loose rubble benches (all and all good climbing).

 

To keep 5.7 and easier one can climb "leaner" or to keep around up to 5.8, one can climb the 5.8ish crack out of the cave (thin gear).

 

FWIW- spied a blue metolius or wildcountry cam stuck in the pitch below cave. Didn't bother hanging out to retrieve this cam but one with a bit more time could easlily extract it.

 

if someone adds a nice high res picture I can draw line on for furture parties to follow.