Wenatchee and Columbia Basin ice

[Steven_Heim]

Does anyone have information on current ice formation around Wenatchee, and/or Columbia ice basin. Given the continuing cold trend predicted for this week I would think that by Saturday some reasonable ice may be available. Maybe I am daydreaming.

[mikeadam]

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[This message has been edited by mikeadam (edited 05-15-2001).]

[Matt_Stanley]

Here's some pics from last week on the ice in Eastern WA:

Tom Heins on the first step of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues:

Fred Stanley on Even Cowgirls Get the Blues:

Mark Shipman on the upper wall of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues:

Mark Shipman on the inside corner of Rainbow Falls:

Cheers,

Matt Stanley

[Ade]

Hi,

Looks like you've got a TR on most of these. Was anything leadable?

Ade

 

[sobo]

Hey, where is Even Cowgirls Get the Blues? THAT would help...

[sobo]

Never mind... I just saw Selected Climbs in the Cascades, Vol. II, at the new Hyperspud store here in Yakima. It shows a bunch of ice routes up around Banks Lake, and gives beta for 4 of the classics.

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[mikeadam]

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[This message has been edited by mikeadam (edited 05-15-2001).]

[Matt_Stanley]

We TRed everything. Cowgirls was extensively chandeliered and wet. Inside Corner was a narrow pillar and wet. Mark said he knows of only one person who's ever lead Cowgirls. With enough courage you can lead anything, I suppose, but having only very modest experience in the ice world, I'll leave that to someone else.

It's "A" Fred Stanley... is there a "The" Fred Stanley?

Matt Stanley

[dave]

Climbed in the Coulee City area on the 19 and 20 of December. What I think was Rainier light and another route right next door were in good condition to lead. Grade 4, 70-80 feet and can be seen heading south on hwy 17 from Coulee City at around mile marker 82. The routes will be on the left. Head up a side road for a few hundred yards and walk through the sage for 5 or 10 minutes, climb and rap off sage of right hand route, which was the slightly harder of the two. Lots of ice formed up along Banks Lake, mostly steep and sustained. The Devil's Punchbowl was threatened by crazy overhanging icicles and didn't seem worth it, but in thick. There is a good leadable pillar down and to the left of the Punchbowl. Someone told me that they climbed Guinness a few days earlier and it was in good shape, grade 5ish. The Absent Minded Professor did not exist at all. Champagne looked in from the road, up close it was very heavily chandeliered and looked hard to protect.

[sobo]

The "good leadable pillar down and to the left" of Devil's Punchbowl is called Trotsky's Revenge, WI-4. A very nice lead, as I recall...

...sobo