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[TR] Fraser Valley - FA Janice Ales 200m WI3 12/11/2009


G-spotter

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Trip: Fraser Valley - FA Janice Ales 200m WI3

 

Date: 12/11/2009

 

Trip Report:

Graham took the day off and came out to the Valley on Friday.

In the morning we took a sniff up the unusually snow free Skagit Valley. Lots of ice way up the valley sides but pretty thin down low. We ended up doubling back along Hwy 1 and climbing a line I have been eying for a couple of years. About half a km east of "Easy Intro" and the same distance west of The Diviner there is a prominent red cliff with a dagger that forms but never touches down. There's also a less prominent continuous flow to the right of that dagger that you can see quite notably from Seabird Island. This was what we went for.

 

We hiked up a landslide track below the dagger to avoid the worst of the bush - about 150m of elevation gain (20-30 minutes, steep) up to the route.

 

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The dagger from below

 

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Graham leading the first pitch.

 

The first two pitches were both full ropelengths of WI2 with a nice continuous angle of 60 degrees or so, not the usual ledgy steps of WI2. These ended at a broad ledge below the business part of the route.

 

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Graham reaching the end of p2.

 

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And leading p3. Pitch 3 went at WI3 with some steeper climbing and a 3m vertical curtain at two-thirds height providing the crux. The last pitch was a half-ropelength up a ramp, WI2+ to the forest above and a nice cedar tree belay.

 

We rapped off trees to climbers right of the route. The first rap was 30m to a ledge, then 60m down through steep rock with tree bands. We traversed again to climbers right to a tree overlooking the final dropoff and at this point found an old sling. No sign of any rap tat higher up so who knows where this one came from - an old attempt or something climbed further to the right of our route?

 

oldsling.jpg

The old sling. Anyone know the story? Post here or PM me.

 

We made the final rap just as the sun was going down, and hiked back down to the truck without headlamps, going straight down from the climb through some grotty slash on the powerline. Then it was off to the Greek Islands in the Wack for beers and power carboloading.

 

We ended up calling this thing (assuming it was an FA and that the old sling was from a previous attempt only) "Janice Ales" after our favorite brewery :brew:

 

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The last rap off. Might be a good mixed climb up this slab.

 

Gear Notes:

Stubbies through 16cms. Double 60m ropes.

 

Approach Notes:

Park at gravel pullout c. 2km west of Peters Road. Climb is obvious above highway to west.

Edited by G-spotter
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