YocumRidge Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 TRIP REPORT: Hyalite Ice & Bozeman Ice Fest 2009 Dates: 12/10 - 12/13/09 I was having second thoughts about whether to post this TR for multiple reasons: 1. Tragic death of Guy Lacelle in the midst of the Ice Breaker comps. 2. Freih with his sick ice FAs and playboy pics/videos thereof (are these already in the editorial office of Rock and Ice?) which makes me hate myself. 3. My parents who are registered on this forum and being in denial keep calling me insane. Anyway here it goes. Day 1. Tom and I left Seattle after work on Wed p.m. and rolled into the Grotto Falls parking lot on Thu 12/10/09 to be greeted by tragic news of Guy killed in avalanche. Thanks to the organizers, sponsors and participants for the strength and motivation summoned to go ahead with the Ice Fest, hesitation notwithstanding. En Mémoire De Guy Lacelle. RIP. With our souls squeezed, we headed for warm-up laps on G1 wall. After being quickly spoiled by the Tom’s leashless Cobras, it took me a while to get used to my alpine Petzl Aztarex. Warm-up laps on G1: The Joy of Ice: Day 2. Tom had never climbed WI at the Emerald lake area (East Fork) before, so after some discussion of the avy conditions and 1.5 h grade III approach (according to “Winter Dance”), we selected our destination for the day, specifically The Asteroid 300' WI3 5.7/ III and The Comet 130' WI4+/III. Well plowed and straight forward, East fork road to the Emerald lake TH was not. Our subbie did well but not well enough to turn around in the parking lot. We lost about an hour shoveling off snow to make this happen and only then headed up the canyon breaking out our own 3-4’ deep trail. With no WFs to be seen on the horizon, we ended up too far off the gully we were supposed to take and had to traverse back to its entrance to start over. Tom on the approach: At this point, we geared up and pitched out some steep unconsolidated snow mixed in with alpine ice up the gully to make our way to the base of the WFs. Me en route to the Comet: The Asteroid: The Comet P1: By the time we got there, we realized we would run out of daylight if we were to get on WI. With the approach being a bitch, finish in the dark was not an option. A protected ledge by the Comet would have been perfect for bivying O/N but then again we had an Ice Fest clinic to attend next morning. Oh well, some unfinished business for the next time, Tom! We got back to the car in the dusk and being desperate to climb whatever WI that day we drove to Palisade Falls (130' WI3+/II) and climbed that in the dark with our headlamps. No pics here! Tom led a left mushroom ice variation and I followed a central water sprouting section. Day 3. BZN Ice Fest Clinic. We climbed pretty much all the routes set up for the clinic on G1 and beyond and my most favorite was the very right (Gallatin?) next to the mixed section. Drytooling was fun too. Drytooling: Sharon and I at the clinic: Hot chocolate, bratwurst and fire brought to you by Arc'teryx: The lead and anchors clinic on Willow Gully for those interested is greatly appreciated - thanks, Jake. To Cody in Seattle: Thanks for returning my BD fusions. Hope your mother survived the trip. Day 4. Champagne Slot (180' WI3+/II). Getting to the Flanders TH on East Fork was OK and we swiftly made it to the base of the Champagne Slot. A great route overall with some nice stemming moves. Tom leading Champagne Slot with nearly a full split: Me following Champagne Slot: Rapping off Champagne Slot: By the time we were done, another party got on Champagne Sherbet: and due to time constrains to be back in Seattle at a reasonable hour, we had to hurry up back to the rig. Glad we did because East fork driving turned again into an enticing drawback. East Fork driving in Hyalite: Gear Notes: BD fusions (demos), Cobras, Nomics, Aztarex, double ropes and ice rack. Approach Notes: Subarus flying off I-90 like planes; Tom with his eyes wide shut on my driving the stick on WI 0+ in a whiteout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t_rutl Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 nice! looks like a great trip! how'd you like the swing on the new fusions vs. nomics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidk Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 classic Hyalite, through-and-through = always a welcome TR! Comet and Asteroid are cool climbs, but that approach gully is definitely understated. Kevin and I tried to do those in an afternoon and ended up rapping in the dark after only climbing Asteroid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YocumRidge Posted December 21, 2009 Author Share Posted December 21, 2009 nice! looks like a great trip! how'd you like the swing on the new fusions vs. nomics? Thanks! Yes it was. I did not think much of the new fusions. Personally, I would not use them for anything else but mixed climbing. I am still debating Cobras/Nomics though. I tended to get less pumped with Nomics on vertical ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostCamKenny Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 The Joy of Ice: i hear that if you turn your tool around so that the pick faces away from you then this wont happen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YocumRidge Posted December 21, 2009 Author Share Posted December 21, 2009 The Joy of Ice: i hear that if you turn your tool around so that the pick faces away from you then this wont happen Dodging ice chunks, not the tools! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YocumRidge Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 classic Hyalite, through-and-through = always a welcome TR! Comet and Asteroid are cool climbs, but that approach gully is definitely understated. Kevin and I tried to do those in an afternoon and ended up rapping in the dark after only climbing Asteroid. It is reassuring to learn we were not the only ones dealing with the gully. When have you guys been up there? It surely did not look like it has been climbed in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostCamKenny Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The Joy of Ice: i hear that if you turn your tool around so that the pick faces away from you then this wont happen Dodging ice chunks, not the tools! http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/smartass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidk Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 When have you guys been up there? It surely did not look like it has been climbed in a while. Late November this year. My guess is people stop seeking out the Emerald Lake Trail climbs once a critical mass of snow builds up. Probably why the road wasn't drivable to the parking area too. Now we know what they know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Does anyone know how Hyalite survived the recent thaw? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Frieh Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Team Harro is climbing there now... Ill call them and see how things are and get back to you FWIW the canyon is generally much colder than the town proper and many of the routes dont get a lot of sun... my suspicion is routes just got fatter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXX Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Nice work, looks like alot of fun! Wish I went but I was sleeping in my bed like a little baby =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YocumRidge Posted December 23, 2009 Author Share Posted December 23, 2009 Nice work, looks like alot of fun! Wish I went but I was sleeping in my bed like a little baby =) being traumatized and disillusioned by law school. Touray? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevetimetravlr Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Stellar TR! Looked like allot of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.