marc_leclerc Posted January 5, 2010 Posted January 5, 2010 Trip: Lillooet Ice - - Sargeant Pepper and Marble Canyon Date: 1/5/2010 Trip Report: After breaking his heel in an enormous fall on Yak Peak in July, Don was finally feeling up for some climbing. He drove up on Friday morning, picked me up and we headed to Baker to climb Pan Dome Falls. There was a group TR'ing it so I lead up a steep WI4 to the right of the normal start. The is was so good and the placements were super bomber! I finished the pitch on the right side and traversed to the belay tree and brought Don up. His heel didn't give him any trouble and he styled the pitch, quickly and easily up the whole thing. We rapped down and by the time were were at the base we were completely soaked from the heavy snow. So we just went back to car rather than try the mixed routes at the 'Tool Shed Wall'. Friday night was spent hanging out at my place with Tamara and watching T.V and so. We woke up early on Saturday morning and drove up to Marble Canyon to check things out. Deeping Wall was wet, we have both climbed Icy B.C (many times for Don of course!) so we hiked up to the third tier and I tried to lead Air Care but the ice at the base of the steep part was very chandeliered and aereated to I backed off and set a TR at the top of Hit and Run (the mixed extension to Air Care) Don climbed Air Care then I TR'd Air Care and continued up Hit and Run. The overhanging M6 drytooling was super fun and was an amazing rock finish to an amazing ice route. Afterwards we chatted with the Nat Geo film crew (we knew a couple of the guys) who were going to be filming then took off to Lillooet for Pizza and the Motel. On Sunday we drove up the Duffey to check out 'Sargeant Pepper, wich Dru nad company had tried a wek earler. A couple hours of walking from the Carlsberg parking spot got us to the base of the route wich looked small and sort of easy. We soloed up the initial WI2 flow to the base of the collumn and I grabbed the rack and headed up. It wasn't easy, not even close. The ice was extremely aereated and chandeleired and I would climb up a few sketchy moves then try and get a screw in... then climb down and shake out then go up and try to figure something out, maybe get some gear in if at all possible and repeat. Finally I talked my self up the thing after a hard technical move involing rocking up on a high left foot, locking off really hard on my right tool, clearing some icicles then getting the first 'stick' of the pitch in a small chunk of good ice in the back. The short pitch took me two hours to lead. Don followed, commented on the technical climbing then led the outstanding third pitch. Pitch 3 didn't look like much from my belay but actually had 15 meters of near vertical stemming up a shollow groove with superb ice! Two long rappels got us back to our packs and we hiked out to the truck and food! On Sunday we were back at Marble Canyon to clean some loose rock we had found at the top of Hit and Run, we coordinated it with the film crew guys so that it was all safe then I knocked huge death blocks down the route. Super fun!!! I was feeling manlier after my lead the day before I went back up to redeem myself and lead Air Care despite the chandeliered ice. I made it up the ice, wich involves really cool stemming and climbing steep ice in a tight chimmney corner, I even placed a screw from a hand jam between rock and ice. I brought some rock gear to try to lead Hit and Run so I placed a bomber screw in the top of the ice and started up the overhanging rock above. I got to the crux and tried to figure out how to place the gearbut I was all tied up in my leashes, unable to match and reach high enough to place pro in the crack. I struggled for a while then fell off onto the ice screw below, wich was kinda fun because I always get told never to fall on ice screws... but I knw this one was as good as it gets and the ice below was very steep so it wasn't scary.... I will return when I get my new Fusions. Don TR'd the route again, wich was fun for the second time as the route is so incredibly good! We could have climbed another route but we wanted to watch John Furneaux lead Fender Bender, a sick WI6 for the movie they were making so he hung out and took pics. Then we drove back home and I passed out after seeing Tamara for a while. Overall a great trip and probably my two most technical leads on ice ever! Downton Creek Road Carlsberg, looked crappy. Didn't climb it. Don approaches Sargeant Pepper. Easy approach ice The crux pillar... How I felt when I was done with the lead... happy. Don leading P3 wich is way better than it looks! Don rappeling at the end of the day... Marble Canyon Don TR's Air ACre.. I fell from the overhung rock above. Furneaux on Fender Bender... SICK!!! Gear Notes: screws and rock gear if you manage to place it before falling off.... Approach Notes: easy Quote
marc_leclerc Posted January 5, 2010 Author Posted January 5, 2010 nice!!! what about the Body Shop? wasn't in, and wast wet at all... so not likely to form up this year unless there is a change in water flow. The ice blobs on 'Side Street' are there though and rather tantalizing. Quote
spionin Posted January 5, 2010 Posted January 5, 2010 wow - awesome tr and pictures. love the shot of the drop knee on fender bender! sounds like intense leads - way to pull through dude. Quote
marc_leclerc Posted January 5, 2010 Author Posted January 5, 2010 sounds like intense leads Only Sargeant Pepper... Air Care felt intense on the first day. But after SP it felt easy, you see all things are relative like that Quote
Don_Serl Posted January 6, 2010 Posted January 6, 2010 sounds like intense leads Only Sargeant Pepper... Air Care felt intense on the first day. But after SP it felt easy, you see all things are relative like that both pretty tricky, i'd reckon... with very suspect gear at the cruxes... Sergeant Pepper: Air Care: both good solid, careful leads from 'the kid'... cheers, Quote
marc_leclerc Posted January 6, 2010 Author Posted January 6, 2010 [video:youtube]v=8JPe0irGUn8 Short movie-film of John on Fender Bender Quote
trainwreck Posted January 6, 2010 Posted January 6, 2010 Hard to tell from the photos/video but that doesn't look like any WI6 that I've ever seen. It looks like a pretty standard WI5, maybe an R or X if it has some collapse potential. Length of the column from the mushrooms at its base looks about 10-12m and appears from below to only be vertical for ~8m, it looks like it lies back from where he placed the screw. Quote
marc_leclerc Posted January 6, 2010 Author Posted January 6, 2010 Kinda true... probably more like WI5 X ... but thats the problem with WI ratings. It can vary so much during just one season. Its short for the grade but has the ice quality, technicality and seriousness of a grade 6 but is too short for the entire 'pump' factor. Whatever, it was an impressive lead by a solid climber. Quote
summitchaserCJB Posted April 21, 2010 Posted April 21, 2010 Trip: Lillooet Ice - - Sargeant Pepper and Marble Canyon Date: 1/5/2010 Trip Report: After breaking his heel in an enormous fall on Yak Peak in July, Don was finally feeling up for some climbing. He drove up on Friday morning, picked me up and we headed to Baker to climb Pan Dome Falls. There was a group TR'ing it so I lead up a steep WI4 to the right of the normal start. The is was so good and the placements were super bomber! I finished the pitch on the right side and traversed to the belay tree and brought Don up. His heel didn't give him any trouble and he styled the pitch, quickly and easily up the whole thing. We rapped down and by the time were were at the base we were completely soaked from the heavy snow. So we just went back to car rather than try the mixed routes at the 'Tool Shed Wall'. Friday night was spent hanging out at my place with Tamara and watching T.V and so. We woke up early on Saturday morning and drove up to Marble Canyon to check things out. Deeping Wall was wet, we have both climbed Icy B.C (many times for Don of course!) so we hiked up to the third tier and I tried to lead Air Care but the ice at the base of the steep part was very chandeliered and aereated to I backed off and set a TR at the top of Hit and Run (the mixed extension to Air Care) Don climbed Air Care then I TR'd Air Care and continued up Hit and Run. The overhanging M6 drytooling was super fun and was an amazing rock finish to an amazing ice route. Afterwards we chatted with the Nat Geo film crew (we knew a couple of the guys) who were going to be filming then took off to Lillooet for Pizza and the Motel. On Sunday we drove up the Duffey to check out 'Sargeant Pepper, wich Dru nad company had tried a wek earler. A couple hours of walking from the Carlsberg parking spot got us to the base of the route wich looked small and sort of easy. We soloed up the initial WI2 flow to the base of the collumn and I grabbed the rack and headed up. It wasn't easy, not even close. The ice was extremely aereated and chandeleired and I would climb up a few sketchy moves then try and get a screw in... then climb down and shake out then go up and try to figure something out, maybe get some gear in if at all possible and repeat. Finally I talked my self up the thing after a hard technical move involing rocking up on a high left foot, locking off really hard on my right tool, clearing some icicles then getting the first 'stick' of the pitch in a small chunk of good ice in the back. The short pitch took me two hours to lead. Don followed, commented on the technical climbing then led the outstanding third pitch. Pitch 3 didn't look like much from my belay but actually had 15 meters of near vertical stemming up a shollow groove with superb ice! Two long rappels got us back to our packs and we hiked out to the truck and food! On Sunday we were back at Marble Canyon to clean some loose rock we had found at the top of Hit and Run, we coordinated it with the film crew guys so that it was all safe then I knocked huge death blocks down the route. Super fun!!! I was feeling manlier after my lead the day before I went back up to redeem myself and lead Air Care despite the chandeliered ice. I made it up the ice, wich involves really cool stemming and climbing steep ice in a tight chimmney corner, I even placed a screw from a hand jam between rock and ice. I brought some rock gear to try to lead Hit and Run so I placed a bomber screw in the top of the ice and started up the overhanging rock above. I got to the crux and tried to figure out how to place the gearbut I was all tied up in my leashes, unable to match and reach high enough to place pro in the crack. I struggled for a while then fell off onto the ice screw below, wich was kinda fun because I always get told never to fall on ice screws... but I knw this one was as good as it gets and the ice below was very steep so it wasn't scary.... I will return when I get my new Fusions. Don TR'd the route again, wich was fun for the second time as the route is so incredibly good! We could have climbed another route but we wanted to watch John Furneaux lead Fender Bender, a sick WI6 for the movie they were making so he hung out and took pics. Then we drove back home and I passed out after seeing Tamara for a while. Overall a great trip and probably my two most technical leads on ice ever! Downton Creek Road Carlsberg, looked crappy. Didn't climb it. Don approaches Sargeant Pepper. Easy approach ice The crux pillar... How I felt when I was done with the lead... happy. Don leading P3 wich is way better than it looks! Don rappeling at the end of the day... Marble Canyon Don TR's Air ACre.. I fell from the overhung rock above. Furneaux on Fender Bender... SICK!!! Gear Notes: screws and rock gear if you manage to place it before falling off.... Approach Notes: easy Quote
IsolationedSnow Posted December 7, 2010 Posted December 7, 2010 nice!!! what about the Body Shop? Body shop is in now but very thin so you have to be careful. Quote
Pete_H Posted December 7, 2010 Posted December 7, 2010 Hard to tell from the photos/video but that doesn't look like any WI6 that I've ever seen. It looks like a pretty standard WI5, maybe an R or X if it has some collapse potential. Length of the column from the mushrooms at its base looks about 10-12m and appears from below to only be vertical for ~8m, it looks like it lies back from where he placed the screw. Excellent analysis from the armchair ice climber. Strong work!! Great TR though Mark, thanks! Quote
Jens Posted December 8, 2010 Posted December 8, 2010 nice!!! what about the Body Shop? Climbed Body Shop on Sunday with SummitchaserCJB, while Dane and Jesse Newman were on other routes. Both bolts at the top are loose. I finger tightened them. Did Dale place em'? The unusual water table this year is such that right now a legitimate mixed route exists right of body shop if anyone wants FA bragging rights for some chestbeating at the Reynolds Pub. Is the Marble Canyon Third Tier Movie Footage available anywhere? -------------- And Mr. Trainwreck, I'll buy you a Molson at the Reynolds if you casually style up the route. As you know, west coast ice pro and sticks are usually funky. I've been far more exasperated on some of our 5's than some rockies 6's. Quote
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