[TR] Denman - Various Lines 12/19/2011

[bonathanjarrett]

Trip: Denman - Various Lines

 

Date: 12/19/2011

 

Trip Report:

Yesterday AY, AB, and I climbed a couple lines on Denman. We did both pitches of the middle flow and found the climbing generally good. At the top of the first belay there is a gully that trends up to the right. While my partners rapped down from the top pitch, I jogged up to check out any potential and found a nice 25m line up a corner to the trees. AB styled it and found the climbing to generally WI3 with a "sporting" top out on thin ice and some moss sticks. There were no slings around the trees at the top, but I hesitate to claim a first ascent as some old codger probably did it in hobnail boots back in '55.

We then rapped to the ground and climbed line between the marked left and middle lines. The bottom was ho hum, both the second pitch led into an excellent little squeeze slot before topping out in a mixed, thin ice, snicy, mossy finish. We found rap slings at the top of pitch one but not at the top of pitch two. Probably also WI3ish.

 

Conditions are still good so go get some.

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Screws in the 13-16cm range.

Doubles for the raps.

Small cams (metolius grey-yellow) useful but not necessary

Flotation a nice addition but there is a good boot track already in

 

Approach Notes:

Follow the yellow brick road.

[LostCamKenny]

There were no slings around the trees at the top, but I hesitate to claim a first ascent as some old codger probably did it in hobnail boots back in '55.

well, even if it wasn't done by the old codger with the hobnailed boots in '55, it was done about a week ago by spionin et. all, and the week before that i was on it with two other buds.. but i agree - it was in pretty good condition when we were there and hopefully it'll get better.

 

how did the slabby flow look? thick?

[bonathanjarrett]

Perhaps my TR is not entirely clear. I am aware that the main center flow was climbed by Spinion and many others. I climbed it last year as well. The other line is something entirely different. It cannot be seen clearly from the creek or the at all from the top of the first pitch. You need to climb about 30 meters right up a gully that is invisible from the base but obvious from the first belay to see the line that I am talking about. I don't recall it even being visible from the second/third pitch of the center flow either. If you look at the original TR report it is the dotted line that trends right from the center flow. I mention all of this only because I have yet to seen a report on it and would be curious if anyone has actually been on the line.

 

As for the left slab flow, it looked ok but somewhat thin.

 

The photo I used for the TR is the one that Spinion posted and does not reflect conditions when we climbed. It was more melted out for us.

[LostCamKenny]

are you speaking of the gully with the tree frozen in place in it? The ice above that tree looked thin and scary to us and no one wanted to lead it, but we never tried the gully because it looked like slogging to get up to anywhere. who wants to do that when there is ice right in front of you, eh?