[TR] Cody - Broken Hearts, Main Vein 1/14/2012

[keenwesh]

Trip: Cody - Broken Hearts, Main Vein

 

Date: 1/14/2012

 

Trip Report:

Spent the last 3 days in Cody. Chris and I scoped out the area and climbed a few stellar pitches, we can't wait to get back.

 

South Fork Stoke

 

Cody is a interesting town, there's a museum dedicated to buffalo bill, but more exciting, there are drive through liquor stores!

 

We made it into the deer creek campground after dark on friday night and snagged a campsite. I fucked around setting up my tent while chris made dinner, safeway pasta was the theme here that would last for the next few days. We consulted the guidebook and decided that the first 4 pitches of broken hearts would make a perfect intro climb for the area. Woke up, drove down canyon, and hiked up the drainage.

 

the first 2 pitches

 

Chris midway up P1, which we linked with P2

 

After following we scrambled up to the base of the P3 amphitheater

 

To our dismay P3 was completely and totally not in.

 

here it is when we first looked at it, looking melty in the full sun and 45 deg. temps.

 

and again a hour later. real melty...

I looked up at the pitch to the left, figuring it might go somewhere.

 

I led up it, finding virginal ice that dinnerplated fer dayz.

 

Chris dodged most of it as I made it over the top and realized that there was nothing but choss above. He came up and we built a v thread, the first one either of us had made.

 

metalthread

 

We made it back to the car without enough daylight to do another climb but too much time on our hands to make dinner. we solved this dilemma by driving around the valley, figuring out where climbs were and getting ourselves oriented. Another dinner of pasta and the decision to do Main Vein the next day led us to pass out.

 

Leaving the car at 9.30 on sunday

 

The first pitch was not in, sun and heat left it looking along the same lines as P3 of broken hearts.

 

fortunately P1 can be bypassed by some shitty lose screeclimbing. Ditching a pack under a boulder we soloed up easy ice steps for a ways. ~1000 feet

 

Another short step

 

Eventually reaching the base of the roped pitches.

 

I took the lead

 

The ice was chandeliered and hollow, the screws went into air. I was too distracted by the incredible gargoyle like ice formations to care much.

A few hundred feet of scrambling brought us to the base of the 2 final pitches. Chris headed up the first

 

 

I took the last one

 

 

Chris had positioned the belay off to the side, unfortunately the last pitch climbed to the side as well. I did my best to keep the icefall down to a minimum but still managed to nail my belayer in the shoulder. To his credit I didn't hear about it until after I had brought him up and he told me.

 

Ice threads on top and then bail back to the car

 

Chris took a self pic with his good shoulder

 

Monday morning it got fucking cold and snowed a few inches overnight. We had maybe half a gallon of water in all left over and it had frozen solid, as we were already dehydrated the decision to bail was an easy one. All the shit was packed up and thrown into the car and we drove back to Bozeman

 

yeah fuck that shit.

 

Gear Notes:

screws, v thread cord. warm clothes. firewood, food

 

Approach Notes:

I found lightweight shoes were really nice to approach and deproach in.

[keenwesh]

here's a picture of P1 of main vein, mushy unbonded slush with no pro.

 

someone with bigger balls can lead it, or just wait for some cold cloudy conditions. looks super good.

[John Frieh]

Nice work. Any pics of Ovisight?

[keenwesh]

nope, first time there so we oriented ourselves with routes that are more manageable for punters like us. Temps on saturday and sunday were in the mid 40's, so routes in the sun were falling down, especially pillars. Monday it was cold and cloudy, and I think it's staying that way for most of the week, things should be fattening up. When are you coming out?

[montypiton]

Nice TR Keenan! Great pics. Sweet country, eh?

 

-Haireball

[keenwesh]

The valley in wyoming on hwy 120 right after the state line blew me away. It's so featureless that I couldn't tell if the mountains to the west were 3 or 30 miles away. Absolutely gorgeous country.

[Plaidman]

Great job getting on that stuff. Cody is on the top of my list.

 

That cord looks a little thin on your V-thread. I like to use webbing instead of cord. It may not cut through the ice as easy. That may be stupid.

The spray masters will probably flick me crap about this. The holes need to be nearly 8 inches apart. What was the distance between the holes on your V-thread? I am not giving you a hard time. It is just that those V-threads are way freaky rapping off of. Just trying to keep us all alive and share the wealth.

V-thread

 

Chime in now all.

 

 

[keenwesh]

agreed, we had 5 mil accessory cord that we used on this trip, I rapped first with a backup and then chris came after pulling it, next time I'll buy 5.5 spectra or something with a little more heft. However, if the ice is soft enough to be cut with cord of any diameter it wouldn't hold webbing either. I think someone (mike barter?) did tests on abalakovs and determined that even something like 2 inches of ice will hold more than body weight. All the threads chris and I made on this last trip were in ice that was not in sun and was dry. The 8 in rule you're talking about might hold true in WA slush but I was more than comfortable hanging off the v threads we made, probably around 5 in apart and 8 or 9 in deep. bomber.

[sobo]

Plaid,

I also thought that the holes were quite close together and that the cord looked pretty skimpy. But WTF, by royal proclamation of Marmot Prince, I am an e-mountaineer and I don't know shit. So go ahead flame on the old d00d, kidz!

 

BTW, looks like it was a pretty nice "smash'n'grab" type trip! Way to capitalize, keen and Chris!

[Plaidman]

You guys did great. Just throwing in a little something. Your method seemed to work and I was not there. So I will shut up now.

Rock on dudes!

[Plaidman]

I hear the one to get at Cody is Mean Green. Pitch 5 may be a problem.

Mean Green Cody WY

[keenwesh]

I'm not offended! I appreciate what you threw in. Truthfully I thought the 5 mill was a little too thin for comfort the first couple times I weighted it. seemed to hold weight fine but just pulling the rope through it to rig the raps could burn the sheath. like I said next time I'll buy something beefier, the extra 10 cents a foot is worth the peace of mind.

[keenwesh]

we looked at it, and then read the ice register. some dudes did it last week and said that P4 (crux) was brittle and not beaten out at all. hard and full value 5. High on boulder also looks incredible, if I can summon up the balls moonrise would be fantastic.

 

da beast in question, mean green P4

[Plaidman]

I'm not offended! I appreciate what you threw in. Truthfully I thought the 5 mill was a little too thin for comfort the first couple times I weighted it. seemed to hold weight fine but just pulling the rope through it to rig the raps could burn the sheath. like I said next time I'll buy something beefier, the extra 10 cents a foot is worth the peace of mind.

 

You must have nerves of steel. I would have been dumping a load in my pants.

 

I really want to get out there to get on that stuff. Looking now at current conditions report as of 1/11/12.

Cody Ice Conditions

 

[keenwesh]

if you go for a weekend consider saving me a spot in the car. The ice in hyalite is fantastic as well. I always like climbing with washingtonians. ya'll seem to actually appreciate how good the routes are over here!

[sitandbefit]

Nice job Keenan. FYI on Mean Green - P4 can be bypassed on the right in an ice-filled crack. You just head up hill for a little ways to the right and you'll see the way. I remember it being fairly easy but kind of awkward.

 

Matt

[keenwesh]

Nice job Keenan. FYI on Mean Green - P4 can be bypassed on the right in an ice-filled crack. You just head up hill for a little ways to the right and you'll see the way. I remember it being fairly easy but kind of awkward.

 

Matt

 

really good to know! thanks. Still If I go up and do it I'd want to do P4. looks like the best one of the route.

[sitandbefit]

Nice job Keenan. FYI on Mean Green - P4 can be bypassed on the right in an ice-filled crack. You just head up hill for a little ways to the right and you'll see the way. I remember it being fairly easy but kind of awkward.

 

Matt

 

really good to know! thanks. Still If I go up and do it I'd want to do P4. looks like the best one of the route.

 

 

It is great, but its a hell of a pumper. p3 is always more fun than expected and the upper stuff is in such a cool location that it is impossible not to like.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

Nice work. Any pics of Ovisight?

 

Hey John: Friends tried it on Sat. Guess P1 is sporting a bit of a roof and bad ice. Sounded pretty scary. They ended up bailing.

[keenwesh]

I loved main vein, something about being way up the side of the valley looking down below. wish the routes in hyalite were as long. ah who am I kidding, the routes in hyalite have a special aura of their own.

[sparverius]

Nice work and thanks for the v-thread anchors on Main Vein. We were up there today and used them. Though the weather was a little different than when you guys did it. I also nailed my belayer on the final pitch. Pretty tough to avoid.

[Dave7]

nice work!!!! thanks for the pics!

[John Frieh]

Nice work. Any pics of Ovisight?

 

Hey John: Friends tried it on Sat. Guess P1 is sporting a bit of a roof and bad ice. Sounded pretty scary. They ended up bailing.

 

Thanks dude. Dammit.