jstreet Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 (edited) This past Saturday Matt and I went to Snow Lake in the Snoqualmie Pass backcountry again to climb another ice route. About 2/3 of the way down the lake there's a slot colouir that dead ends at a vertical to overhanging headwall. A couple of hundred feet up the headwall water seeps out of a crack and forms a striking two tier 50m ice climb. A 25 meter WI-3 tier leads to a 25 meter WI-5 upper tier. As viewed from the lake, we were not sure that the upper tiers crux column/curtain was well formed enough to lead safely but we knew we had to get up there to find out. After the mandatory 300+ foot 50 degree snow couloir wallow we arrived at the base of the route and still weren't sure if the crux would go safely so we forged up the lower half to get a better look. On arriving at the base of the upper tier it looked like the crux curtain was just thick enough to lead safely. The upper tier started with an interesting short chimney between the delicate right edge of the column/curtain and a rock corner facing left... complicated by a curtain of long delicate icicles beginning to enclose the top half of the chimney. At the top of the chimney we did an exhilarating exit left out onto the main vertical curtain. The route continues up steeply till the ice dead ends at a 100+ foot overhanging rock wall. For practical reasons we stopped about 15 feet short of the very end of the ice and used the last good ledge and ice for belay and rappel anchor. We're calling the climb "Slot Machine" See more photos Edited January 31, 2012 by jstreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigeo Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Saw you guys up there while skinning across the lake. Very impressive. I noticed that flow before and wondered if anyone ever gets on it. A picture of you and some conditions photos from the area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spionin Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 jeff - awesome climb, congrats! sweet pics, bigeo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Frieh Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave7 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 thanks for the share!!! looks sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurthicks Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 That's a lot bigger than it looks from the lake. cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burchey Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Well played - wish we got ice like that down this way, not that I could get up it. For the most part we're riding the WI2-4 express, with average scenery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZimZam Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Bad Ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstreet Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Thanks Bigeo, thanks for sharing the condition photos and photo of Matt and I climbing. It looks like you came thru the Chair Peak North Couloir ice play ground area... do some climbing or just skiing? >>>>>>>>>>>>> Saw you guys up there while skinning across the lake. Very impressive. I noticed that flow before and wondered if anyone ever gets on it. A picture of you and some conditions photos from the area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstreet Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Thanks Spionin. Sent you a PM. jeff - awesome climb, congrats! sweet pics, bigeo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wetslide Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Well played. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornfed Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 That's the climb from the picture I saw two winters back. You guys nailed it. The pillar looked sweeeeeet! Snow Lake has really got some good stuff in it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trumpetsailor Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Saw folks on low that route (and late in the day), or one nearby, on President's Day weekend of last year. Beautiful position. Took photos, but they're not on this computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstreet Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 I heard that Geoff and Jessica gave it a try last winter so maybe that was them. Saw folks on low that route (and late in the day), or one nearby, on President's Day weekend of last year. Beautiful position. Took photos, but they're not on this computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstreet Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 Cornfed's photo from two winters ago (he shared it with me a while back) shows a rope team climbing the lower tier... don't know who they are and was kind of hoping they'd chime in and let us know if they completed the upper tier. That's the climb from the picture I saw two winters back. You guys nailed it. The pillar looked sweeeeeet! Snow Lake has really got some good stuff in it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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