More Colorado Ice-Mt. Lincoln

[JayB]

FWIW for all of those in the PNW (Maybe someone's heading out here for some skiing, vacation, etc.):

Mt. Lincoln:

01-13-01. Cold. Temps maxed out at about 10 degrees, with lots of spindrift and wind all day, perhaps to welcome the chap from the Isles who was out there for a visit. The ice was the hardest I've ever encountered - picks either stuck like a hatched buried in an oak stump or bounced off.

-Central Flow: Mega-fat blue ice all the way to the to - Probably at least three feet thick all the way up. Has healed up nicely from the steady flows despite seeing heavy traffic. Sweet.

-Left flow: Not in a month ago but it's also mega-fat and has seen relatively little traffic.

-Central pillar: hooked and hacked out in a big way, with a 3" crack across the base about six feet up. Felt solid but rung like a bell with each non-hooking placement. Will be very spooky when the temps change.

-Right Pillar: hacked to pieces. What hasn't been hacked off has for the most part melted. Looks like translucent swiss cheese at this point. On the photo below you can see the right pillar in early season conditions. The entire flow has been knocked down at this point. Guess that's what happens when there's bolted anchors on top. I'm sure it was fun to TR but a shame that it got so trashed.

Note: A nice flow has come in just left of the right pillar and looks very fresh. Short but sweet.

Photo: www.climbingboulder.com/ice/db/hoosier_pass_lincoln_fall/

[JayB]

01-19-01 Update:

All of the above still applies, with a big new line coming in just left of the main flow. Temps have been in the single digits to low teen range for at least a week so the ice that's no longer flowing is as brittle as plaster of paris. As always, the main flow is excellent, and just keeps getting fatter. It'll probably be in until late May if current trends continue.

[JayB]

02-03-02It just keeps getting fatter at Mt. Lincoln, baby! So much ice in the main gully that crevases will start forming soon, entirely new lines forming up to the left of the main flow that weren't there in the early season. It'll be in until mid-may.... Ha! Ha! Ha! Okay, no death threats.

Seriousy though, if anyone out there will be in the vicinity, all of the info from the earlier posts is still good, with the only differences is that the two main pillars are now so sun-rotted and hacked that they are definitively done for the season.

To the left of the main flow:

1 main flow starting at 2+ and ramping up to 3+ and maybe 4- depending on the line that you choose. About 170 feet long, will support two parties, and a big tree to rap from about 25 geet back from the lip. Lot's of water flowing on the far left side, right side flowing but much thinner.

1 minor flow to the left side, two mixed lines.-The line on the right side of the arete probably goes at WI4 M4, a line just to the left in a small gully is sporting thin ice but is getting fatter by the hour. Probably WI4 M2/3. Gear on both lines looks to be stubbies as well as a couple LA type pins. If that's your kind of line have at it.