2012 / 13 Washington Ice Conditions

[montypiton]

"conditions on Drury should only be reported by someone who actually got on it"

 

I whole-heartedly agree! I make no pretense of reporting the actual conditions of these climbs -- the place for that is a trip report. I will continue to report what looks like it might be worth hiking to. Just because a climb "looks" fat or complete doesn't mean the ice is any good. That caveat would apply to every climb I've listed, and could even apply to conditions reported in a trip report, since our local conditions, in my experience, vary quite significantly even by the hour.

[montypiton]

Brad-

 

I appreciate your doing the research. In my thirty years here, I've never been told that the Smear itself is privately owned. I've spoken a number of times with one landowner there (an acquaintance of long-standing, though not a close friend) who says he speaks for his neighbors on the road, and he has never given any indication other than that they object to use of the road to approach. If the landowner who actually owns the Smear objects, I'm content to remove it from my report. At one point several years back, an absentee landowner near the flow had actually provided local climbers with a key to the gate and stated that his permission to approach his parcel via the road authorized us to use it to pass other parcels. This caused some bad feeling, and some locals, including myself, took to paddling.

Anyway, thanks for the assist.

 

Also, I'm perfectly aware that stuff was falling during the chinook. Hell, I was climbing on some of it! Nevertheless, the consensus of the forecasts I've seen indicate a cooling trend through the weekend, and I'll be out. Maybe we'll meet - I don't believe I've met you.

 

And, while I'm sincere in saying I appreciate your assistance, in future, I'd sure appreciate a more polite tone when you help out...

 

-Haireball

Edited February 2, 2013 by montypiton

[Dave A.]

Well said, Curt.

[telemarker]

If you absolutely have go climb Leavenworth ice this weekend Stuart Lake Ice will without a doubt be in. The approach is 10 miles, however.

Edited February 1, 2013 by telemarker

[iamgr8er]

Thanks for posting conditions in LW hairball

[kurthicks]

Saw Pan Dome up at the Baker Ski Area over the weekend. Still very climbable and pretty blue. It looked like there was a lot of snow on it, however.

[CaleHoopes]

Kurt! Thanks! :-) Looking for any Washington ice anywhere with these warm temps.

[kurthicks]

GIven the conditions I saw, walking up to the trees and dropping a top rope would probably be a prudent decision.

[montypiton]

Ass-Clammin Update 2/4

 

Ice is going fast in spite of freezing nights. Pearly Gates, fat last Thursday, was gone by Saturday.

 

Tumwater Canyon: no new beta. climbs still looked good last Thursday, but that may mean nothing. Most likely not worth driving from the West side next weekend.

 

Icicle Canyon:

 

I climbed at Dog Dome on Saturday, the chimney far left ("Dog Nasty Dike" summer rock route) was still leadable. A ledgy mixed line to its right was still doable, but hangers were pretty fragile. Unless we get a hard freeze for a few days, its probably gone. On the off chance that we do get a good freeze, the bridge will stay for now -- it wasn't put up until March last year...

 

Saw five climbers in the Funnel on Saturday. Walked up Sunday to find the flows quite active - we didn't climb the Funnel itself, but did climb a better protected line a couple hundred feet left. While descending, we watched a pony-keg sized rock trundle down a snow chute off to the right of our line. The ice is elevated enough on the left-hand wall that it is safe from what comes down the chute. Still - sobering. So, yes,there's climbable ice at Hubba-Hubba Hill, but only for those sufficiently experienced to manage the objective hazard. Lets hope for another extended freeze.

 

Pearly gates, as I mentioned above, is gone.

 

Everything on the road side of the river, including Rainbow Falls, is gone.

 

Until we see another extended freeze, this is the last Ass-Clammin Update

 

-Haireball

 

 

Edited February 4, 2013 by montypiton

[obwan]

Montypiton - excellent report! Not good conditions - but a good report, thanks for the update.

[laurel]

Since someone was asking about Snoqualmie Pass area stuff. As of last Sat Feb 8:

 

Alpental Falls/Alpental 1 appears to be snow and wet rock:

Alpental Falls by Laurel Fan, on Flickr

 

We TRed Kiddie Cliff, there was a little bit of nice steep ice. Top out is a bit hollow and slushy (though in my experience that seems to be normal).

 

Toprope up on Kiddie Cliff by Laurel Fan, on Flickr

[wayne]

Thanks Laurel, surprised to see much at all up there.

[CaleHoopes]

Spent the last two weekends at Banks Lake. There's a bunch of single pitch stuff in and a few that look like they could go in a few pitches. If it gets warm it'll probably be out. Some of Pee Wee's Playhouse was in, a few steep lines north of the cable were in and some stuff between Emerald & Zenith. Nothing north of Devil's Punchbowl was in, but the punchbowl itself was - although the lower part of the pitch was about to fall and the central waterfall was really dripping out. Unless it gets & stays cold, I think most of this stuff will fall away.

[pdepape]

Kiddie Cliff was still "in" last weekend. two decent lines up it. A lot of snow/spin drift and a lot of ski traffic. Definitely be weary of avy conditions.

 

 

Also, Montypiton and I found some decent ice in the icicle canyon area a couple of weeks ago. Up the snow lakes trail approximately 4 miles, towards Nada falls. Maybe he can chime in. ~WI4, brittle, 2 pitches, we explored a few more rope lengths up but didn't find any ice worth climbing. Tentatively named "four-mile falls".

 

Here's some footage:

 

[video:vimeo]59370715

Edited February 23, 2013 by pdepape

[JDCH]

Anyone been out to the millenium wall?

[JDCH]

Anyone have any news on strobach?

[CaleHoopes]

So, on the 17th, I was at Banks. It was BARELY in. By the time we left as a group, we decided it generally wouldn't be in much longer. Yes, if you want some dangerous deathcicle mixed climbing - you could call it in. But with 39-42 degree days every day and most pitches getting some sun, the freezing nights don't matter much. There were a few things left when we left but even the Devil's Punchbowl was getting sketch. You could probably get some stuff in early morning, but the objective danger was high. The climbing area was basically intermittent from The Cable to Devil's Punchbowl. A few lines in Pee Wee's that were marked for death, but still barely in... a few lines about 1 mile southwest from Pee Wee's. A few WI5 routes that don't reach were still there.

 

Keep in mind though, this was 2 weekends ago now.

[montypiton]

Millenium Wall is done for the season - but keep going another 1.5+ miles up the trail, and you'll find "Fourmile Falls" (see previous post w/ movie - climbed it again w/ Mark Shipman and Dave Allyn day before yesterday). There's more undocumented ice/mixed in cliffs below Fourmile Falls. We'll be exploring most of March, I think. At 3000' and well-shaded, should hold into April...

 

-Haireball

Edited February 26, 2013 by montypiton

[JDCH]

Ok, so millenium wall is out, and I take it that no one has been out to strobach? What about chair? has anyone been on or near the ne butt or n face?