Jump to content

2014/2015 Washington State Ice Conditions


Alex

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 75
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

Went up to colchuck yesterday, dragontail has a nice start to the season and there's some low angle flows around the lake that look fat. Everything that seeps in the icicle has ice forming, getting fatter day by day. Still pretty thin but off to a good start! the stuff above the bridge creek campground (is that hubba hubba?) is looking promising given a week or two (and probably more precip). Drury is on its way, obviously forming well though a chunk is missing near the top (sun baked or never froze?) Snow level is basically colchuck (so 5400'?) and there's minimal on the ground even there, everything below that should be frosty and dry. If you like sketchy thin ice and or mixed climbing, you might take a gander...lots of stuff up mountaineers creek that would be sick 5ish pitch lines with a brutal bushwhack, almost formed up. Go see for yourself!

(edit: will add pictures once uploaded to computer)

Edited by mhux
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fat (for WA standards) water ice up the Rachel Lake trail off the climbers trail to Hi-box peak.

 

439_edit.jpg

Its about half way up the canyon on the south side.

 

440_edit.jpg

It looked to be about 100 ft tall with an extra half pitch above.

 

452_edit.jpg

The lower portion looks pretty vertical and featureless.

 

Not sure if it has ever been climbed, but someone go and climb it before we lose the cold!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just went for a peek up the icicle, the ice is trying but needs more precip. Forgot my camera otherwise I'd spray picture beta too!

Hubba whatever (the main flow) by bridge creek is probably the fattest line in the canyon (that I saw), definitely not huge yet though and the first pitch has some big chunks missing and needs to form more.

Lower 8mi buttress has ice coming in but looks a bit like verglas over slab, sort of the general theme...

Some gully by the sword looked fattish up high but looks to get a lot of sun and the real ice looks real short

Rambly stuff on the south side of the canyon by hook/rat creek looks good, if you like hiking and rambly lines

Careno is pretty patchy, but there's a wet looking pillar in a corner that might go at M5 or so? (Don't know if that's a climb so maybe don't scratch it up?)

If you're dying for ice no matter what you could probably make something work but good luck. Also pm me if I have violated any local ethics/ hush-hush whatever, but if you have eyes and drive (really slowly) up the icicle this is what you'll get.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm with Alex - it is just not cold enough yet for the westside, although some places are coming in a bit sketchy though. Go east young grasshopper.

I was just up at Rainier and Narada Falls at 4800ft is forming, but not real solid.

Next week I may head up to the northside falls at the Carbon River entrance.

 

DSCN06011.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Colfax is in. Screw placements weren't the most inspiring, anchors involved some creativity. Would have felt better with two pickets, bring some KB's and LA's. No other forms of rock gear. Bailing would be tough.

 

We were hoping to climb the polish route, but given the anchor status on the CH, we decided against it. The pillar looked to be fully touching down.

 

Conditions 11/16 are similar to conditions in pic. Snowshoes and avy gear not needed. Roads open to the trail head.

Edited by Ryan Hoover
Link to comment
Share on other sites

marko and i climbed a couple 2-3 pitch wi 2-3/3+ routes at the end of the money creek road yesterday. north facing...no sun. the rightmost route, up the creek just prior to the damon mine, was nicest and only 10 minutes from the pickup. bushwacking took us leftward to an even easier rambling route. bring 2 ropes or expect some relatively thorny bushwacking on the descents.

 

potential exists for more easy routes here. there are also some shorter but harder looking pillars quite a ways up the south facing drainages of money creek that were deteriorating.

 

goat basin was also holding ice but we didn't suss out which route was which.

 

added a few of marko's photos. probably gone and/or buried for this season but those looking for easy routes close to the car might put it on the back burner for next year.

 

overview

money_creek_ice_overview.JPG

pitch 2

money_creek_pitch_2.JPG

bring 2 ropes to avoid this

money_creek_bring_2_ropes.JPG

Edited by rat
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Went up to the Little (S)Naches to take a look...... Horsetail is about 50%, Dropline is thin (but climbable with a HUGE set of marbles), Hand Full of Luvin' is in on the right side, and Union Creek falls will be in on the right side if the temps stay low.

I haven't made the drive to Strobach (or up White for that matter) but that may be an afternoon adventure this week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Snoqualmie Pass had climable ice this weekend.

 

Practice Gully was a fun five pitch romp up easy ice with a few interesting steps:

image188.jpg

 

Alpental Falls was slightly more challenging with a good finish to the first pitch. It gets a lot of midday sun but temps were cold enough to keep it solid:

image187.jpg

 

Great early start to the season!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Colfax is in. Screw placements weren't the most inspiring, anchors involved some creativity. Would have felt better with two pickets, bring some KB's and LA's. No other forms of rock gear. Bailing would be tough.

 

We were hoping to climb the polish route, but given the anchor status on the CH, we decided against it. The pillar looked to be fully touching down.

 

Conditions 11/16 are similar to conditions in pic. Snowshoes and avy gear not needed. Roads open to the trail head.

 

Yes! climbed the CH today. We wanted to get on the polish route but the upper pillar is not connected (very close) so the climb would have been a little hard for us off the coach. Otherwise its all the fattest I have ever seen it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...