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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 11, 2007 - 09:15pm PT
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...it's usually run-out and bold in the same way, without being physically very difficult. Anybody have thin ice tales or pics?
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Feb 11, 2007 - 09:19pm PT
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Man-O-Man, that looks thinner than thin...
Who is dat; Wilford?
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Aya
Uncategorizable climber
New York
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Feb 11, 2007 - 09:25pm PT
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Maybe for superheroes like you!
I haven't climbed enough ice, really, but last weekend I led the first pitch of a climb called Emeral City up in the dacks. It's maybe only a 3, but it was very thin. I don't know why I was so surprised, but the first time I punched through to the rock and saw sparks, I nearly popped off because I was so surprised! Good thing I didn't, since the gear was such crud!
Positive Thinking was positively fat when we did it a couple of weeks ago - or at least, so I'm told. I'd never seen it up close before.
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ground_up
Trad climber
mt. hood /baja
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Feb 11, 2007 - 09:37pm PT
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Nice shots Jello and Aya !.....has me frightened in a good way
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 11, 2007 - 09:37pm PT
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Aya, I've been on a steady diet of kryptonite for a number of years, now. Looks like you guys had a great time on PT - a total classic! Really, thin ice on a 70 or 80-degree slab always felt just like granite slab climbing to me. Mostly in the head, and stand on the feet. Glad to hear you've been getting out. Be patient with the leashless gig. It'll come to you, no need to force it.
Buster, that's me on a new route way back in the wilds of Quebec, just about a decade ago.
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Aya
Uncategorizable climber
New York
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Feb 11, 2007 - 09:42pm PT
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I don't get to climb leashless anymore. Joe's pretty much appropriated my tools!!
I keep climbing with him and I'll get on ALL the Dacks classics before the end of this season. I'm already exhausted!!!
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 11, 2007 - 09:48pm PT
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My advice to you, Aya: keep climbing with Joe, you can always rest when you're dead.
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Aya
Uncategorizable climber
New York
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Feb 11, 2007 - 09:57pm PT
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Oh, I plan to, as long as he'll put up with me.
Haven't you got more pics, jello??
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 11, 2007 - 10:21pm PT
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Great photo, Aya! Got to go to dinner, now. I'll see if I can find some more pics, later.
Cheerio!
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Decko
Ice climber
Colorado
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Feb 11, 2007 - 10:51pm PT
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The Smear of Fear RMNP,
My first time this fall.
I've heard the tales, seen some pictures, but till you get on it, well you'll never understand the true meaning of not really being attached to anything but your inner self.
I'm sure each day it's "in" is a different experience....
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maldaly
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Feb 11, 2007 - 11:07pm PT
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Jello, Decko,
Here it is...
The Smear of fear
Jeff, I'll never forget that day. So improbable, so possible. You were so badass..,
mal
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sketchyy
Trad climber
Vagrant
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Feb 11, 2007 - 11:17pm PT
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Man that thing looks terrafying. If I got any where near that thing there would be a pile crap at my feet bigger than the one in the paki bouldering thread.
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 12, 2007 - 12:48am PT
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Decko- glad you've been Smeared.
Mal, it was good we got out a bit together before we ended up with only one good leg to stand on, between the two us!
Kevin, that's about as good a description of the thin ice experience as I've read.
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Feb 12, 2007 - 09:48am PT
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Here is a shot of me taken by Graham on the Swiss Route on Les Courtes in Chamonix during a very meager snow year, 1976. This is normally a very pedestrian “voie normale.” In good snow years, I think,it may even have been skied. However, I recall this pitch as one of the most frightening pitches ever, for both Mike and me. The belay anchors were completely absent, and just the tips of tools were biting on snow stuck to the rock.
Mal and Jello,
I have always wanted to hear the details about the FA of Smear of Fear.I am sure it’s in Jeff’s new book, but how about a few details here?
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Feb 12, 2007 - 10:58am PT
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Where's Smear of Fear?
Some cool pix folks.
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maldaly
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Feb 12, 2007 - 12:04pm PT
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The Smear is on the East Face of Long's Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Rick, we should have dragged you up and done it in 2 parties of 2, but I think you were still pretending you lived in Cali. It was early December and there had been rumors of a wild ice smear on the lower east face of Long's. The few people who had been up there said that we'd missed the window (NPI): it had sublimated away and no longer reached the ground so we shouldn't bother. Duncan and Jeff and I had been trying to get out together because we wanted to swap brains on the hole mono point crampon thing. I had a set of prototype monos mounted on my 'fangs, Duncan had a pair of Charlet Moser Novas and I forget what Jeff was wearing. Maybe the FF mono's, too. We figured we'd head up and see what was there. There's always something coming down in the LP cirque so we were pretty sure we wouldn't get skunked. (Jeff, I'm guessing your first pic post is that slab above Peacock Pool, right? Lot's of good R&D and photos went on there, eh?)
From Mill's Glacier we could see that the rumors were true--the smear missed the ground by 80' or so. Damn, I thought, we missed the perfect opportunity for an FA of a classic. Jeff and Duncan thought different. Let's go see if that left angling corner has a crack in it. Sure enough it did and was the percect size for torquing tools: tips to knuckles. (Found out later that it goes at 11.c). Jello got the lead and sent proudly. Pro was bomber pink to red TriCams for 30' then he reached the ice. Only problem was that the ice was no longer bonded to the rock. The whole slab was hanging from somewhere up higher and flexed when you touched it. What the hell, Jeff tought, the cams are good, I'll give it a try. Carefully pecking holes in the ice sheet with his tools, then re-using the same holes for his monos (tools and mono's would go all the way through the ice and then span across to touch the rock behind.), he worked his way up to the overlap where he finally got a big cam and sunk a good screw. 20' over the overlap he got in a belay and brought us up. It wasn't too hard to follow: just place our tools in the holes Jello made and climb by numbers.
Dunc' led the next pitch--120' of runnout 80° slab. The first pro was a hook about 60' up, then stubbies to the belay. It was more of a head trip than a pump fest. I got the last pitch, 100' of trivial slab ice with good gear then we rapped off. I still think it was the best day of ice (or whatever) I've ever had.
Jeff, If I've told this story wrong it was simply to inflate your reputation, increase your status on the badass meter and re-live good times with a story that works for me. Fell free to correct me.
Mal
BTW, those FF mono's sucked but, unfortunately went into production anyway. Sorry about that. We did learn anough about monos, though, to see their advamtage on that kind of climbing.
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pc
climber
East of Seattle
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Feb 12, 2007 - 12:16pm PT
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Great TR. Scares the crap out of me just hearing it.
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Aya
Uncategorizable climber
New York
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Feb 12, 2007 - 12:18pm PT
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I would be scared reading that, too, but somehow hearing that there were bomber pink tricams below makes me feel ok about it!
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rhyang
Ice climber
SJC
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Feb 12, 2007 - 12:18pm PT
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I do like mono's for thin ice ... the only thin stuff I've led was fairly short and close to a nice padded snowbank :) Then on to a short bit of rock, and shortly afterwards I was able to sink in a stubby screw ... should have brought rock gear =:-O
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maldaly
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Feb 12, 2007 - 12:23pm PT
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Our standard rack for that kind of thing was 3-4 screws, hooks, a handful of pins to 3/4", TriCams, wired nuts and Friends to 3". It wasn't much but on those types of routes we always had plenty left to set up the belay.
Mal
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