Ice climbing depreciation thread.

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Decko

Trad climber

Colorado

Nov 17, 2013 - 09:24am PT

Unfortunately ice climbing has taken on another meaning in Colorado.....

CROWDED and stepped out......

Many "classic" routes are routinely butchered to death by the Top Roping masses that claim to be ice climbers.....

I've been getting geared up to lead many routes in CO and start wondering why is there snow falling from the top of the route....

Oh yea that's why, Joe/Gumbie has slogged their way around to the top to set up a TR and claim to climb the ice....

So sad what has happened to ice climbing in Colorado......

One of my long time ice climbing partners went to Ouray last year and climbed in the park......

He couldn't even describe/comment on what he saw happening in the ice park, cause to him it wasn't ice climbing.....

Gagner

climber

Boulder

Nov 17, 2013 - 09:24am PT

Huh...??? Did AMU yesterday and i was fat, but with about 6"+ of snow on the approach. Usual slogging fun up and down to get to it....More ice than I've ever seen up there.

mike m

Trad climber

black hills

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 17, 2013 - 10:34am PT

WY and MT seem to be the places to go in the lower 48. Tons on fat ice with few people. I have only gone to co a couple of times to ice climb for precisely the reasons mentioned above despite having two brothers living there. Would like to get back to Redstone sometime and the southwest looks very cool, but double the driving time makes it hard to not keep going back to Cody and mt.

Stewart Johnson

climber

lake forest

Nov 17, 2013 - 10:43am PT

Cali ice can be fickle it all depends on precipitation
Drought years dont help.

climbingcoastie

Ice climber

Sacramento, CA

Nov 17, 2013 - 10:45am PT

Lee Vining was forming, but not enough to climb as of Monday. About an hour down the road and a 3hr approach will land you this.

Damn, didn't know about Whitney Ice fall. I wasted time in Alabama Hills when I could have been ice climbing, just my luck.

mike m

Trad climber

black hills

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 17, 2013 - 10:49am PT

I will say after my first time in Hyalite last week that I thought it was pretty crowded there were quite a lot of people out, but there seems to be a high concentration of routes. People were definitely getting after it. The other two areas we went to, the Spinx and Mission Creek, had zero people and tons of ice. Rarely have seen anyone in the Rosebuds, Stillwater, Clarks Fork, Big Horns, or Cooke City when I have been there.

Stewart Johnson

climber

lake forest

Nov 17, 2013 - 10:50am PT

i coudnt resist!

mike m

Trad climber

black hills

Topic Author's Reply - Nov 17, 2013 - 10:50am PT

Is that Korea

climbingcoastie

Ice climber

Sacramento, CA

Nov 17, 2013 - 10:53am PT

A weekend at Lee Vining.

Stewart Johnson

climber

lake forest

Nov 17, 2013 - 11:01am PT

Edge

Trad climber

Boulder, CO

Nov 17, 2013 - 11:35am PT

I definitely got spoiled learning to ice climb in New England in the early 80s; tons of routes, no crowds, and generally short approaches. I wouldn't trade my old experiences on Repentance and the Black Dike with a Chouinard alpine hammer and Forrest Lifetime axe for the modern tools and crowds of today, though.

I took those skills learned on my home frozen turf to the Continent and easily transitioned to the bigger peaks of Les Alps.

I always said that 9 of the 10 times I was sure I would die were while ice climbing. Getting my feet frostbite on Mt Washington and losing 9 toenails, dropping a tool on Cannon's Fafnir and finishing with one axe while driving bogus pins in iced up cracks with the adze, belaying off shite on Lake Willoughby, the list is long. I would say a prayer to the Creator offering to give it up if I could just get down alive, then be right back at it the following week.

I lost interest in ice years ago and did give it up for about 20 years before jumping back into it last season in NH. I'm a bit curious about the local CO ice, but any sort of crowds would be a deal breaker for me. My heart lies in the more alpine ventures now, and I'm sure I can find some of that here.

Brandon-

climber

The Granite State.

Nov 17, 2013 - 11:37am PT

I've been climbing for twenty years and have yet to climb ice.

Seems cold and dangerous and scary.

I'll stick to skiing 5.13.

Kalimon

Social climber

Ridgway, CO

Nov 17, 2013 - 11:42am PT

Stewart Johnson

climber

lake forest

Nov 17, 2013 - 12:21pm PT

If you plan on climbing any of the major peaks on the planet and you dont ice climb, well.......... youre gonna die.

steve shea

climber

Nov 17, 2013 - 12:31pm PT

Yup JD is on it. Pass the sunscreen. Ice climbing is nothing more than high altitude, underpaid construction work. Ifin you can pound nails you can ascend la glace. The trick is to never fall, have Popeye forearms and a leash! Leashless is bs. I like leashes and lot's o' pro. Old Lowe drive in/screw outs. You could fasten yourself to almost any icicle very fast. Good for the head. I don't know if they held but good for the head.

Breashears and I once climbed the Black Dike on Cannon without tools, well only for placing and removing pro. That was fun cause it did not seem like construction work. Heh Heh

Are people really toproping Bridalveil and Ames and the like? Colorado used to be pretty quiet. No more huh?

Patrick Sawyer

climber

Originally California now Ireland

Nov 17, 2013 - 12:51pm PT

Last time I was in Lee Vining was 1985, not crowded at all. Ran into Ron Kauk, who I knew a bit from Camp 4 - climbed Main Wall, Right Flow and Chouinard Falls. Last time I was on ice was also in 1985, Sequoia NP with my friends Ron (not Kauk) and Jeff. X-C skied in, did some small routes (couple of pitches) and I led one long climb about five pitches up some gully, as I was the most experienced on ice (and I am not).

Also, 1985 was the last time I climbed a mountain (the three Mexican volcanoes - Ixta, Popo and Orizaba).

I love ice, rock more so. Ice/snow - Mt Shasta, Mt St Helens before it blew, Mount Olympus (Olympic NP), Mt Shuksan (Price Glacier), V-Notch, U-Notch, Dana Glacier (Tuolumne) unroped (easy peasy), still have Rainer and Hood on my tick list. And the Bugaboos, and Chamonix and Alaska and…

… the list just seems to be getting longer and I am getting shorter.

I also understand that there is some good ice in the June Lake area. Conditions in Ireland are not always "right" but on Lugnaquilla in the Wicklow Mountains, there can be, at times some good ice climbing in North Prison (what a name). I was suppose to go there several years back when conditions were superb, but Jennie's illness prevented such a trip (we were living in Dalkey at the time).

That same winter I was due to go to Glen Coe and Ben Nevis, but again… Jen was shortly out of hospital.

Sigh, at least I have saved my knuckles from taking a beating.

Kalimon

Social climber

Ridgway, CO

Nov 17, 2013 - 01:52pm PT

donini

Trad climber

Ouray, Colorado

Nov 17, 2013 - 04:44pm PT

The last ice climb i actually enjoyed was the Diamond Couilor on Mt. Kenya.in 2005....interesting mixed climbing off the deck followed by a pleasant romp up a beautiful peak.
The last rock climb i enjoyed was three days ago to be followed by one tomorrow.