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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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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Feb 12, 2007 - 12:54pm PT
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For the thin stuff in Maple Canyon, here in Utah, I've always preferred the Sabretooth crampon, over thoughts of mono points (flat frame with horizontal front points). Seems to provide a tad bit more security on roundy cobbles...
Some pics of Maple:
Mike A. on a variation of Bottomless Topless. Also has some funny commentary on this route in the Utah mixed climbing video, Comfortably Numb.
Same route, bit leaner conditions, Matt S. climbing on TR.
Mike again on the first ascent of Wildebeests and Angels a few years back. Must be soaring on the wings of a demon...
No such thing as a "rockprodigy" indeed...
My standard rack for Maple includes a bit of rock gear, stoppers, hexes (great for pounding in between rounded cobbles), selection of pins, shorty ice hooks, spectres, a gob of 10cm screws (or shorter custom rigs if you can find them) and most important for topping out in no-man's-land (besides a psyched partner), a fully charged Bosch.
Cheers,
-Brian in SLC
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bachar
Trad climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Feb 12, 2007 - 02:24pm PT
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Jello, Mal, Brian - great pics! You guys are nuts by the way ... in a good way.
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WBraun
climber
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Feb 12, 2007 - 02:35pm PT
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This is an awesome thread with wild and scary looking stuff.
I agree with Bachars statement above.
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 12, 2007 - 09:09pm PT
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Mal, that was a good summation of the Smear. Really happy to have shared that experience with Duncan and you. I especially like the way you made me seem so studly! Especially on a climb tha's more classic than difficult. By the way, the openning photo is not on that liitle cliff below Long's, it's actually on a good 180' pitch in the Jaque-Cartier River valley in Quebec.
Werner and John. Wish I could have gotten you guys interested in ice early on. The cold game would have leapt ahead like a panther after its' prey.
Ohh, and Rick, that photo reminds me of so much that is good about climbing in Chamonix, the Yosemite of alpinism. You were one who took yosemite skills to the higher (snowy) hills. I'm sorry we never had the opportunity to rope up.
Ohh-ohh(edit): and thanks for the pics ofthat Mike A guy doing something other than freeing everything in Zion, Brian.
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Ricardo Carlos
Trad climber
Off center, CO.
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Feb 13, 2007 - 12:03am PT
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Jello
Just to her you talk about soft pointing on dinner plate ice in Bruce Ns living room sent me running back to josh!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
one pass away from the big ditch
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Feb 13, 2007 - 12:53am PT
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Anyone remember the Vertical Times videos? edit, think the name is wrong. Pink and white wrapper in VHS box. Ring any bells?
Some sik thin ice on the "Tools Review" on one episode.
Plus all the latest from the Idaho competition. Fun look back vids.
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alasdair
Trad climber
scotland
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Feb 13, 2007 - 07:33am PT
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Reading this thread i realise I've never done true "thin" ice climbing!
I remember climbing a thin guiness gully hooking old holes and keeping balaning hard to pull down not out!
Jello did you ever come over to Scotland and climb the thin face routes on the ben?
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BlazeOn
Trad climber
Asheville, NC
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Feb 13, 2007 - 09:22am PT
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Thin ice is de rigeur in NC. Learn to love it! The top 3 are sequence photos with the final one being the WHIP when he blew the top off the sucka...schweet!
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 13, 2007 - 10:51am PT
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Ricardo- when was that?
Blaze-on! photos from NC!
Alasdair- I made a pilgrimage to Scotland in '75. It was a pretty good winter and I got in about 50 routes, about half solo and half with a partner. Completely enjoyable trip. Out on the hill in a blizzard during the day, back in the pub listening to the Scottish masters spin their tales at night over pints of good beer and tumblers of scotch. Did many of the classics on the Ben, and added a few climbs there, as well, but the best route was the Citadel/Sticil Face combo on Shelter Stone, in the Cairngorms, with Gordon Smith.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Feb 13, 2007 - 11:46am PT
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Man we would love to see some pictures from that Scottish trip...
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Frozenwaterfalls
Ice climber
California
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Feb 13, 2007 - 12:17pm PT
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Love this thread! I am stuck at home (and have been all season) due to having to go in for surgery. Just off the percoset and so I am lucid for longer than 10 minute cycles so I checked into the Taco. I have to agree with Brian that I am sold on Sabreteeth for slab ice. And slab rock, not just pebbles. My first mixed lead was in Lee Vining and was totally unintentional (by me, my climbing partners really wanted the rope "up there" and I was the only one that led) so I headed up some thin ice which was okay since it was just gentle hooking and then had to do a slab (rock) traverse to get back onto the next ice section. The flat horizontals will actually "smear" on granite. Not saying I want to use this technique for 20 m runouts, but they did work. No way you could get enough surface area to do this with vertical monos and you do need the flex of the horizontals as well. But for the Sabreteeth, just find a good spot, place the points, drop the heels and repeat in cadence with your heart palpitations until you reach ice again.
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Feb 13, 2007 - 02:03pm PT
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Glenwood Falls, CO, late 80's. You could still park below the falls because I-70 hadn't been completed. It was totally illegal parking and you risked a big ticket, but we threw a bunch of snow on the "No Parking Sign" and were prepared to plead ignorance.
This climb is south facing so it forms up and falls off pretty regularily, but it looked OK so we headed up. We free-soloed the first two pitches (somehow I got to go up last which meant I got showered with the most ice from above but it was probably only WI3 or so). Rick led the third pitch which is where we first started seeing (and ignoring) bail anchors. Bill led the fourth pitch. More bail anchors and more ignorance. When I got up to the belay, Rick and Bill were standing on a 70 degree slab that had about 1 inch thick ice over top of it. No belay to speak of, the ice was just too thin.
My lead, up I go. No use swinging the tools, they would just punch through the thin ice and bounce off. I was delicately trying to place them like sky hook and use them for balance. After about 40-50 feet I reached a vertical column of ice which was about 1 foot in diameter and 20 feet high. I probably should have slung the base of the pillar, but instead I sunk a Chouinard screw in it at the base.
Because the pillar was so small in diameter, I had to climb it pigeon-toed with my my feet looking for pruchase on the sides pointing toward each other. I was gently swinging my axes trying not to knock the pillar down. At one point Rick and Bill yelled up, "Hey, Bruce, could you swing your tool again, that last stick didn't sound very good." Obviously, with no belay anchors and being 400 feet off the ground they were very much concerend with my climbing skills.
At one point I tried to place another screw in the pillar but it just wouldn't start. I finally looked at the threads and (it was Bill's screw) they were all bent inward. I just chucked the totally useless screw out into the void on a path I was certain I would soon follow.
At the top of the pillar I was confronted by what I can only describe as the equivelent of having a piece of 2" styrofoam
sheet 25 feet high propped against a wall at 80 degrees. I have no clue how this formed but clearly it was going to be difficult to climb. I figured that kicking steps one on top of the other would probably weaken the structure and all the steps would blow out and off we would all fly. So, I climbed up, kicking random steps from side to side making it look like swiss cheese when I had finally topped out.
When I got to the first tree on top, I put three slings around it, I was so scared. The capper was that when we got together a few weeks later to look at photos of the climb, there were none of me leading the last pitch. Rick and Bill explained that they were too scared to get out their cameras.
The whole thing fell off the next day.
Bruce
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maldaly
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Feb 13, 2007 - 02:08pm PT
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Lucky Bruce, that one's killed people. Jello, Sibley swears he has a video of the Fang falling down when you guys were up there to do some filming. Is that just a rumor or should I go sit on Sibley until he coughs it up?
Mal
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Maysho
climber
Truckee, CA
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Feb 13, 2007 - 09:24pm PT
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Second time on ice was Sentinel Falls with Bridwell, 1980, he backed off the upper half of the first pitch, "I don't think this will support my weight, you check it out". He had a way of inspiring me to be a quick study, so up I go, first time leading, thin rivulets of ice with running water in between, steppin gingerly, one-swing-only placements and the hot tool of the moment was the tubular hummingbird (a Jello innovation I believe), stuck ok but not so great for hooking. I remember it felt more like slimy slippery A4 without aiders than slab rock climbing.
It got fat after that and we had a good time, unroped on the last two pitches. We made a strange decision to descend down a gully to the 4 mile trail, a thrash. A cute blond who I had met once before picked us up hitchhiking, 2 years later I was a 20 year old father.
If I had gone a bit slower or faster on that first ice lead what would life have been like?
Peter
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 13, 2007 - 09:25pm PT
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I wasn't along on that film shoot, Mal, but I heard the story from Greg. I think Wiggens and Weis were there, along with Paul and maybe some others. I think they decided to call off the shoot, and then immediately the whole hundred-foot pillar crashed down right in front of them! Good call...
Great story about meeting your mate on Sentinel Falls, Peter! Err- AFTER Sentinel Falls, I mean...imagine Bridwell as a mate in that sense...oh, I have to stop, the image is unbearable!
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Mimi
climber
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Feb 13, 2007 - 10:47pm PT
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Great stories and pics!
Jello, please try and post some of those Scotland pics!
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Ricardo Carlos
Trad climber
Off center, CO.
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Feb 13, 2007 - 11:19pm PT
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Jello
It was before the picture - ad where I was on your hip.
Thanks it was a great ego boost
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Pappy
Trad climber
Atlanta
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Feb 14, 2007 - 12:28am PT
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Thin ice is all you got down south. This one is actually in Georgia!
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 14, 2007 - 12:46am PT
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Yeah, Pappy, that's the good old southern stuff! Pour some whiskey from the top, then follow the line!
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Pappy
Trad climber
Atlanta
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Feb 14, 2007 - 10:47pm PT
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Jello, some more fat GA ice:
almost time to start thinking about tying off the first screw...
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wootles
climber
Gamma Quadrant
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Feb 15, 2007 - 09:47pm PT
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Crimpy twisted my arm.
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wootles
climber
Gamma Quadrant
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Feb 16, 2007 - 12:00am PT
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kev
climber
CA
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Feb 17, 2007 - 05:23pm PT
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bump - this is climbing related....
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 18, 2007 - 10:39pm PT
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All that southern ice is enough to drive a man to drink!
Here's a couple more from the Jaque Cartier River Valley:
First pitch of the Smear, FA.
Heading up to do something Mickey Mouse with big Dave Wright.
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 18, 2007 - 11:10pm PT
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More thin:
Duncan Ferguson - The Thin Man
Mark Wilford (another thin-meister) and Duncan Ferguson head up to Englishman's Route, Hallett Peak RMNP, in rare ice conditions
Duncan climbing steep, thin blobs on Englishman's
Duncan and Mark (belaying above) on the 4th pitch of Englishman's route.
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 18, 2007 - 11:44pm PT
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In 1975 I made a pilgrimage to Scotland, birthplace of mixed climbing.
Ben Nevis in clearing storm:
I spent about six weeks climbing, about half the time out of Fort William while working on a film for National Geographic, featuring John Cunningham and Yvon Chouinard. When the weather was good, we were ferried to the top of the Ben by helicopter!
Clockwise from top left: Yvon, Johnny, Hamish Mackinnis and Tut Braithwaite.
There was a lot of down time, so Tut and I, who were riggers, had plenty of opportunity to drop down one of the easy gullies and simul-solo the classics. In the center of the photo below is the famous Zero Gully, led by MacKinnis in about 1957.
Edit: Scotland, part two:
Tut on a new route we soloed together.
Yvon and Johnny topping out in rare good weather on Ben Nevis.
Shelter Stone Crag, in the Cairgorms. The best route of my visit was the second ascent of the Citadel/Sticil Face link-up, which follows a line beginning in the middle of the point of the V formed by the bottom of the crag. The climb is about 1,000' high. Gordon Smith and I climbed it with one point of aid, which has since been eliminated, and the route is probably about M7 nowadays.
Gordon starting up the climb.
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426
Sport climber
Buzzard Point, TN
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Feb 19, 2007 - 09:41am PT
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fantastic snaps, J-Lo. Ever read "The Craggie" by G.J.F. Dutton (speaking o' scotland)?
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 19, 2007 - 02:17pm PT
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Haven't read "The Craggie", 426. Worthwhile?
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Crag Q
Trad climber
Louisville, Colorado
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Feb 19, 2007 - 02:27pm PT
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Jello, thanks for sharing your awesome photos! I'm way too chicken to climb ice that thin.
I was out last weekend and noticed that when my pick strikes rock and I expect ice, that I swing again just to make sure it's rock. Duh!
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Feb 19, 2007 - 10:34pm PT
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Jeff,
I’m still hoping we will get to climb sometime, maybe a sandstone classic here, or some quartzite out your way.
As to your Chamonix comment:Au contraire, Chamonix is not the Yosemite of alpine climbing, it is the World Capital of Alpinism AND Skiing! It says so right on the sign.
That thin and steep ice down South is very impressive, folks , even more so because I’ll bet it doesn’t last long.
Jeff –Thanks for posting the Scottish pics. Your mention of Gordon Smith reminded of Tobin telling me about climbing with him on the second ascent of the Desmaison route on the Grande Jorasses a couple of years later in 1977.
Rick
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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Bump, an old thread to help you cool off on a hot day! Thin ice with Jello, Rick A., Duncan Ferguson and many more masters of the tippy toe!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Yet another superb Jello thread...
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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Sorry Steve, I'm not even attempting to compete with the "bump master":-)
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Damn good maniacal Floyd song too!
The Thin Ice (Waters)
Momma loves her baby
And daddy loves you too.
And the sea may look warm to you babe
And the sky may look blue
But ooooh Baby
Ooooh baby blue
Oooooh babe.
If you should go skating
On the thin ice of modern life
Dragging behind you the silent reproach
Of a million tear-stained eyes
Don't be surprised when a crack in the ice
Appears under your feet.
You slip out of your depth and out of your mind
With your fear flowing out behind you
As you claw the thin ice.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Found some "good" conditions in the Big Horns in June of this year.So "Good" that we did not make it to the top. What a great thread. It was a 102 degrees here yesterday.
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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Holy S%^t Batman! Mike M , how many pitches is that thing in the 2nd pic, looks amazing?!
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Haven't done that one, but we have done a couple of other routes in there that were 1500ft'ish and looks to be the same size of maybe a little shorter.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Come to think of it the Chill Lake Cirque seems to have no shortage of thin ice with sufficient scenery to make it justifiable to continue.
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Jingy
climber
Somewhere out there
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holy shit!!!
That is not ice climbing!!!!
That is insanity!!!!!!
Someones got some cool go nads
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Like this guy again!
Doug Tompkins soloing on Hell's Lum, Cairngorms, scotland. Yvon Chouinard photo.
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Sonic
Trad climber
Boulder, Co
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Dec 15, 2015 - 09:17am PT
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Tis thy season bump!
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overwatch
climber
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Dec 15, 2015 - 10:11am PT
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Wow! Crazy ass stuff, cool bump. How is Mr. Lowe doing these days?
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Dec 15, 2015 - 12:25pm PT
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Wow.
A tribute to the late Doug Tompkins. . .
and to Jello, Mal, and Duncan for that unreal Smear of Fear!
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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Dec 15, 2015 - 02:03pm PT
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Great thread with some very brave climbers. Thank you!
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Dec 15, 2015 - 02:15pm PT
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Way BITD my partner and I climbed in Lee Vining Canyon when the ice was really thin. If I recall correctly, we climbed multiple pitches of slabby thin ice to the left of the main climbing area.
I led a pitch with no protection. Usually this lack of protection wasn't much of an issue for me on ice, except I was leading on verglass which wasn't very secure and I was scared shitless.
I placed a few tied off screws here and there that were totally worthless for protection but great for keeping me from panicking. I finally found a thick bulge of ice into which I would be able to fully sink my last remaining ice screw.
But the teeth on the ice screw tore off as I was trying to place the screw, so - I was screwed. No pro for the entire pitch.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Dec 16, 2015 - 10:13am PT
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Dec 16, 2015 - 10:16am PT
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Dec 16, 2015 - 11:08am PT
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^^^Frightening...!
Kinda looks like Maple Canyon a bit.
Always thankful for any fixed pro on one of these thin ice routes. Ice Hawk is one of the few climbs where I dropped a tool (hit it on the bottom of the shaft with the top of my hand when going to grab it...ugh)...glad to get it back from my belayer...whew...
A lot of short thin routes to play on in Maple...some thankfully not that steep...
Chimneys can feel more secure...
Low angle thin ice slabs can be less fun with snow on them...!
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Dec 16, 2015 - 12:14pm PT
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I did the Lachenal Direct on the Triolet back in 1984. It had been a dry winter, and there was a section about 200 feet long that was too thin for pro. 1 to 2 inches thick max. It was below the steep part and was maybe 50 or 60 degrees. Not steep.
We had to simulclimb that section with no anchors, way up there, and it would have been certain death if either of us had fallen. We were warned that it was getting thin, but by the time we did it, it was terribly thin. The whole thing was gone a week later. The Droites and the Courtes had bare rock slabs instead of ice.
The ice was nice and soft, though. The climbing was pretty easy. It was just weird being way up there soloing with your partner. It was over in 5 or 10 minutes.
I have pics, but not of that part.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Dec 16, 2015 - 03:17pm PT
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I have always been in awe of the people that climb Tahquitz ice. That stuff is ballsy.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Dec 16, 2015 - 04:15pm PT
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Yeah. but you are sick....
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b'wana
Ice climber
wisconsin
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Dec 16, 2015 - 06:54pm PT
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here in the upper midwest much of the ice we get is frozen waterfalls. when you can hear the water flowing under the ice that's pretty normal. when you can see the water flowing that's getting a bit dicey. when you are getting wet from the holes in the ice it's time to be on toprope. but it's all fun.
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| Messages 1 - 74 of total 74 in this topic |
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