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Messages 1 - 67 of total 67 in this topic
Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 17, 2009 - 06:46pm PT
While LVC is not quite in the same shape this year, here's a photo essay on California's most consistent ice venue.

Brian Biega, Hobnail Boots, Pitch 3, M5 WI4

Brian Biega, Hobnail Boots, Pitch 3, M5 WI4

Brian Biega, Hobnail Boots, Pitch 4, M5 WI4

clients, Hobnail Boots, Pitch 3, M5 WI4

Mark O'Brien, P2, Photo Shop, WI4


Frank Sainburg, Fisher King, P2, WI3 M3


Frank Sainburg, Fisher King, P2, WI3 M3

climbers, Tricouni Nails, P4, WI4


Keith Bortle, Tricouni Nails, P4, WI4


Eric Erikson, Heel/Toe, P1, WI5 M5


Eric Erikson, Heel/Toe, P1, WI5 M5

Eric Erikson, Heel/Toe, P1, WI5 M5

Doug Nidever, Heel Toe, P3, WI5, M5


Scott Brown, The Death of Right and Wrong, M6 WI5


Doug Nidever, White Lightning, P2, WI5


Mortimer, Almost Died Again, P1, WI7

Nefarius

Big Wall climber
Fresno
Feb 17, 2009 - 06:52pm PT
Cool! Looks a little skimpy this year, compared to others...
Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 17, 2009 - 07:07pm PT
Fattrad,

I couldn't take $ from a guy who raises his children to be evil :)

Flanders
perswig

climber
Feb 17, 2009 - 07:09pm PT
What's with the straw? Bedding for the ubiquitous climber's sheep? :)
Thanks for the pics; had never seen the mixed routes before.
Dale
east side underground

Trad climber
Hilton crk,ca
Feb 17, 2009 - 07:27pm PT
was up the canyon last week (skiing) saw some folk at the ice falls looks like it's got something to climb this season. sorry forgot the camera
rhyang

climber
SJC
Feb 17, 2009 - 07:39pm PT
Hi Doug - hope you are having a good season !

-Rob Yang
bluering

Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
Feb 17, 2009 - 07:44pm PT
looks like a nice outing!
Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 17, 2009 - 08:04pm PT
hey Walleye - never saw that you got saved on the Jesus thread. Don't miss the boat mate.

Rob - haven't seen you for awhile. Heard you had some recovery time last year? Me? it's been a challenging year, but getting up into LVC, a little work, a little training.

Flanders, Zippo's Frozen Booger, P1, WI4

The start has been alittle thin this season, so I thought I'd try to help it out a bit.

I found this really does help, as it glues the 1/4" smears to the wall better.

altieboo

Boulder climber
Livermore, Ca
Feb 17, 2009 - 08:12pm PT
I was in the canyon a few weeks ago. Will get pics up soon!
slobmonster

Trad climber
berkeley, ca
Feb 17, 2009 - 08:18pm PT
Doug, that is totally route enhancement. You are spending eternity in ethical purgatory :).

Nohea

Trad climber
Aiea,Hi
Feb 17, 2009 - 10:12pm PT
Your looking good Doug! Thanks for sharing, I'm stuck in the sand and surf this winter but making the best of the tough conditions.

Aloha,
wil
rhyang

climber
SJC
Feb 18, 2009 - 10:36am PT
hahaha ! I'm going to try that next time Doug :D ooh, new cobras ..
TYeary

climber
Feb 18, 2009 - 12:18pm PT
Thanks Doug. Nice photo essay. Eric just never slowes down. Talked with him in the shop the other day. He's just a go-boy from hell. Wish I had his energy.
Ice doesn't look too bad this year.
Tony
Batrock

Trad climber
Burbank
Feb 18, 2009 - 02:51pm PT
Doug,
I remember Pete telling me about a climb that required removal of a boot for a heel hook or some other nonsense, is that Heel to Toe?

Kevin Mokracek
Brian

climber
Cali
Feb 18, 2009 - 03:14pm PT
Nice shots! Where is "The Death of Right and Wrong," and what year was that photo taken? I've climbed all the other routes you photographed in one condition or another, but I can't say I've even seen that one.

Brian
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
Feb 18, 2009 - 03:43pm PT
LOL spray bottle, classic!
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Feb 18, 2009 - 03:51pm PT
That's a very cool photo spread Mr. Nidever!
Always great to recognize the archetypal "E" body language as well.
Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 18, 2009 - 08:57pm PT
Batrock,
You are correct about Heel/Toe: the last pitch goes up an ice pillar then hand traverses a good crack on an overhanging wall and finishes with a heel hook. This is normally done with boots and crampons on, although as the years go by it's harder to get the leg up there (maybe more crunches)

Brian,
The Death of Right and Wrong is between Heel/Toe and the Chouinard Falls. I've only seen it there once in 36 yrs of LVC.



Trevor Hobbs, unnamed, P3, WI4 M5

Trevor Hobbs, unnamed, P4, WI4 M5

Trevor Hobbs, unnamed, P4, WI4 M5

Trevor Hobbs, unnamed, P4, WI4 M5
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Feb 18, 2009 - 10:10pm PT
hey there all great pics.... i will never get over that feeling that once you latch into the stuff (the ice) that it will crack and split and on no!....

you guys are very brave with that ice...

whewwwwwwww....
rhyang

climber
SJC
Feb 18, 2009 - 11:37pm PT
Go Trevor go :D
You guys rock !!
Decko

Trad climber
Colorado
Feb 18, 2009 - 11:54pm PT
Nice post Doug,

The ice was so sad in Colorado this year we went to Iceland and found a paradise that doesn't exist in this world much more.

WhyCantGerbalsDrive

climber
Lee Vining, CA
Feb 19, 2009 - 10:08am PT
Nice pictures. Thanks for sharing.

What happened to the bloody picture from yesterday?

Where is Death of Right and Wrong in comparison to Bongo's Escape?

Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 19, 2009 - 12:08pm PT
Nohea,
Good to hear from you, got to get you out of the sand and back on the ice. I haven't heard how the ice is in Jello's backyard this year, have you?

Gerbal,
Bongo's and the Death of ... are one in the same. Bongo's is such a lamename!
Re: the bloody face shot. I thought it was a nice action shot, something not uncommon in ice cliimbing, but the climber being the disaggreeable character he always seems to be, bitched about it.
Tork

climber
Yosemite
Feb 19, 2009 - 07:24pm PT
Great pictures Doug, Thanks!

Mony says Hi

Jeff
Jello

Social climber
No Ut
Feb 19, 2009 - 11:06pm PT
Hey Doug, great post! Lots of variety in LVC if you milk the terrain a bit.The ice on Malans has been pretty good for about a month, or so I hear, but the temps are going into the 50's tomorrow so I bet things will get bad pretty fast. Anyway, really nice pics...thanks again.

-Jello
Brian Biega

climber
Truckee, CA
Feb 22, 2009 - 12:58pm PT
Brian Biega

climber
Truckee, CA
Feb 22, 2009 - 01:55pm PT




Cold One
Mtnfreak

Mountain climber
Epicenter of North California
Feb 23, 2009 - 06:49pm PT
Doug,
Where is the Fisher King? [Edit: Belay my last - its the next route to the left of the Spiral Staircase, isn't it?] That looks like a great route! And when were these photos taken? I'll have to take a closer look at KF next week.
Chris
Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 23, 2009 - 06:57pm PT
Chris, the Fisher King is a cool route, not very hard, just very interesting. It's just left of Spiral Staircase. Here is a link to Brian Biega's site, he has a good online topo
http://aboutmyadventure.com/directories/shared_photos/lee_vining/72-75.htm

Right side of the Bard-Harrington, sporting routes like Photoshop, Chimney Route, Photoshop CS

Scott Brown, Photoshop CS, P2, WI3 M5

Scott Brown, Photoshop CS, P2, WI3 M5

Scott Brown, Photoshop CS, P2, WI3 M5

Scott Brown, Photoshop CS, P4, WI3 M5

Chris Kulp, Spiral Staircase, P1, WI3

Chris Kulp, Spiral Staircase, P1, WI3

Keith Bortle, Spiral Staircase, P2, WI3

Keith Bortle, Spiral Staircase, P2, WI3

Keith Bortle, Caveman, P1, WI5

Keith Bortle, Caveman, P1, WI5
WhyCantGerbalsDrive

climber
Lee Vining, CA
Feb 23, 2009 - 07:45pm PT
what aboot candlestick park eh?, doug?
Anastasia

climber
Not here
Feb 23, 2009 - 10:17pm PT
Wow Doug!
(Plus new meaning to the words "spraying on the mountain." )
AF
Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 24, 2009 - 08:38pm PT
Jello,
do you have any pics from your day(s) in LVC?

Anastasia,
Never thought of "spray" quite that way before

Gerbals,
Candlestick Park has formed only once in all these
years, in Jan 97, remember the big flood year. That
was some great ice in LVC that season.
Todd Gordon

Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
Feb 24, 2009 - 10:29pm PT
Greg Epperson on the sharp end...Lee Vining...

rockermike

Mountain climber
Feb 25, 2009 - 01:59am PT
here's moi, last weekend

Brian Biega

climber
Truckee, CA
Feb 26, 2009 - 03:22am PT

Grape Race.


Fisher King.


Tree Route.




T2

climber
Cardiff by the sea
Feb 26, 2009 - 09:20am PT
Wow that was 97' when Candlestick Park formed. I couldn't believe my eyes when I enterd the canyon that year when candlestick park was there. I had heard rumors of the Bard Harrington but had never seen it before that year. I picked and climbed a line that I thought was just a variation of the Bard Harrington, turns out to be Photo shop.

Flanders: Was Photo shops named based on the picture you used of it on your brochure years ago?

That same year in 97' I got to watch Richard Leversee whip off and then send the mighty Candlestick park. I wished I had the game to tick that one.

Photo shop in 97'

Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 26, 2009 - 01:25pm PT
Brian,
Some great shots there! How I miss the fat BH days.

T2,

Photoshop was the pic I had used on the cover of my brochure
for awhile, that shot was also on the cover of a Patagonia
catalog, Dec. 99
wbw

climber
'cross the great divide
Feb 26, 2009 - 03:02pm PT
Wow! Those thin runnels mixed in amongst all that California granite look sooooweet. It's really been a disappointing year here in Colorado.
WhyCantGerbalsDrive

climber
Lee Vining, CA
Feb 27, 2009 - 12:07am PT
thanks for spraying Doug.

aren't there any pictures of candlestick park?

Brian, who's that lady in the movie poster?

where is Spray Bottle? it's not on the topo link above. does anyone have any pictures of someone climbing it

Gerbs
Jingy

Social climber
Flatland, Ca
Feb 27, 2009 - 12:15am PT
fatty - just read that you entered into a bet for $1000... have you taken care of that diet challenge pay off.. yet?


hahhaaahahahahahahah
Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 2, 2009 - 02:43pm PT



not exactly LVC, but cool. Lake Louise, Canada
Bruce Laiho, Louise Falls, P1, WI4
Mike Mechant

Mountain climber
LA, Calipornia
Mar 2, 2009 - 04:05pm PT
That Flanders scrambles up that frozen water pretty good, especially for an older gentleman with, let us say, less than 5.14 pull-up strength.
rhyang

climber
SJC
Mar 2, 2009 - 04:16pm PT
Doug, nice shot of Louise Falls .. wish I was there right now :)

Got out to LVC a couple of weeks ago -- looked like the Main Wall was coming in pretty decently, though at the time Spiral Staircase was pretty thin at the bottom still.


Didn't get a chance to climb anything except Chouinard & the Right Side though. Haven't gotten to a point in my recovery where I'm confident leading ice yet -- I should try that short line on Right Side sometime (rockermike's pic above).
Anastasia

climber
Not here
Mar 2, 2009 - 05:46pm PT
Bump just because this is such a good thread!
:)
Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 2, 2009 - 09:08pm PT
Rob,
good shot of the Main Wall! If you are still working up to leading again, you might consider the Roadside in June Lake. Contrary to reports, the Roadside has been good most of this season.

Mike,
I didn't know my pull-up prowess was so well known, I was recently clocked at .75, but have been training in secret.
Mike Mechant

Mountain climber
LA, Calipornia
Mar 2, 2009 - 09:26pm PT
Flanders: In fact, I've seen vid on YouTube of women in dresses firing off pull-ups in the Valley. It's possible beer was involved.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Mar 2, 2009 - 11:00pm PT
great pictures... but aren't you holding out on us?


where's the video!?
Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 4, 2009 - 10:30am PT
Ed,
this guy is a level 4 offender, his PO makes him wear a helmet cam at all
times that transmits via satellite to track his where abouts and
activities. Funny, the only footage was of a hole in my pants.

:)
Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 10, 2009 - 12:38pm PT
Lee Vining Ice, March 7, 2009

climbers on Caveman, p1, WI 5

climbers on Caveman, p1, WI 5


Mark Stepovich, Heel Toe, p1, WI4, M5

Mark Stepovich, Heel Toe, p1, WI4, M5


Doug Nidever, Heel Toe, p2, WI 4, M5


Mark Stepovich, Heel Toe, p2, WI 4, M5


Mark Stepovich, Heel Toe, p2, WI 4, M5


Mark Stepovich, Heel Toe, p2, WI 4, M5


Mark Stepovich, Heel Toe, p3, WI 4, M5


Mark Stepovich, Heel Toe, p3, WI 4, M5


the lvc continues to be good, with the wet storms and very cold nights

Doug





rhyang

climber
SJC
Mar 18, 2009 - 12:09pm PT
Main Line (WI4) on Saturday: me on left, Justin on right, Pavel behind the camera -


Sunday we were fooling around on Chouinard, and watched Doug bringing some clients up -


They looked to be having a pretty good time :)
Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 18, 2009 - 12:57pm PT
Rob,

good to see you getting out. You should be leading the way you climb though ! I guess it will take a bit of time to get on the sharp end again.

Doug
WBraun

climber
Mar 18, 2009 - 08:09pm PT
Hey .... the guy in the red coat is cheating. He's stepping on the guy's head below him.

Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 19, 2009 - 09:38am PT
That's why you where a helmet isn't it? I mean it would really
hurt with crampons without the helmet. come on! This is
alpine.
Tork

climber
Yosemite
Mar 19, 2009 - 12:47pm PT
Now your making me jealous Doug. Wish driving over there wasn't quite so far. What say we trade a day over there for a day on my route at Parkline??

Jeff
rhyang

climber
SJC
Mar 20, 2009 - 11:05am PT
Doug, I just realized that your pics of the climbers on Caveman from 7-March are my friends Karén and Peter !

I believe Peter got a few of you on Spiral Staircase -



Looks like they went skiing the next day in Tahoe -

Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 20, 2009 - 05:35pm PT
Jeff,

How I do enjoy making folks jealous. LVC is a great place, with a good variety of ice and mixed routes. If you get bored with these, you can walk across the canyon and huff up "Master Cylinder" or "Silver Bullet" . I'll be over to check out your new route asap, has it had a mixed ascent yet?


Ed Escoto, Bailout Plan, P2, M4


Ed Escoto, Bailout Plan, P2, M


Ed Escoto, Fisher King, P2, WI3 M3 (we linked Bailout Plan with the upper section of a very thin Fisher King)

Rob,
Peter and Karen were fun to watch on Caveman, then up to Heel Toe finish. It is nice to see folks on these routes once awhile, even the local guides rarely, if ever, get on these routes.

Doug


Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 25, 2009 - 11:59am PT
End of a good LVC season, might as well sit a ponder the important.



Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 20, 2010 - 10:26pm PT
pump for ol' lee vining ice,

yippee
rhyang

climber
SJC
Jan 21, 2010 - 12:16am PT
Looking forward to it !

btw How was Ouray Doug ? We're headed there the first week of Feb.. probably the next time I'll be out on ice with the way the weather's been going here ..
mark miller

Social climber
Reno
Jan 21, 2010 - 12:23am PT
Sweet it is almost worthy of the drive down that odd # road. for posting maybe this series of storms will bring in some thick stuff. thank's
Flanders!

Trad climber
June Lake, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 28, 2010 - 11:18pm PT


Rob,

the trip to Ouray was great with good friends, nice ice and weather. We got to climb Bridalvei,
a Jeff Lowe classic, and the Ames Ice Hose, a few lines up at Skylight and Horsetail Falls.

A good trip

Doug.

p.s. Lee Vining is coming in. The Main Wall is looking good, and the very rare Bongo's Escape
(aka, The Death of Right and Wrong) is in great shape.
Brian

climber
California
Jan 29, 2010 - 01:12am PT
Great. When I posted on this thread earlier, Doug told me that The Death of Right and Wrong had only come in once in 36 years. This winter I'm living in Ouray, which has been great for ice, and The Death of Right and Wrong comes in again back home! Oh well...

Brian
marv

Mountain climber
Bay Area
Feb 12, 2010 - 12:40am PT
anyone have conditions? what's the word in the canyon?
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Feb 12, 2010 - 05:03am PT
hey there say, marv... thanks for bumping this up, question-wise... this place is always top, as to interest... :)
marv

Mountain climber
Bay Area
Feb 14, 2010 - 05:53pm PT
conditions ... anyone? am about to launch from SF
rhyang

climber
SJC
Mar 9, 2010 - 10:48am PT
Kovarpa leading Heel Toe, p2 on Sunday

Bschmitz

Ice climber
mountain view
Mar 9, 2010 - 11:41am PT
anyone want a partner for this next weekend...located in bay area and my tools are angry that they have only cilmbed a couple days in montana and wyoming. I have references if desired.
Messages 1 - 67 of total 67 in this topic
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