Trip Report
Little Switzerland-Le Pomme D'Or-Croatia-Patagonia [TR]
Tuesday June 24, 2014 4:17am

Sometimes you get the weather you want, sometimes you dont. Fortunately for me, I have great friends who have taught me the importance of laughing while waiting for conditions to improve. Let's start in July of 2010 for 9 days in Little Switzerland. the flight lands and that evening we make a fun climb out of the Marsupial on the Throne (5.8, 11p).
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fun 5.8 alpine terrain in increasingly white out conditions.
fun 5.8 alpine terrain in increasingly white out conditions.
Credit: Jay Hack
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The day after the weather begins to close in and the next week is a lot of this:
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Credit: Jay Hack
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and this
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Where is my hardened eastern European Alpinist RopeGun when I need him...
Where is my hardened eastern European Alpinist RopeGun when I need him?
Credit: Jay Hack
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So we do this
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Aidan calling for a ride to the West Rib for a Hamburger and a shower
Aidan calling for a ride to the West Rib for a Hamburger and a shower
Credit: Jay Hack
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and fly out in this
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Plane and Throne
Plane and Throne
Credit: Jay Hack
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Having honed our time killing abilities like finding the square root of our tent serial number, melting snow and memorizing topos...it was time to get the real training on.....so we headed into Le Pomme D'Or in the Winter to perfect our ice climbing training. Many snowmobile, sled pulling and ski miles later,

we found this
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Le Pomme D'Or in February...not quite in fat condition
Le Pomme D'Or in February...not quite in fat condition
Credit: Jay Hack
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but we were so psyched on one of the prettiest valleys we'd ever seen, we climbed Gandolf (III WI4+) across the valley:
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Sebastian leading the third pitch of Gandolf
Sebastian leading the third pitch of Gandolf
Credit: Jay Hack
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and spent some more quality time in this
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Frosty Winter camping in Quebec
Frosty Winter camping in Quebec
Credit: Jay Hack
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Well screw it...the next year it was time to get some sport climbing in! Sunny awesome sport climbing were it never rains!!! I will go to Croatia in May, meet up with my old buddy Dylan and his girlfriend Alice and climb awesome Karst Limestone in the sun:

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Debli Kuk trying to dry out
Debli Kuk trying to dry out
Credit: Jay Hack
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maintaining the stoke six days of rain later:
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stoke maintenance is an umbrella
stoke maintenance is an umbrella
Credit: Jay Hack
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ok, we may have been a bit bummed
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Dylan taking shelter and staying dry under an overhang
Dylan taking shelter and staying dry under an overhang
Credit: Jay Hack
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But then against all odds.....Sunshine!!!
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5 pitch Domzalski, 5.10-ish...dry-ish
5 pitch Domzalski, 5.10-ish...dry-ish
Credit: Jay Hack
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After all of this expedition/trip experience...it was time for Patagonia...after all, we had a day of sport climbing, a day of ice climbing and a day of alpine climbing in the last 3 major trips.....why not?
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Mermoz from our bivy site...looking prime and a little snowy
Mermoz from our bivy site...looking prime and a little snowy
Credit: Jay Hack
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and ten minutes later...Fitz Roy did this:
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Swan slab seems awfully appealing at the moment
Swan slab seems awfully appealing at the moment
Credit: Jay Hack
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It might be time to move to California...I hear the weather is pretty good.









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Jay Hack
About the Author
Jay Hack is a trad climber from Detroit, Michigan.

Comments
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
  Jun 24, 2014 - 04:50am PT
Wow and some how you still seem happy.
ms55401

Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
  Jun 24, 2014 - 05:34am PT
well, at least you got out there.

La Pomme d'Or looks sad. Like a centerfold who has aged poorly -- kind of hard to look at
Hoots

climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
  Jun 24, 2014 - 08:16am PT
Conditions on the Red Pillar looking prime!
le_bruce

climber
Oakland, CA
  Jun 24, 2014 - 10:35am PT
It might be time to move to California...I hear the weather is pretty good.

It is, and I would recommend a Valley trip, but what if you are just cursed, and you bring the soup with you, hosing us innocent Californians during your stay???

Still, you should hit the Valley, we'd forgive you for the curse you'll drag along with ya.
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Jun 27, 2014 - 07:32am PT
Nice!
Darwin

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
  Jun 27, 2014 - 08:40am PT

That _was_ funny, and you provide pretty mountain photos and just enough hints at climbing photos. Um... though, given your record, wtf were you thinking of going to Patagonia? Living in Seattle (sometimes rains here) the Desert South-West, east side of the Sierra Nevada, or east side of Cascades are my "I can't stand the rain anymore" bail-out destinations.

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