Trip Report
Polar Vortex the TR
Monday November 10, 2014 8:41am
I started a thread on this but thought a TR would be much more appropriate given the magnitude of what is happening up here. I am thinking that it will be something similar to Big Mike and Sandra's epic TR of going to Trout Creek, meeting up with tons of ST'rs, Yosemite, Facelift, and a trip to Red Rocks. Accept mine won't have any of that. I am sure it will still garner thousands of responses as it does definitively prove that global warming is occurring when it gets cold in the Black Hills in mid November. I will post updates occasionally through 6 months of this polar vortex up here so that you all can participate.

It all started at the beginning of time, but that is another story. Actually this started on Saturday Jack and I went to the Tower and he was going to try to lead Walt Bailey a long hard 5.9 that he had cruised while following the week before taking out all of the gear clean and still smiling at the end of a 180ft pitch.
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Well the vortex had obviously changed the gravity that day to the high end of the spectrum as he got up the steep flake at the beginning of the pitch and then got spanked and decided to come down. Now he is only 13, but the vortex induced high gravity day was obviously the cause of such a disaster. I had to take over but my still throbbing feet are precise proof of the gravity shift.
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Regardless we summited in beautiful weather and lounged around on the top with some folks from Bozeman for a while before descending into the inky blackness.
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If we could have known that the descent was an omen of things to come we surely would have immediately started splitting wood. That being said on Sunday my daughter decided to go on a picnic and to throw some rocks into a pond as she was really looking forward to learning how to skip rocks(she throws like a girl).
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We conquered the rock skipping and hiked up to a beautiful spot to eat up above Spearfish Canyon.
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We ate and came down where I went for a ride and did a little trail clean up.

We went to bed hearing that the vortex was moving in so we closed the garage doors and turned in early to save our energy for the impending horrors to come.
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Sure enough the storm that had shifted the forces of physics had moved in over night and had left a whopping 4 inches of snow on our driveway. I spent the morning shoveling and then hurried off to work. That is all for now, but I will check back in occasionally as conditions and cell service warrant.

  Trip Report Views: 3,480
mike m
About the Author
mike m is a trad climber from black hills. Who is cold

Comments
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Author's Reply  Nov 10, 2014 - 08:46am PT
OK. I have found time to post up and the cell service is still good. The best part of a vortex up here is getting to make fresh tracks in the morning. I would say dawn patrol but the sun came up a few hours ago.
RyanD

climber
  Nov 10, 2014 - 10:52am PT
Awesome!

Edit- get ur skis waxed
John M

climber
  Nov 10, 2014 - 11:02am PT
A Polar Vortex causes gravity shifts??? oh man.. that just blew my mind and totally explains tons of things, but brings up other questions. How does a Polar Vortex cause Sierra Cement? Wouldn't the increase in gravity up north cause a decrease down here in la la land?

oh.. and as for how we are experiencing the Vortex here in Yosemite. Currently 65. Its supposed to hit mid 70s today.. brrrrrr… bring on the Polar Vortex
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Author's Reply  Nov 10, 2014 - 11:34am PT
The bad news is that it is down to 14 degrees but the good news is that it feels like 3 degrees(at least according to the weather channel).

Word on the street is that Webster is officially changing the word "winter" to "Polar Vortex".
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Author's Reply  Nov 11, 2014 - 10:52am PT
it got up to 6° today but the ice is not quite in. Should be fat by the end of the week.
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
  Nov 11, 2014 - 11:11am PT
ice is nice
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Author's Reply  Nov 11, 2014 - 02:22pm PT
funny the vortex that only shifts gravity it also makes you grow fangs.
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
  Nov 11, 2014 - 02:27pm PT
brrrrr.....move south young man, move south. Where you are now is only meant to be occupied on a seasonal basis.
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Author's Reply  Nov 11, 2014 - 04:27pm PT
Practice for Patagonia.

Btw. The vortex is coming your way. Put your warm sox on.
le_bruce

climber
Oakland, CA
  Nov 12, 2014 - 12:55pm PT
Dug it a lot - thanks, mike!
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
  Nov 12, 2014 - 12:59pm PT
15" at Copper Mt today and still coming down big time!
The forecast was for 'snow showers'. LOL!
WyoRockMan

climber
Grizzlyville, WY
  Nov 12, 2014 - 01:29pm PT
Keepin' on keepin' on from my location Mike.

-14f over Powder River Pass yesterday, the iceman cometh.

Evel

Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
  Nov 12, 2014 - 02:34pm PT
A balmy -12 here in Nederland,but it's only 3:30 so it'll be chillin down soon with nightfall. Out of liquor. Bad, very bad.
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Author's Reply  Nov 12, 2014 - 03:26pm PT
It is a nice 3° right now but it's supposed to get down to -12 tonight. going out climbing after work tomorrow. Probably could go tonight but still a lot of water coming over the climbs. Nothing some double digit below zero temps can't take care of though.
WyoRockMan

climber
Grizzlyville, WY
  Nov 13, 2014 - 07:56am PT
60 hours old. The fatman cometh!

Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
  Nov 13, 2014 - 08:33am PT
Polar thread shift but related;
You haven't lived until you take in a deep breath of 25° air through a stiched nostril!!
WyoRockMan

climber
Grizzlyville, WY
  Nov 13, 2014 - 02:47pm PT
Anything through a stitched nostril sounds fun. Heal up soon!

The vortex is stickin' around:
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Author's Reply  Nov 14, 2014 - 09:03am PT
whos up for the fa
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Author's Reply  Nov 14, 2014 - 05:46pm PT
nice day at the tower.
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Author's Reply  Nov 15, 2014 - 03:14pm PT
Got in a mini trax lap today.
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
  Nov 15, 2014 - 07:22pm PT
Earlier today, in nearby Wolf City, Wyoming

[photoid=386728]
drljefe

climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
  Nov 15, 2014 - 07:35pm PT
Hey mike.

Fűck that shˇt.
Not down.

Cool tr though.

:-)
WyoRockMan

climber
Grizzlyville, WY
  Nov 16, 2014 - 06:07am PT
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Author's Reply  Nov 16, 2014 - 05:35pm PT
The Vortexation seems to be continuing. It got up to 19 degrees which is the warmest it has been since Monday afternoon when this all started. Luckily the wind was blowing up to about 50 mph and it was occasionally dumping snow. To be Rock Climbing in T shirts a week ago and having it being a complete blizzard and climbing ice daily makes me unable to count the ways that I, no we, are so blessed up here. I also hear some of our blessings are moving south.
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Author's Reply  Nov 16, 2014 - 07:59pm PT
Jack's first attempt at Walt last Saturday when the weather was sunny and 65 degrees. You can kind of see chemtrail like substances above that are a clear sign the physics and the weather are changing due to the Vortaxation. There will be a price to be paid.[Click to View YouTube Video]To be continued....
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Author's Reply  Nov 23, 2014 - 05:08am PT
the vortex is over back to global warming. It almost got to 60 and was still 51 at 4pm.
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Author's Reply  Dec 9, 2014 - 07:59am PT
i think we are now getting an equatorial vortex. Tower anyone?
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