Utah Ice Conditions, 2013 - 2014
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SwC wrote: Checked out White Nightmare this morning, pretty thin...Sam, stop posting all the pics (not), you're killing me here; stuck in iceless VA. I can't even get in a quick trip up to New Hampshire; or to much kiteboarding. I'll be out at the Strawberry cabin on 7 Jan thru the 30th. I'll ping you when I get out. Maybe we can hit Joe's again; or, at least a couple afternoon outings; on the ice or the gym. Have you hooked up with big Bob B? Don't see him in here yet, and need to ring him up... |
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Climbed bridal veil right yesterday... Bring your gore-tex, it was super wet. Be prepared to move 10-15 feet horizontally off your line to find screw placements... I was glad to put in 19cm screws for the first time ever. A lot of the ice is really soggy. Group was climbing white nightmare to the right of us... Seemed very wet also |
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Eli Harry wrote:Climbed bridal veil right yesterday... Bring your gore-tex, it was super wet. Be prepared to move 10-15 feet horizontally off your line to find screw placements... I was glad to put in 19cm screws for the first time ever. A lot of the ice is really soggy. Group was climbing white nightmare to the right of us... Seemed very wet alsoWe climbed that route today. You definitely have to choose your spots carefully, but I don't think I moved quite that far off to find screw placements. In all fairness the flow is changing daily. Through a combo of luck and willingness I've managed to climb the second pitch of Bridal Veil Right three times in the past week. It's changed quite a bit and gotten steeper every time. Because of how much ice is forming it doesn't look beaten up at all! White Nightmare is quite wet. Still gushing water on both sides. Getting climbed regularly anyway. |
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Hopped on the first pitch of The Fang today. Upper pitch is still not formed all the way. First pitch was pretty awful quality ice. Chandeliered all the way across. |
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Climbed Provo Canyon yesterday. The Fang still looked bad, Millers looked wet too. Bridal Veil Left was in slightly better shape so we climbed that and Bridal Veil Right. Looks like someone put up some fresh tat on the larger flow on lookers left as you top the first curtain. If you wanna go that way. |
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Sorry no pictures but we got on top of the second pitch of stairway today. It required a little mixed to the far lookers left or a funky traverse going right mid pitch. We ran out of time but pitch three looked good to go. Pitch four might also be touching down but we couldn't tell for sure. |
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Okay I'll bite garret... Lol. |
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Any word on back-off? |
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Ok, Garret I want to help keep this going also. |
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Just wanted to make sure everyone got this memo: |
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No! Don't stop posting Garret...I'm stuck out here in iceless Virginia and can't get out there till January, and your pics are my inspiration. I don't care if you are the only one posting (or climbing ice), it's a great treat to see what the ice is doing. Keep up the good work (all). Happy holidays! |
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Kitchen Traverse with Pantry Door Variation
James I'm helping you out so this doesn't become your personal ice climbing blog (though keep posting!) The Kitchen Traverse with Pantry Door Variation was in the best conditions I've seen in a decade. The primary objective hazard (Risk of a seriously angry spouse) was at an all time low. Door fronts vibrated a bit under the strain of crampon points but all else was solid. It was short lived. By the next afternoon the route had disappeared. |
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Southern Utah has been forming up good. |
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Looks nice. S. Utah is a big place. Mind sharing where this is? |
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Photos from today (12/20/13) @ 1400, temp was 32 degrees, Location: Camp Creek |
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Went and did Squash Head this morning before the snow started really moving. It was WET, super wet. That is why I don't have a photo - I was worried about my phone surviving. I was in full gore-tex and still got soaked. Give that it was so wet and very hard to protect (multiple placements started spurting water) I would put it on the upper end of its rating scale. Ran out of time to check it out but, does anybody have any beta on whether back-off is in or not? How about Millers? |
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12/21/13
This was how Kitty litter/ Itch and scratch looked on Saturday. It was pretty slushy and the mixed stuff to the right had rotted away since those cold inversion days. |
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Chad, backoff has formed up but it was pretty wet. Give it until the new year and i bet it wilk be much improved. |
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GWI yesterday...snowed harder than predicted... |
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Any suggestions this week with Avi conditions being so high? Provo? GWI? Maple (Doubt there is anything)? |