black dike got climbed today

pictures on fb show it to be true, ice in the dike.

Saw that. Props to those ladies, looked super thin.... Stoked either way.

Is there a known record for earliest "winter conditions" ascent (assuming that ar least a verglas-layer is required for it to count...)?

Any links for the Facebook-impaired?

Never mind, I figured it out. Link

Defintly thin. with the temps we have had it could have been a lot fatter but it's been super dry this fall. Great job ladies!

That`s it!!! game on!

JCM wrote:Is there a known record for earliest "winter conditions" ascent (assuming that ar least a verglas-layer is required for it to count...)?

I find myself wondering each year when we hear of the season's first ascent if the route can be climbed without ice. I can't imagine there's enough ice up there for screws and solid tool placements. Are these bold teams basically dry tooling up the route in October?

Ah yes! incredible!

Gunkiemike wrote: I find myself wondering each year when we hear of the season's first ascent if the route can be climbed without ice. I can't imagine there's enough ice up there for screws and solid tool placements. Are these bold teams basically dry tooling up the route in October?

Wow, looks like more ice than I thought.

I remember the dike got done around Halloween a couple years ago. This has to be close to the record

This is amazing ..... Wow

A couple people I've talked with are saying this is the earliest ever ascent. Thoughts anyone?

Yo Max, Seth Maciejowski said his record was the 20th. This beats that by a day...

He said on Sunday, "I bet you anything someone climbs Black Dike tomorrow."

I had it pegged for monday. It has been super dry in VT my stream and pond are super low but cannon was seeping like crazy today and there was still a bit of ice in the dike.

Gunkiemike wrote: I find myself wondering each year when we hear of the season's first ascent if the route can be climbed without ice. I can't imagine there's enough ice up there for screws and solid tool placements. Are these bold teams basically dry tooling up the route in October?

I thought it WAS first done as a rock route way WAY back in the day. I know we all think of John B as getting the FA ~1970 but I think it was done back in the 30's/40,'s as a 5.6 rock route. No doubt there hace been substantial rock fall changes since then.

Yes, it was done in Oct 13, 1930 as a rock climb. The 3rd route on Cannon. They didn't have grades in those days....so whether it was "5.6" is highly unlikely; however, given the belays of the 1930's I'd say today we'd pretty much give it an "X" for safety rating!

John B's early-Dec. 1970 ascent was, technically, "only" a winter conditions ascent, since Marium Underhill had laid down the "rules" for winter ascents (for hiking, which were sort of "adopted" for climbing too) and this was that the entire ascent and descent (for March trips) had to occur during the time of "legal" winter. Nevertheless, John is credited with both the first winter ascent and the first "winter conditions" ascent.

I believe that no one had seriously considered climbing it in winter conditions before John did it. (When George Urioste [one of the East's better ice climbers in the pre-drooped-tool-days] looked at it from Cannonade in Dec. 1967, he thought it would take 30 years before anyone climbed it!) Probably John's ascent was also the second ascent of the route; I'd doubt anyone did it in the "summer" between 1930 and 1970. Ascents of Cannon, by any route, were pretty rare until about the late 1960's.

great info robert

Robert Hall wrote:Yes, it was done in Oct 13, 1930 as a rock climb. The 3rd route on Cannon. They didn't have grades in those days....so whether it was "5.6" is highly unlikely; however, given the belays of the 1930's I'd say today we'd pretty much give it an "X" for safety rating! John B's early-Dec. 1970 ascent was, technically, "only" a winter conditions ascent, since Marium Underhill had laid down the "rules" for winter ascents (for hiking, which were sort of "adopted" for climbing too) and this was that the entire ascent and descent (for March trips) had to occur during the time of "legal" winter. Nevertheless, John is credited with both the first winter ascent and the first "winter conditions" ascent. I believe that no one had seriously considered climbing it in winter conditions before John did it. (When George Urioste [one of the East's better ice climbers in the pre-drooped-tool-days] looked at it from Cannonade in Dec. 1967, he thought it would take 30 years before anyone climbed it!) Probably John's ascent was also the second ascent of the route; I'd doubt anyone did it in the "summer" between 1930 and 1970. Ascents of Cannon, by any route, were pretty rare until about the late 1960's.

This makes me want to read Yankee Rock and Ice again tonight!

Scott McMahon wrote: This makes me want to read Yankee Rock and Ice again tonight!

ditto!

Scott McMahon wrote: This makes me want to read Yankee Rock and Ice again tonight!

such a good book! yup, i know what book im grabbing off the shelf tonight.