UTAH - 2015/16 Ice Season

Dirtcicle Saturday Nov 21, 2015. A bit wet still but okay to top rope. Last night was 18 F in Helper, UT so cross your fingers that it stays cold and this will just get better and better.

chadnuesmeyer wrote:#TeamEasy went up to the Uinta's today. Entering from Wyoming the gate is still open and driveable. November Wall - in and good Upper November Wall - in and good Mosquito - not a stitch of ice

Climbed Sundial Falls Saturday 11/21/2015 with 20 of my closest friends. Go during the week or make a reservation for the weekend. Long hike and long lines.

Stairway, Nov 21. Left of center not "that" bad. Right side falling objects from above.

Thanks cdec, didn't figure Maple had anything in but one can hope this early in the season. Pm me if you have any of those screws left by Thanksgiving and I'll come check them out. Shawn did you say 20 people hiked up to the Sundial?Was it a stairs by the end of the day?

shawn wrote:Climbed Sundial Falls Saturday 11/21/2015 with 20 of my closest friends. Go during the week or make a reservation for the weekend. Long hike and long lines.

I top roped Stairway with Rick^^ on Sat. 11/21. That main line was decent for TR, but pro would have been pretty sparse. Unless it gets colder this week that line will probably be melted out after today.

chadnuesmeyer wrote: It is also in the Geo-Specific section Northern UT and ID section of the forums not the CO section. All the same, I will see what can be done to make life easier on those where the air is thinner and the pot flows free-er.

The road to the Uinta ice from the Kamas side was in pretty poor shape on Saturday (for a 2WD commuter car). So we turned around and went up to Aspen Grove. Second Falls is climbable. Roberts Horn also looked like it's coming in pretty well.

Guideline #1: don't be a jerk
This might fall into that category but if everyone keeps gang banging stairway on toprope before it's properly formed, it's going to take a lot longer for it to come in.
Patience young padawan.

Road into Uintas from Evanston is pretty rough as well, no more winter maintenance, imagine gates will be closed soon. We made it to Ruth Lake TH before turning around and climbing at November Wall, which had some really fat lines at both lower and upper wall.

Speaking the truth should not qualify you Wally! Bravo!

Heading to November Wall tomorrow if anyone wants to join...Evanston around 930am? 20 years ice experience, safe and no ego...

Stairway is defnitily thin right now from the looks of it. Pitch one of the fang was better than expected. It seams like a relatively large rockslide came through the woods at the end of the fang approach which makes it a little worse right now.

shawn wrote:Climbed Sundial Falls Saturday 11/21/2015 with 20 of my closest friends. Go during the week or make a reservation for the weekend. Long hike and long lines.

Wally, while I appreciate the sentiment, I learned a long time ago that unless you're knocking down curtains and daggers (which we didn't), climbing early season ice doesn't do anything to hamper it's growth. I'm 99% sure that with the melt/freeze cycle you won't be able to see any sign of our climb last Saturday.

Has anybody done anything in southern Idaho or Southern Wyoming? Sorry @Aaron, Cody is just a bit too far for quick Saturday trips. Although, #TeamEasy needs to get up there. If you drew a horizontal line across Jackson, are there ice climbing crags south of that line? Are any of them 'in' right now? What is the access like?

MP is notably quiet on routes in the area. Even in Jackson, MP is very quiet, I know there are more routes than are posted on MP. Any recommended guide books for this area?

I know there is some supposedly good ice around Fremont Lake in Pinedale. Swift Creek Canyon in Afton has a couple of falls. I'm sure the road is closed by now, but it's probably a 2-3 mile walk. Star Valley is always cold, I'm sure these are in.

I don't know of anything in Southern Idaho, but there are a couple of falls right near the border in the Lewiston area. Approaches to them are pretty long, but the new ski resort may provide easier access to one of them. I've never been to any of them in the winter, so I have no idea what their condition might be like right now.

Not a lot of help, I know. But that's all I've got.

Always been interested in checking out the ice in City of Rocks...likely just for the novelty of it rather than great lines...big snow year & melt/freeze cycle might be worth the trip from SLC.

Neil Johnson wrote:Fremont Lake in Pinedale, Swift Creek Canyon in Afton, Lewiston area...

Shameless Shaemus wrote:City of Rocks...