CO Front Range: Ice Condition Reports ('08/'09)

two atoms walk in to a local pub and order a Guinness,
one says to the other: "I think I lost an electron."
The other: "Are you sure?"
"I'm positive."

Two climbers walk into a pub after a day on the ice.
"I think you still have one of my Chicken Screamers(TM)."
"Cluck!"
"Cluck!"
"Thank you. That was quick!"

EDIT: If you didn't laugh, it's because you are not familiar with the gallinovocal interaction.

brenta wrote:Two climbers walk into a pub after a day on the ice. "I think you still have one of my Chicken Screamers(TM)." "Cluck!" "Cluck!" "Thank you. That was quick!" EDIT: If you didn't laugh, it's because you are not familiar with the gallinovocal interaction.

HA!!! I sure as heck laughed. Let us not forget the chicken biner as well, it was used on the trip in conjunction with the screamers. From using them, I find the chicken biner to clip much easier than regular style biners. Be-gock!!

Apparently there is no water running through the aqueduct in boulder canyon, soooo... no ice. Maybe not this year at all.

Spiral Staircase BETA as of 12/14/08

So BC is dry Evan? Is there even a hint of ice?

Where's the ice?

Can anyone give an update on conditions at silverplume falls or any of the ice in officers gulch? Any other WI3 or 4 ideas within a couple of hours of boulder?

Brooks,
There is ice - Silver Plume is forming up nicely - though during the day the water is still running...

There is ice in RMNP, but it might not be worth the walk - Loch Vale has a chopped out WI3 and the overflow is about 2/3s formed

brooks8970 wrote:Any other WI3 or 4 ideas within a couple of hours of boulder?

Lincoln Falls is in phat, and only a 2 hour drive from Golden-ish.

Confirmation about Boulder Canyon ice: I drove by it last evening on my way home from Boulder. At 430pm on 12/19/2008 it was w/o any ice whatsoever...you'd be better off climbing the cubes in your freezer! Just some snow and damp rock here & there. :(

Flatirons ice. Yeah. More then bocan believe it or not.
Here is what we saw and climbed. COuld change drastically after today.
1st flatty.
Silk road was in thin shape but climbabe. The ice was not quite bonded well.

There is a good smear just left of the bolts on the direct east face that runs up to about the second bolt. I'd hesitate to do this pitch for the scratch sake. BUt it looks cool.

2nd.

We climbed a smear that would i guess be a direct start and more techy start to call the copps. It climbs a thin smear up and over a small bulge roof and into a tight trough with not much ice. Pro is poor but managable. About 65 ft up the pitch i ended up throwing the tools on the harness and rock climbing the last bit. ALl in all it was really fun and could add a good 120ft pitch to the tree belay up top. THen finish with call the cops.

Call the cops is not in. Just a bit at the bottom.

Nothing on the 3rd,

Fun day though. i was suprised with the amount of various smears we found down low today.

Greetings. Conditions regarding Martha on Mt. Lady Washington or Dragon's Tail in Tyndal Gorge. Any information regarding ice and avy conditions are appreciated and needed as I am planning to visit either of these areas tomorrow. Also, how are the conditions on West Gully/Black Lake Slabs.

Thank you

Shane Zentner wrote:Greetings. Conditions regarding Martha on Mt. Lady Washington or Dragon's Tail in Tyndal Gorge. Any information regarding ice and avy conditions are appreciated and needed as I am planning to visit either of these areas tomorrow. Also, how are the conditions on West Gully/Black Lake Slabs. Thank you

Please let us know what you find.

Climbed Jaws in Rocky Mountain National Park today (Dec 22)

The climb was in, but it was wet and the ice was pretty soft and running with water. Some ice chunks falling down on their own.

A temperature inversion was going on, as it was 8 degrees in Longmont, but in the 40's on the climb.

With some cold weather, the climb should be in fine shape. The pillars on the right are forming, but are not yet touching. They remain detatched. We climbed the left hand side.

Vail Update 12/24/08

Fang: totally out, very very thin and no where close to touching

Desi: completely touching, but cauliflower for at least the first 3/4 of the climb and not very solidified at that (ask john).

Spiral Staircase: completely in

Pencil: completely in (slightly picked out)

7th tenticle: coming in nicely

Cupcake corner: in of course with some nice ice up top :)

unsure of others, but things are definitely coming along good.

SIKED!!! woot wooot

Clear Creek ice is starting to form on Coor's Lite and the other flow to the west of the Little Eiger wall (don't know the name). However, they are nowhere near being in shape to climb, so please stay off! At least they're beginning to come in now. By this time last year they were completely in and I'd been climbing them already. Dry fall/winter so far I suppose?

Moffat Tunnel was in good shape on Wednesday, 12/24. It's short, but so is the approach.

Boulder Canyon is bone dry. I think it is plausable that they have repaired the leaks or there is simply no water flowing in the aquaduct this winter. Bummer for those of us looking a quick fix.

Does anyone have anything to report on conditions in RMNP? How about The Crypt?

There is no water running in the aqueduct, ie. no ice in Boulder Canyon. They may keep it dry all year. Hidden falls is in nice shape, biggest piece of ice less than two hours from Boulder.

All right, come on Ft. C. Folks, give us some hope, how's the Big T. stuff looking?