Devil's Lake Winter Climbing

I've seen some pictures. I can't stand climbing in the gym anymore so I'm making an effort to go to Balanced Rock Wall or Cleo's Amphitheater this weekend. From anybody's experiences, are there things I should consider or worry about in terms of safety? Anything out of the ordinary besides the cold?

-Andy

Wear black clothing, try to find something in the sun and out of the wind, bring a big thermos of coffee with Bailey's and you should be ok.

i was just out at the east bluff (CCC trail) and the trail was still covered in snow to the point were it was just a slope and no stairs were visible. The top outs for everything were also under about a foot of snow making setting a Top Rope a bit difficult. I was thinking about going down for some winter aiding this weekend and if i did i would bring a shovel and broom.

I'm definitely bringing a shovel for clearing off anchor sights. Possibly a car brush and most certainly a flask of Wild Turkey.

Ummm...Ice Climbing anyone?!?!

Climb at the Bedroom wall on a sunny day. That might be your best bet.

Ski or trekking poles are very useful on the hike up CCC trails this time of the year. There is usually ALOT of ice covering the trail making some spots down right iffy and poles help to balance and avoid slipp'n. Otherwise some of those traction devices that pop on your approach shoes or boots will do the trick. As far as the rock at DL goes in winter.... as long as the sun is out and its rays are hitting the rock its great. The rock will be very warm and certainly warm enough to climb on at any grade. Without the suns rays though this quartzite achieves the exact same tempature as the air and it is not fun. You can climb most any rock up there in winter that has direct sunshine hitting it... unless it's wet from run off. I have climbed at DL in winter in air temps down to about 15F reasonably with direct sunshine warming the rock and no wind.

So what you're saying Burt is you need it to be sunny for a few hours to warm up the rock so it's toasty warm but not warm enough to melt the ice and snow on the rock. :)

Let's recap:

Must be sunny
Must not be windy
Must not be wet
Must not be snowing

Yeah that’s been happening a lot this winter. :P

The misery makes the perfect conditions that much sweeter!

If you've got cabin fever and you hit sunny conditions with no one around ... you're in heaven.

Let's recap:

Must be sunny
Must not be windy
Must not be wet
Must not be snowing

Yup, Yes, Yessum, and Yessiree!

Oh I know I am just stating the obvious. Actually you could in theory more or less go out and rock climb at DL without any of these ideal winter weather circumstances mentioned above.... it would just be a whole lot less fun.... but maybe still just what Andy might need to beat the winter rock climbing BLAHS.

I am an ice climber and am perfectly content bashing ice with my tools to get my climbing yah yahs during the long enduring cold and blustery winter months but can certainly feel for folks who are not and hate the winter months. I rarely climb in gyms myself so when I do get into one during the winter months it is somewhat refreshing.... not uninspiring as in the case of Andy. I just got back from a long weekend ice climbing up in Ontario and the day time highs never exceeded 5F.

Other suggestions for winter climbing up at DL. Bring a thick plastic tarp to throw down at route base to keep your shoes, rope, and gear dry and out of the snow. Wear Sorrel boots and then when up at the crag pull the liners out and where your rock shoes inside the outer boot to keep them warm and dry. Get some of those hand warmer packets ice fishermen use. Wear fingerless gloves when climbing. Bring your extra thick hooded down parka for belaying... Old towel for drying wet holds....

How is the snow cover in mid March?

BRW in late afternoon sun. Dress warm, dark clothes, lots of finger/hand warmers, thermos of hot soup or tea. Best of luck.

Sun!
Big Puffy Down Coat!
Long Undies
Hand warmer in the pants side pockets
Hand warmer in the chalk bag works wonders..
Warm Soup form lunch with Beef Jerky
In between climbs stick your climbing shoes in your coat to keep them kinda warm

Have fun not being able to feel your fingers..

Burt Lindquist wrote:Let's recap: Must be sunny Must not be windy Must not be wet Must not be snowing Yup, Yes, Yessum, and Yessiree! Oh I know I am just stating the obvious. Actually you could in theory more or less go out and rock climb at DL without any of these ideal winter weather circumstances mentioned above.... it would just be a whole lot less fun.... but maybe still just what Andy might need to beat the winter rock climbing BLAHS. I am an ice climber and am perfectly content bashing ice with my tools to get my climbing yah yahs during the long enduring cold and blustery winter months but can certainly feel for folks who are not and hate the winter months. I rarely climb in gyms myself so when I do get into one during the winter months it is somewhat refreshing.... not uninspiring as in the case of Andy. I just got back from a long weekend ice climbing up in Ontario and the day time highs never exceeded 5F.

Burt, I climb ice here and there (when I can borrow my friends' gear) and have hit GDodge, Lone Rock and The Ice Pit all this year and am hooked- just bought some Koflachs and am buying some BD Sabretooths and will have to borrow my buddies old BD Cobra tools. But when I get sick of pulling on plastic I must resort to numb fingers and a cold girlfriend (my climbing partner) which of the two is worse, I don't know for sure yet. We'll see.

All's been great advice and I was out at DL last week just doing some bouldering and I know the stone gets cold but BRW and the Bedroom rock were actually decently "warm." The Tombstone on East Bluff wasn't bad either.

I suppose most of my worries are in anchor setting- I've never had to place rock pro when there was snow involved.

-Andy

I am a big fan of winter climbing at DL. You just need sun. Period. If the wind is out, hit Bedroom Amphitheater. It is sheltered enough that the wind shouldn't be much of a problem (unless the wind is coming from the south, but that's rare in the winter). If it is not windy, Balanced Rock Wall is perfect. It gets sun later in the day than Bedroom because it faces more west.

The rock at DL is so dark that it soaks up the sun's heat and radiates warmth. Unlike a lot of places, DL doesn't seem to have much of a seeping/wetness problem either. Winter days can be some of the best days at the Lake. If it is cold enough, the rock might actually feel like it has some friction. :)

Some of my best days climbing at The Lake were in the winter....

Andy.

If its possible.... keeping the girlfriend warm should be your number one priority. Any and all reasonable and unreasonable efforts should be undertaken for that end purpose.

Placing top rope anchors up at DL isn't really any different in winter then in summer etc. Just be extra careful when your near the edge because of icy or wet spot you could slip on. Maybe wear your harness while setting up and clip yourself into a tree for added safety. You may have to clear snow here and there to expose the protection cracks but otherwise- no real difference.

I too have had some of my best days climbing at the lake in the cold.

Harness up and tie in to something while setting up.
Use trees for anchors more than pro in cracks.
If you use a cams for the TR anchors watch for ice and snow under the cam lobes.

have fun

I just ran accross this it a climbing mag tech tip

climbing.com/print/techtips…

OK--

Today the stars are alinged.. there is perfect Yin and Yang.

It is 35F out, sunny (cloudless), and little to no wind.......

..............................................................

......................except I am stuck at work all day... forgot that important part of the equation.

Ahhhh, the stuck at work issue....

...yes, I have that issue as well...

...stuck at.......................work....