Utah Ice Conditions 2016/17

Super classic ski run in the town of Alta acrost the street from the bird. Labeled Avalanche path signs make it easy to find.

Colder temps today in the canyon with inverted temps in the lower canyon. Lots of folks climbing today.

Scruffy

Gwi

cold duck
Hack attack on cold duck!! Nice send!

Some info on a new line put up earlier in the month. There are also many other posts with additional beta, new or obscure routes not covered in Beehive Ice. I'll try to add more in the next few weeks.
pullpublishing.com/blog-1/2…

Nathan Smith wrote:Some info on a new line put up earlier in the month.

Awesome! Great shots.

Nathan Smith wrote:There are also many other posts with additional beta, new or obscure routes not covered in Beehive Ice. I'll try to add more in the next few weeks. pullpublishing.com/blog-1/2…

Way to get after it!

Enjoy pointing out all the headlamps last night when my out-of-towners and I exited LCC. Too funny. GWI and Scruffy look to be in good nick!

Oh. Was that your green laser pointer? I loved the way it was reflecting off the ice... And my eyeballs.

Southern Utah lost all of its ice. Coming home from Brian Head and saw Mush for Brains was in, next day was super sunny with rain in the evening....washed the whole thing away, along with camp creek. Hidden Haven may still be good.

Camp creek

Ice in maple is coming in nice. There are lots of roadside climbs not usually in this time of year(I climb Maple this time every year and can't get back later) like yellow rapture skidders and running man. Also did MTP and chicken something. Cobble crucher looked a bit thin at top but doable a few days ago and stuff is growing daily. Melting snow during day and lows in single digits. Scary top outs drytooling with no pro over slick cobble. Here are some pics

Mtp

Yellow rapture

More maple pics

Running man

Chicken limbo, ice ran out at top but majority of pitch was good

Skidders- low angle fun

Cobble cruncher

The hooker- curtain up top looked wide and fat, pillar at start just not thick enough for me. 1/2 of it was just chandelier

Yet more maple ice

The dagger

More roadside ice

Sand bagger

AMAZING.....another miracle.... Parley's Canyon (at the mouth, south facing) has come in again & is growing like a weed. First seen and climbed in 2012 (as far as anyone knows), the "extremely rare" (Beehive Ice guidebook) has almost perfect conditions: water-loaded upper catchment basins, cold, and the secret sauce: the inversion.

(Separate forum topic called "Shark's Fangs and Super Scary Miracle" (SCM) has more info but this post is very current -- only 5 days after the first post. THESE CONDITIONS ARE AS OF JAN 1, 2017).

Possibly the most unlikely place to find ice in the Wasatch is here. Low(er) elevation than most areas, & south facing, however, when conditions are like they have been the last 10 days, it's starting to rip.

There are formations coming in that were not seen in 2012. Similarly, some named formations in SCM are not in or just starting. ALL CLIMBS IN 2012 WERE MIXED; it is possible that WI routes have/are forming.

Because this large area has only been climbed in one 'fluke' season (late January 2012), there is still much to be learned. The FA party & others have talked with the usual gang of suspects (which are many) and no one can recall seeing this before, let alone climb it.

If anyone has knowledge of ascents, they should be reported to the proper authorities; ice climbers know who they are (or contact me thru MP).

Shark's Fangs, the smaller (height/width/depth) of the two areas, has well-bonded ice, thick, wide & in about three places, the ice is even blue. Some routes (not originally named because too many) have merged; one, possibly two are about 100' and the ice has spread out laterally & vertically, making this area much bigger than the 2012 season.

Both areas are water soaked from the large catchment areas as evidenced by the numerous water/seep streaks from the two large fault lines in the area. Even in the dead of summer, it is not unusual to find the seeps with running water.

The approach is half hour/45 minutes but it's good to check it out from the Grandeur Peak parking lot but don't lose a day to do that......just go. Pulitzer candidate BEEHIVE ICE tells you how to get there...& how NOT to get there. Sage advice (esp. don't try dropping into SCM from the top).

The current inversion behavior is not ideal because there have been warmer days since Dec 21 and some ice has come and gone but it's come back in within the last two days at an unbelievable rate. Even if it melts out & gets super cold again, there is so much water currently in this geologic formation that it will likely come back quickly....and go again, so be ready.

The forecast looks like it will remain cold and let enough sun in to get the water flowing more, esp. in SCM.

I won't detail more info here; check out the guide and note the pics because the ones posted below are not great because taken from the Grandeur Peak parking lot late in the day today. In the general forum posts, there is a longer description of the area.

NOTE: The general forum description suggests a range of gear (I think I said TCU's & rack to 3; I'd take a couple of 4/5's). I would also take a fat handful of pins (& a hammer to nail them if your ice tools lack a hammer). Pins: 2-3 wide angles, 4 long & 2 short Lost Arrows, 3 med-size knife blades. It's limestone & really gets super-bonded when this cold. This formation is not the bowling ball, crappy, dangerous shale found lower down near the freeway.

Not necessary but you might be prepared to drill bolts if you want as much flexibility as possible, but don't let that hold you up -- no bolt kit, go anyway. It can be hand-drilled and many bolts & pins were placed in the "Big Show", i.e., SCM, but periodic seasonal recon since 2012 shows that in some places, some gear has vaporized, probably due to freeze/thaw.

Because the FA team figured it would be a short period Miracle, we mobilized fast, inc. having a few buddies rapping the bigger cliffs in SCM to place a dozen or so bolts. More than "or so" but all ice formations were protected on lead.

In SCM, support guys, lowered/rapped on ropes placed a handful of bolts in climber's left sections up high to protect what looked like (from Grandeur parking lot) were dicey traverses but the climbers ended up not using them, so placed their own where needed. It's one thing to recon potential routes thru binocs, another thing to find one's self at the very place where actually needed. We divined we had a short time slot so did what we could but very few (maybe 2-3) pre-placed pro was used. Those not used/needed were chopped that summer so no confusion for other climbers in case it all miraculously came back. Which it has.

Traverses not that bad...in fact, some were worse but little loose rock, was 'ice cemented' in place.

Last note: SCM is kinda serious, esp. in navigating around.

Broad view from Grandeur Peak parking lot, looking north. Parley's Canyon, SLC. Dec 21, 2017

"Shark's Fangs" (w/recon point). Parley's Canyon, SLC. Jan 1, 2017

"Super Scary Miracle" (SCM) w/recon points. Parley's Canyon, SLC. Jan 1, 2017

Has anyone seen if the refinery-circle is in? I usually see it during inversions. Haven't climbed it but it looks significant. Find it between downtown and north salt lake above Beck Street. It's a little creek that flows over a quarry below some mansions on the west side of Capitol Hill. If you go post pics. Ive never climbed it but wanted to.

bus driver wrote:Has anyone seen if the refinery-circle is in? I usually see it during inversions. Haven't climbed it but it looks significant. Find it between downtown and north salt lake above Beck Street. It's a little creek that flows over a quarry below some mansions on the west side of Capitol Hill. If you go post pics. Ive never climbed it but wanted to.

It hasn't been in yet this year. I live nearby and drive past the spot every couple of days. It was in pretty damned fat shape for a couple of weeks last season. I'd love to get on it, too. I wasn't sure if anyone had ever actually climbed that thing!

Get whacked and wet itchies in maple In good shape. Top of get whacked thin and hollow but doable. Ice in maple still growing. Saw a curtain grow by 10 feet from Saturday to today, Monday the 2nd.

Get whacked

Wet itchies best shape I've ever climb it. Great ice.

Any recommendations on good routes for top-roping? Just moved up to Ogden, and not familiar with the area yet (most of my ice climbing was at Ouray, so easy TR setup....a few leads, but looking to get more climbing in before taking the sharp end again). Thanks....

Donor cicle Jan 3 2017

CCC Jan 3 2017

At Joes today, fat ice and nice temps.

CCC - first pitch and upper curtain are in great shape

Donor-cicle is in and protected well

Spear of fear - isn't in

Deadbolt- could see the top part of the curtain from the road, but didnt go to the route,

Looking for BD turbo express screws with bent or dull teeth. $10 each.
(Too oh ate) three won too - 8062

Anyone into climbing at scruffy band tomorrow? meeting at the park and ride around noon, I'll have to head back to the car around 3:30pm

morgoth70 wrote: It hasn't been in yet this year. I live nearby and drive past the spot every couple of days. It was in pretty damned fat shape for a couple of weeks last season. I'd love to get on it, too. I wasn't sure if anyone had ever actually climbed that thing!

I just noticed it once while driving up to Willard or SnowBasin. I've never climbed it either. Maybe it's never been climbed. Most people don't go looking for nice ice climbing near downtown.

That ice near downtown is in an active quarry. I used to hike on the trails above that quarry a lot and I was surprised about how much blasting they do. I'm sure you'd be arrested and prosecuted for trespassing, tempting as it is.

Probaly a bad idea to climb some of these right now but there looking ok.

Bridal
Some guys on p3
Stairway

Fang