17-FEB-2009
Base of Crystal Ice Tower (4-)
17-FEB-2009
Crystal Ice Tower (4-)
This was a good start to the day.
I hadn't climbed for a week due to poor weather in Onterrible and this
was a nice wake up!
17-FEB-2009
Climbers on Chapel Pond
A view to the parking area on Chapel Pond!
17-FEB-2009
Pitch 1 of White Line Fever
17-FEB-2009
Near the top of P1 (WLF)
This route, although quite easy, is very nice! Nothing too interesting
but it has a nice view and there had been little or no traffic since the last melt,
hence the glassy ice.
Laura and I had climbed the final pitch the year before so we skipped it for
another climb.
17-FEB-2009
Observers on Rt 73
Here are a couple people taking a look at the climbs
and climbers above the pond.
17-FEB-2009
Upper Bulges (WLF)
The exit to this was slightly steeper than the rest of
White Line Fever which made it a little bit nicer! The ice
was also in perfect condition. It looked untouched.
17-FEB-2009
Lunch on Chapel Pond(WI0-)
we sat in the sun and ate some soup. by the time we finished the sun
had moved and we were in the shade (fancy that).
17-FEB-2009
Right of Alpine Dreams (2+)
There are a tonne of climbs to the right of Alpine Dreams,
which is little more than a slog. This one is unnamed in
the guide. The first bit was about 15 feet of near vertical
to that cedar, then 100 feet of rolling ice and bulges to
a 20 foot curtain. Fun climb!
17-FEB-2009
Unknown Route (WI4-)
A view from a couple hundred feet above chapel pond.
17-FEB-2009
Laura coming up
She had an extra rope in her pack so was slightly more
tired when she arrived.
17-FEB-2009
On Rappel
Down the unknown route that we climbed.
some interesting stuff.
18-FEB-2009
Pitchoff Northface Climbs
From left to right the slab climbs are Screw and Climbaxe(3+, 350')
and Weeping Winds (3+, 350'). I thought I'd take a picture of these,
even though we didn't climb either. We'll get back to do them sometime!
18-FEB-2009
Skiing in
I thought it would be good to try my ice boots in the tele
skis that I have. They didn't really work. We probably
would have been better off to walk by the time we got our
skis and stuff out, as the approach isn't that bad.
18-FEB-2009
Central Pillar of Pitchoff (WI4)
This is what we actually climbed. The first pitch, anyway.
By the time we both finished the pitch it had started to snow
and I questioned the traction of the car. So we skipped
the rolling upper pitch.
18-FEB-2009
Central Pillar
It's a bit steeper than it looks. Not dead vertical,
but a few degrees off. A nice pitch.
18-FEB-2009
Laura
She enjoyed this climb. I think she thought it was
reasonably hard!
18-FEB-2009
Down Central Pillar
I don't think this does it justice for how steep it was
but that's ok!
18-FEB-2009
Snowwoman
It snowed about 2 inches in an hour. I think most of it was in
Laura's hair.
18-FEB-2009
Snowman
that's just dandruff in mine.
19-FEB-2009
The Cascade (WI2)
This is a nice climb on the other side of Cascade
Lake. The wind, as usual, was howling on that lake!
19-FEB-2009
Water under the short pillar
it's hard to see from the image but the water
was running behind leaving a really neat pattern.
Maybe you had to be there.
19-FEB-2009
over the first bulge
this is the snow between the first pitch
and the 15 foot steep bit that led to the pond!
19-FEB-2009
close to the second buldge
19-FEB-2009
A pond on top!
When I came up to this I accidentally channeled
some water over the ice by putting ice in the spot
where it was running underneath. A few smashes
later and it was all resolved. The huge situation
that it was.
19-FEB-2009
Lunch on The Cascade
It was a comfy little spot to eat some soup.
19-FEB-2009
Ice sheet!
water had run down the twig and made this
little sheet. kind of cool. I thought it
deserved a picture.
19-FEB-2009
Roadside Gully (WI3)
The temp was just below zero so the ice was
pretty hero. Too bad this section wasn't
200 feet longer.
19-FEB-2009
Roadside Gully upper
The insubstantial second pitch.
20-FEB-2009
Power Play(4+) pitch 1
The first pitch of Power Play is awesome. Not the meat
of the climb but cool. You follow this gully were some
rock gear can be had if wanted. A few steep ramps leads to the
bottom of the major pillar that gives the climb a 5/5+ grade.
I skipped that and headed right on the ramp, even though I should have
made a belay.
I ran out of screws just above the bulge and was hoping for some rock pro or
a place to sit to belay Laura but there was nothing. I slung a 3 inch icicle
and traversed right to some cedars where I could bring Laura up. She had to climb
a bit for me to reach them.
Lesson learned. Next time I'll belay at the base of the pillar and use screws more
sparingly.
Cool climb. I'll do it again.
20-FEB-2009
Main pillar on Power Play
This thing is monstrous. 50 feet or so of dead vertical ice.
it was in decent condition that day but I didn't feel it.
20-FEB-2009
Escape in the trees
30 feet right after being 30 or so feet above the last good
piece. A fall would have been hurty. Thankfully it was
easy ground.
20-FEB-2009
Towards the last pitch of PP
20-FEB-2009
Laura on her way up
She's just coming over the bulge in this picture.
The last screw is 10 feet above her.
20-FEB-2009
Laura on her way over
5 feet from the slung popsicle.
20-FEB-2009
Power Play pillar and Laura
Slightly right of center is Laura on her way down.
This is the line March of Folly.
21-FEB-2009
Crystal Ice Tower (WI4)
The Hostel Family (Robyn, Jake, Rory, Molly (aka future ice baby),
Jakes poppy (Carl), Andy), Laura and myself all went skiing at
Titus mountain the night previous to the taking of this
photo. We arrived home after a snowy drive at 1am. Jake and I talked over pizza
and at a reasonable hour (10pm) about going to do Chouinards Gully in the morning. He was
surprised when I asked him when we got home at 1 if 5am was a good time to wake up.
At 5:15 I was almost asleep on the couch and Jake came downstairs.
By the time we got to Chapel Pond it was around 6 and there were headlamps
and the bottom of Chouinards. We decided on Crystal Ice tower.
21-FEB-2009
Jake over the buldge (not a fat joke)
We walked by a red tent in the dark that was camped on the lake.
Perhaps the people that snagged Chouinards from us?
Here's Jake hammering some Rambo's into the bulge.
21-FEB-2009
P1 of White Line Fever (WI2+)
The black blob is Jake. It was still a little dark
and I asked if he wanted the rack. I have had the luxury
of leading everything this season so it was nice to
be belaying a leader.
