Utah alpine ice fall 09

Did GWI yesterday, among a couple of other parties. Pretty popular on a Wednesday afternoon.....

The ice is holding up alright. The bulge has plenty of ice still. The last pitch is plenty climbable, but does have holes, especially on the topout. Can still place screws down low and sling that tree up high though. Good stuff.

If anyone gets into Provo Canyon in the next few days, please post up conditions. I'm going to try to get out today or tomorrow but would like to know conditions for Monday. If I go in I'll try to update conditions here.

Decided to take the tools for a walk and answer my own question this morning after all. Still, things could change in a couple days, so if you climb something in Provo Canyon, please post up.

NOTE: I only climbed one ice route today, so all other observations are from the road with binoculars. Bear in mind I don't know how the ice is on north-facing climbs. It was a bit soft on Pipe Dream, but that is a low-elevation, south-facing climb, so it is to be expected. North-facing stuff could be better.

Walked over and climbed Pipe Dream today. It's pretty thin up top, but still climbable. Definitely has shrunk over the last couple weeks though.

Stairway to Heaven: In through two pitches. Pitch 3 has a massive crack going all the way across the first curtain. It would be very tough to avoid it. Pitch 4 looked alright. Pitch 5 might also have a crack, but it was hard to tell from the road. Would be worth looking at before getting on it, if you can get over the pitch 3 crack safely.

White Nightmare: The upper pitch looks really fat and good (the upper half). The lower pitch looks thinner than a couple weeks ago. Still doable, but a bit more heads-up than at some times.

Bridal Veil Right: Thick down low, a bit thin up top, but doable. Bridal Veil Left is still kind of a mess.

The Fang: The tube pitch looks to be in. There is a big crack across the first curtain down low, but it looks like it could be easily circumvented on the far left.

Miller's Thriller: Looks good. Upper rambling stuff is in.

Finger of Fate: Less "fat and easy" than two weeks ago, but fatter than I've seen it at other times. I'd say it's in "medium" conditions, and could definitely be done.

i've never been on millers or the fang so based on your report they must be infinitely better than they look (a dirty snicey corner or a snow walk). I didn't have binos, but the fang looked opened up from when I was on it. Left side variation is still in (I think). stairway was still in up to 5p. it's getting that "sickly" look and feel - opaque w/good sticks delam over rotten-ish ice. definitely more heads up than mid-winter (oh wait it is midwinter). top outs from steep ice to buldge/flat snow on the pitches are the cruxes. crampons on the approach slope. Doubt things will last long.

anyone go for a drive and short hike to check out frozen assets?

michael layton wrote:anyone go for a drive and short hike to check out frozen assets?

Kinda looked that way after Maple last weekend. We didn't stop and/or put the glasses to it. Still, didn't look great from the freeway.

Anyone else?

Brian in SLC wrote: Kinda looked that way after Maple last weekend. We didn't stop and/or put the glasses to it. Still, didn't look great from the freeway. Anyone else?

FYI - the approach to frozen assests is short (20min easy hike) since the climb starts shortly above the creek, also (not to start a flame war) JG added some rappel bolt anchors you may or may not enjoy. just please post conditions if you decide to go

I'll bet squash head is still in good in santaquin, but I don't know if the others would have survived.

Get Whacked 2/14/10

Michael,

Miller's is a good climb, but it IS easy. It's more like GWI than anything else in Provo Canyon....easy low-angle ice, then some snow walking, then some more ice, etc. Finger of Fate WAS looking dirty. I didn't drive up canyon today, so I don't know any more about those climbs.

Did part of Stairway and White Nightmare today. White Nightmare is, as Michael put it, getting that sickly look/feel. Hollow thuds for sticks. The ice is delaminated from the rock in sections. It's climbable, but not for a lot longer. Starting to open up at the top of the first section, but can still be done for a couple more days. This next week of warm weather will be it as far as I'm concerned, at least for that climb.

Stairway was good through the first 3, we didn't go above that. There's a crack in the 3rd pitch, but it can be dealt with safely (IMHO) right now. Not sure how long that'll be true.

Was raining in the valley, and a slightly wet snow up on the climbs. Plenty of people out and about on Stairway though.

Thanks for the update. Had quite a few partner issues (injury and sickness) so I never got out past my last post. But, i do remember that these are the conditions (wet later part of winter) that formed up frozen assets nicely last year. I wasted my time driving to the w.desrt to rock climb and instead got wet and shot at! I gotta work the next 7 days, but I'd wager it is in right now...possibly habeus corpus too. Excellent fresh bullet holes in the lone rock area if you want to bolt a new line and don't have a drill.

Do tell. Rednecks?

I climbed The Stairway to Heaven this morning all the way through the fifth pitch. The 3rd and the 5th pitches were pretty awesome, but the ice is getting that rotten-pucky character in a lot of places. Contrivence was barely in- the middle sported a very long reach to some marbley ice balls that later broke lose. The upper ice curtain (on contrivence) was getting rotten as well. The ice may well die later this week. Lets hope for a cold snap!

Sadly, ten-day temps aren't looking too favorable for Utah. As for Frozen Assets, last year I believe it came in around the 22nd or so; however, we had gotten a ton more snow by then.

Was in Cody over the long weekend -- nice and fat and plastic up there.

Do you guys think Joe's or Maple will be in this weekend? I read the conditions for Joes and it seemed the ice was pretty decent last weekend.

Hiked into frozen Assets today. Close but no cigar. Climbed the first short pitch to what used to be one of James new anchors. It's been chopped by mother nature. Rockfall blew one bolt and the rock it was in off the wall. The remaining bolt is partially sheared off and the Fixx Hanger is smashed flat. This belay needs to be fixed as the only options to get down are downclimb, rap from a shrub or the single F*^#ed up bolt.
Second pitch was just too thin, poorly bonded/mixed to try. The pitches above 2 looked way more climbable though still thin. Maybe if the melt/freeze continues it will go.

Climbed in Maple last weekend (2-20-10). Almost nothing in. Had to hike up to the left fork and climb Bowlingball Head. It was in fine and the climb left was in good for TR, but not a lead as the last 40-50 feet was runnout rock only. FWIW.

thanks for the Updates. It looks like i'll have to find a Ouray trip to close out the season with.

I was in Maple 2-22-10 and lead Bowling Ball and Suicidal both were in nice.

Benji R. wrote:thanks for the Updates. It looks like i'll have to find a Ouray trip to close out the season with.

I was in Ouray last weekend. Great stuff! You need to get out there!
Ouray Ice Park

Ouray Ice Park

Ouray Ice Park

Ouray Ice Park

Ouray Ice Park

Great pics matt. I was in Ouray in late december into early January. That place is great. Though all the colorado beer at hand resulted in a total F for my dirtbagging skills

You're killing me Matt. And to think I abandoned the trip just so I could start a new, crappy job.....

Anybody climbed the Great Chimney on Oly this time of year - all snowed up. Seems like good conditions to do that about now . . .