ice/slush climbing save...

rockandice.com/news/2068-un…

friend took this footage when they were rapping down a route late in the day and ran into another party coming up the route that was rapidly deteriorating...

terrifying.

Amen!

Dang! Lucky dude!

WOW! The look of relief on that guys face. I have never ice climbed before, how do you end up in a situation like that? The folks that helped him said they climbed it earlier, so the route maybe melted while he was on it?

I wonder what that guy's belayer was thinking when all that ice came crashing down

JonathanHillis wrote:WOW! The look of relief on that guys face. I have never ice climbed before, how do you end up in a situation like that? The folks that helped him said they climbed it earlier, so the route maybe melted while he was on it?

Late starts, rapidly rising temps etc. On belay I've had a deluge come down the rope or took out a screw and water just started shooting out. He probably had water running under ice down low then got to a thin slab and blammo.

The look of relief on that guys face. I have never ice climbed before, how do you end up in a situation like that? The folks that helped him said they climbed it earlier, so the route maybe melted while he was on it.

Taylor152 wrote:The look of relief on that guys face. I have never ice climbed before, how do you end up in a situation like that? The folks that helped him said they climbed it earlier, so the route maybe melted while he was on it.

Wow, what are the odds that you and J Hazard (scroll up a few posts) would have such a similar take on this?!

Taylor152 wrote:The look of relief on that guys face. I have never ice climbed before, how do you end up in a situation like that? The folks that helped him said they climbed it earlier, so the route maybe melted while he was on it.

Ice is a very dynamic medium. In the new issue of R&I there is a story about climbing down in Glenwood Springs and a 30ft icicle detached and fell on them. Apparently the falls have a warm water source that causes rapid deterioration.

Temps, recent weather, bonding, source and a multitude of things can change the ice. You can climb something and the next day it's gone.

This dude probably was just climbing way thin ice too late on a warm day from the looks of the water pouring down it. I wonder if he quit ice climbing after almost getting killed...