Midwest Ice Conditions-14/15 season

Starved Rock State Park. 1/28/15. A Wet Tonti and a dry Wildcat.

Anyone looking to climb Starved Rock this Friday (2/6) during the day? New to the area and need a partner. I lack ice screws but I can pick up some longer webbing for TR anchors. Coming from Chicago

Gokul, is the highway ice in down by you?

There's at least 3 vertical flows that are in pretty good. They're not as fat as last season and I haven't looked in the last week or so, but I think they'll take more than just stubbies. I expect they'll be in better shape after this snow and the coming week of cold temps and a couple sunny days.

If you're thinking of going this week, let me know - I can go take a quick look and snap some pics. I imagine they'll be in pretty good shape for next weekend, but everyone's either in Munising or Madison (for ABS) then.

ramcmillan wrote:Anyone looking to climb Starved Rock this Friday (2/6) during the day? New to the area and need a partner. I lack ice screws but I can pick up some longer webbing for TR anchors. Coming from Chicago

Looking for Starved Rock partner this Wednesday 2/4. Pm me if interested and we can discuss the particulars. I'm in the west suburbs.

Tintin wrote:Looking for Starved Rock partner this Wednesday 2/4. Pm me if interested and we can discuss the particulars. I'm in the west suburbs.

Just got back from Munising. Big waves and wind on lake superior. Ice crossings non existent extremely dangerous. A couple people went through this weekend.
Dryer hose:good
Curtains: good
Amphitheater: really thin on bottom pretty beat up
Dairyland: looked awesome,rappelled to top of first pitch did not climb, big and beautiful
Good the bad and the ugly: excellent
Suck it up: not touching
Giddyup: thin at top in middle, otherwise good and climb able
Mother Moses: great conditions
Mini me: short but great ice quality
All in all good climbing but it's not last year.

Jon, thinking PK may head south as well, been over 20 years ya know...

How far south???

Would be fun to re-visit Starved Rock. I was cleaning the basement when I found Spikes 4x5 shots of me soloing Wildcat and Tonti in early 80s with the 60cm and Lowe tube pick. Thought we lost these years ago when the basement flood.

Is it worth it or will there be a line awaiting at Tonti/wildcat canyon? It's 4 hours both ways for me. Haven't been to Ice Fest in over 12 years, so not quite sure which way to spin.

I'm thinking about heading out to SRSP this weekend (probably Saturday). It would be my first time there (relatively new to the area). Any info on the expected conditions?

Also, would anyone be interested in coming along? Otherwise, I'm considering just heading out and seeing if there are any parties that I could join. Sounds like there is a good chance there will be climbers there?

Paul Kuenn wrote:Would be fun to re-visit Starved Rock. I was cleaning the basement when I found Spikes 4x5 shots of me soloing Wildcat and Tonti in early 80s with the 60cm and Lowe tube pick. Thought we lost these years ago when the basement flooded. Is it worth it or will there be a line awaiting at Tonti/wildcat canyon? It's 4 hours both ways for me. Haven't been to Ice Fest in over 12 years, so not quite sure which way to spin.

Looking for someone to ice climb with at Gov. Dodge on Saturday morning. Probably get out there around 8:00am and climb through early afternoon. Thinking Cox Hollow but I will probably run out to Stephens just to see what it looks like first. Willing to run up past Lone Rock to see if it is in as well...anyone seen Lone Rock in the last few days? Have all my own equipment. Anyone going out this weekend that needs a climbing partner please let me know. Thanks!

Thanks all for the beta. I guess I'll have to find a weekday somehow to see the old drips. For now I've been invited North so the "Dairylander" can climb his namesake. Cheers,PK

Had a wonderful time re-visiting Munising Ice Fest. Has really grown in the 15 years since I quit guiding. Still had many long climbs to ourselves during the weekend. I'll get down to SRSP some weekday.
PK (of Appleton, WI)

Just returned home from Munising. The lake ice is in along the entire shoreline, but not passable by snow machine nor too safe to walk to far out from the shore. A land approach is what it takes right now to be safe. I personally saw all of the climbs below or a very recent photo of them by working on The Michigan Ice Film this past week.
kickstarter.com/projects/12…

(please support, the goal was made artificially low to actually receive some money from the contributors)

Lakeshore;
Spray falls area has a few in including Spray
Twin Towers
Burr on an boat
Bridalveil falls
The Wall
Dairyland
Climbs east of Strawberry Daze are in
The pillars west of dairyland-2 of the 4 are in
SMM
Hi Ho Silver
Mini Me
All the climbs along sand point road are
-Didn't see HMR but assuming it is in based off what I saw for an average season out towards Chapel Beach area.

Grand Island;
Oversite (North West point of the island) plus a few other pillars in the close area
Trout Bay-East and West side of the bay
East Channel (Do NOT cross from Sand Point right now, THIN ice)

Any info on Lone Rock thinking of heading there Saturday. Looking for a partner if anyone is interested.

Updates:

Lone Rock as of Friday 2/13 - First Tube was not down, but Billy Breathes was. However, the river was not frozen below the routes, so climbing there might be a pain.

Stephens Falls as of Friday 2/13 - Stephens Falls (aka Orange Peel, aka the Falls Proper) was starting to form, but not climbable. Please give this thing a chance to form. Weeping Wall (aka Pokey Gonzales Goes Ice Climbing) had a climbable line or two, but nothing that looked appealing.

Cox Hollow as of Sunday 2/15 - Both sides of The Waterfall were fat and climbable. The left side was dripping fairly heavily, but the ice was hero ice. The right side was really beat-out, aerated and dirty, but climbable.

Git on it.

Anyone got conditions to report from the north shore area? Specifically interested in the stretch from Casket Quarry up to Grand Marais (Casdcade, Nightfall, etc.), but any info for that region would be good to have.