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Wyalusing...along the tracks.

Original Post
James Schroeder · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined May 2002 · Points: 3,166

Does anybody have FA/name information for these?

The Relien Ravine
Le Petit Ravin
Le Petit Pilier de Chemin de Fer

Eric Landmann · · Bozeman, MT · Joined May 2008 · Points: 295

You might want to have a look here:

beta.climbingcentral.com/ro…

James Schroeder · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined May 2002 · Points: 3,166
Eric Landmann wrote:You might want to have a look here: beta.climbingcentral.com/ro…
Eric,

From what I can tell, it doesn't look like any of these are on Climbing Central. Do you have any other info about them?

Thanks,
James
Burton Lindquist · · Madison, WI · Joined Jan 2002 · Points: 4,215

James...

Now that I think about it.... good luck finding any FA information on these new ice gullies you posted on MP.com in the Wyalusing SP area because there really isn't any. I think it starts here..... and I think no person will object to as much. It is nice to see some new additions to the route data base and whoever did the FA doesn't matter... meaning I think you are the first and in the least ... the first to see fit to post them up here..... Way to go finding these..... if anybody objects down the line they can certainly chime in.... Maybe Paul K might have ventured into these gullies way back in the day? That's my 2 cents...

Burt

Jay Knower · · Plymouth, NH; Lander, WY · Joined Jul 2001 · Points: 6,036

The nice thing about this site is that you can edit route descriptions. Just post yourself as the first ascentionist, until someone else comes along to comment that he and his buddy did the climb in 1982 and that they called it PBR Gully.

James Schroeder · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined May 2002 · Points: 3,166

Thanks guys, I will tentatively take the FA credit. The third pitch of Le Petit Ravin remains to be done. I couldn't see it from below and only brought one tool. Now I have an excuse to go back.

Gokul G · · Madison, WI · Joined May 2011 · Points: 1,753

Last season I climbed some lines spread out about 10 - 20 minutes walk down the tracks past the main flow. One was a shortish but fairly wide WI2/3 line that I climbed with Dunbar Carpenter. I believe this was right by some kind of railroad marker (possibly a distance, I don't remember exactly) on the uphill side of the tracks.

And I soloed a couple more WI2-ish lines a little (5 - 10 minutes) further down. One of these had at least a couple of "mini-pitches" (2 or 3 flows, each no more than 20-25 ft tall).

I feel like I posted questions about these somewhere on MP, but a quick check brings up no hits.

PS: James, none of your route pics look familiar though, so these were probably completely different ones from what you've posted.

James Schroeder · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined May 2002 · Points: 3,166

Gokul,

It sounds like maybe you did this Prairie Dog Coulior and/or another similar curtain just to its left...or maybe something else, but those seem like the two most obvious flows between the main route and the two "french routes" for lack of a better term, I've listed. The French Routes are (or start with) free-standing pillars that, while short would make most SW Wisconsin ice climbers happy to play on because of the variety they offer. Ultimately I'm almost certain Jay's climber from 1982 will materialize at some point anyway.

The area in general is pretty cool, and I'm curious what the north side along the Wisconsin river has to offer.

Gokul G · · Madison, WI · Joined May 2011 · Points: 1,753
James M Schroeder wrote:Gokul, It sounds like maybe you did this Prairie Dog Coulior and/or another similar curtain just to its left...
Yeah, that looks like the route I did with Dunbar. The others were a few minutes down the tracks from it.
James Schroeder · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined May 2002 · Points: 3,166
Gokul wrote: Yeah, that looks like the route I did with Dunbar. The others were a few minutes down the tracks from it.
Sounds like the naming rights belong to you and Dunbar, if you gents would prefer something a little catchier.
Eric Landmann · · Bozeman, MT · Joined May 2008 · Points: 295

Another resource to check is "Superior Ice." Anybody look in there? I am at work today and can't check.

James Schroeder · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined May 2002 · Points: 3,166

Sorry Eric, I don't own a copy, I did once (very early), but it was misplaced somewhere along the way.

Gokul G · · Madison, WI · Joined May 2011 · Points: 1,753
James M Schroeder wrote: Sounds like the naming rights belong to you and Dunbar, if you gents would prefer something a little catchier.
James, can you rename it to Prairie Dog Couloir? And can you change the FA to read: "Old school, or Dunbar Carpenter and Gokul Gopal"?

Thanks!
Gokul G · · Madison, WI · Joined May 2011 · Points: 1,753
James M Schroeder wrote:Thanks guys, I will tentatively take the FA credit. The third pitch of Le Petit Ravin remains to be done. I couldn't see it from below and only brought one tool. Now I have an excuse to go back.
Earlier today, Michael Sullivan and I soloed all three pitches of LPR. The top pitch was a little spicy and a lot of fun - we chose to go straight up the middle instead of taking the easier ramp along the left.
James Schroeder · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined May 2002 · Points: 3,166

Cool, I'll put you and he down as the FA, want to change the name?

Gokul G · · Madison, WI · Joined May 2011 · Points: 1,753

I like the name you gave it, James. And thanks for the beta. One thing though is that many of these "pillars" are now much wider than when you got on them in Jan - some of them look more like curtains than pillars at this point.

I was at the tracks yesterday with a group from Hoofers. We set a couple ropes on the main flow and one on the Petit Chemin de Fer Pilier for our first timers. Michael and I walked up to the next flow to find a couple from Madison had set a TR on the first pitch of LPR. We soloed up the left side, past their rope and continued along the gully, which was partly ice covered and partly running water. The middle (low-angle) step was well iced up, but had running water above it (probably snow-filled now). The third pitch, I thought, was at least as hard and fun as the first. But there's no way I'd have gotten on the first pitch with one tool - you're a badass!

Michael Sullivan · · Boulder, CO · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 745

Hi Guys,

I've got some photos of the climb that Gokul and I did on 1/31. James' route description for Le Petit Ravin fits what we experienced. The first pitch looks to have been significantly fatter this time around though. Let me know if we've ID'ed the right climb. If so I'll attach them to the route's page.

Bottom of pitch 1 with Gokul.

Looking up the hillside from the top of pitch 1. Low angle ice ramp is closer, the final steeper pitch is beyond.

Gokul finishing up a solo of pitch 1.

James Schroeder · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined May 2002 · Points: 3,166
Gokul wrote:I like the name you gave it, James. And thanks for the beta. One thing though is that many of these "pillars" are now much wider than when you got on them in Jan - some of them look more like curtains than pillars at this point. I was at the tracks yesterday with a group from Hoofers. We set a couple ropes on the main flow and one on the Petit Chemin de Fer Pilier for our first timers. Michael and I walked up to the next flow to find a couple from Madison had set a TR on the first pitch of LPR. We soloed up the left side, past their rope and continued along the gully, which was partly ice covered and partly running water. The middle (low-angle) step was well iced up, but had running water above it (probably snow-filled now). The third pitch, I thought, was at least as hard and fun as the first. But there's no way I'd have gotten on the first pitch with one tool - you're a badass!
I don't deserve the props, I led P1, setup a TR for my partners, rapped and cleaned. When were done and one of the other guys was cleaning up the TR, I went around P1 with a single tool and up P2 with it...I wish I was awesome enough to send P1 on lead with a lone tool. It's a cool little route, glad somebody got out and finished it!
James Schroeder · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined May 2002 · Points: 3,166

I just looked at Michael's pictures, and I don't think that is LPR. Compare it to this photo:

A shot of the first pitch.

Look specifically on the rocks to the right of the top of the route in both photos.

Also, the gully followed the line of sight (if my memory is correct) from the top of P1 to P2 (no kinks like in Michael's photo) and P3 was completely invisible from the top of P1 (but can be seen in Michael's photo).

Maybe you guys found another line closer to the Main Flow?

Gokul G · · Madison, WI · Joined May 2011 · Points: 1,753

Ugh, I guess it's possible. Maybe next time I'll log some GPS coords. Or maybe we need to head back together James?

James, can you remove the FA info you just put in until we figure out what these climbs are? This was the second obvious concentration of ice we found, walking about a third of a mile past the main flow. This gully and the one about 100-200 ft (which I assumed was Le Petit Chemin de Fer Pilier) to its right were both very visible from the tracks. And this one just seemed to perfectly fit your description of 3 bulges with the middle one being WI1 or so (confirmation bias, I suppose).

PS: Michael, are your iphone pictures geotagged, by any chance?

James Schroeder · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined May 2002 · Points: 3,166
Gokul wrote:...Or maybe we need to head back together James?...
Yes, this one.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Midwest
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