Any news on how the conditions look like in Santaquin Canyon?

We did both pitches of Bridal Veil Right today. The ice was pretty hollow and thin in quite a few sections (plus there was lots of snow).

I keep getting asked about Maple ice Conditions. Here's a link to Mountainworks facebook page with pictures from yesterday.

www.facebook.com/pages/Mountainworks/89123578696?ref=tn_tnmn

Still not good enough, IMO.

A buddy and I decided to try something a little different this week so we toured up Mineral Fork to check out Mineral Fork Falls. Its a bout 2 and 1/2 miles up canyon on the east side. We didn't end up climbing anything because we weren't super comfortable with avy conditions. There are some larger slopes above and we watched some spindrift come down the upper falls. The ice looked like it was in good shape though if anyone is looking for a little adventure once the snow settles a bit.

The two upper falls from the approach Submitted By: Trever W. on Feb 22, 2012

The lower falls. Ice seemed really solid. Submitted By: Trever W. on Feb 22, 2012

A crack that splits 1/3 of the pillar. Upon closer inspection, it looked pretty mended. Submitted By: Trever W. on Feb 22, 2012

The main upper falls. Submitted By: Trever W. on Feb 22, 2012

Where is Mineral Falls? That looks awesome. Rating?

mountainproject.com/v/mineral-fork-ice/107008103

It looks like its in good shape. Pack the skis.

pT

Take care with the avy hazard. Just below the bottom end of this falls is where the snowboarder that was killed ended up.

IMHO, Mineral Fork is no place to be in high avy hazard. Been a fair number of fatalities in recent years up there.

Agree with Brain here. You HIKED up a very large avalanche path to access those falls. I would be less worried about climbing once you got there.

Not trying to be sassy - just giving a skier's perspective. Just keep in mind where you are, and the likelihood of skiers far above and out of sight.

Anyway, this thread has been pretty great this year. Thanks to everyone for posting.


EDIT: I found this accident I was thinking of earlier. Climbers could walk into a simillar scenario without much avy experience:
utahavalanchecenter.org/accident_mineral_fork_12112004

These guys were higher in the drainage than the base of the falls I suppose, but keep this in mind.

I totally agree with both Sam and Brian and am in no way encouraging folks to be jumping on this right now. However, knowing that this thing slid significantly (to the ground) and recently made me a bit more comfortable being underneath it but we certainly did not hang out for long (I don't believe that the looker's right path has cut this season). This was purely recon. I certainly appreciate the voice of reason coming from concerned folks and encourage others to be very calculated in their risks. It has been a rough year in the skiing community. Thanks.

Brian, I understand your concern. I really do. Just last month, I lost a very close friend of mine in an avalanche so I am certainly aware of the consequences of operating in that type of terrain. We have lost far too many in the Wasatch (another yesterday in Dutch Draw) and in the West, so I understand why people are hyper-focused on avalanche danger and I don’t think that is a necessarily bad thing. However, I do believe that playing armchair quarterback without the full context is something that we as a community should avoid. There have been 13 driving deaths in Utah this year, yet you and I continue to drive in similar or worse conditions almost on a daily basis. These are the calculated decisions that we make everyday in climbing and life.

On the day that I spent 15 minutes underneath mineral fork falls, the avalanche danger for the slopes above us was forecast as moderate (this was before our recent wind events) not the considerable that was forecast for the day of the Kessler accident. Granted, moderate is nothing to ignore but it is also something that should not paralyze us from making calculated decisions. There was also considerably less loading given that an average of three feet had slid less than a month ago, taking with it much of that persistent weak layer that you referred to. The likelihood of anyone jumping around on the slopes above us was also probably pretty low during that short amount of time. All of these things factored in to our decision. So I don’t really buy the “classic repeater” argument. This was a very different situation with very different outcomes from the one on January 28th.

There is nothing black and white about risk. We all place ourselves along a continuum depending on our comfort levels and what we personally deem acceptable. Perhaps I am a bit further along that continuum than you, while guys like Dean Potter and Alex Honnold are further along still. Does it mean that those guys have poor judgment or are in someway less of a person? Of course not. I respect your decision to not put yourself in that position and in fact, no one will ever criticize you for taking the conservative choice. I realize that it is much easier to simply quote the avy center rather than critically taking into account numerous factors that contribute to a situation, but it is when we stop making decisions based on all of the resources that are available to us that we get into trouble.

Anyway, this is an ice conditions thread so I will turn it back over. Thank you for allowing me my rant and I appreciate your time and concern.

Somebody left a glove at the parking area for The Least Complicated. Describe it and it's yours.

Just so everyone knows, Maple is still two thumbs down for ice. Not a lot has changed since Darren was up there. Not a single route on the main road or in the Left Hand Fork has formed to a reliable thickness. Also, Salt Lake folk, how is the Great White Crowdsicle holding up? I'd like to do that at least once this season...

Anyone have more current conditions for the Great White Icicle in LCC after the recent warm conditions?

FWIW, the Angle went on a bender and is lying in the road. The Squashed head blew chunks with the vomitus making it to the road as well.

Anybody take a peek at Frozen Assets lately? 'Tis the season.

Hey all... We lost a 13cm turbo and draw on pitch 1 of Stairway. The draw and screw should be somewhere between the base of the Apron and the boulder with belay chains.

It'd be worth a six pack to me and probably a 12 pack to my buddy if you manage to find it and return it!

Thanks,
Eli

Have you seen Me??? Submitted By: Eli Harry on Feb 28, 2012

Went down to Santaquin today. Hiked up to the unnamed climb on the north side of the canyon opposite ACT but it was too thin and baked out.

Squashed Head is in pretty decent shape. The second pitch is a little thin in spots but it was fun.

Runoff looks like it's in very nicely but I didn't get a close look at it.

Angel of Fear is mostly in the road with just a couple drips hanging on.

Candlestick is large, but the top looks rotten, brown and kind of detached.

Climbed the first pitch of ACT on the left side which was a lot of fun (and challenging). It currently looks like:

Automatic Control Theory Submitted By: Garret Nuzzo-Jones on Mar 1, 2012