a-maze-ing

[goofball]

got to do the lower portion of the maze yesterday out at red rocks. very nice. :2thumbs: was worried about weather earlier in the week as we had some nasty storms around. flooding and wrecks and shit all over teh road here in green valley. but it cleared up friday some and saturday was perfect.

we started at the icebox canyon th and took the "shortcut" up n out of it to summit icebox peak on the way in to lower maze


bridge mountain above the maze from icebox peak

http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/21844/2279578710054335321S600x600Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2279578710054335321ADDdCW)


once down in the maze it was fun fun fun

http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/22075/2523782940054335321S600x600Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2523782940054335321kfQUay)

http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/43241/2281082390054335321S600x600Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2281082390054335321JuksTJ)

http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/43188/2313848630054335321S600x600Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2313848630054335321yylOqn)

http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/10074/2494013810054335321S600x600Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2494013810054335321zAAFNS)

http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/42262/2062333940054335321S600x600Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2062333940054335321aKnweU)

at the final rap a party that started at the top caught up to us. for some reason i thought that was a funny canyon to see another party in. full pools everywhere. lots of water to play in. never got chilled myself, a littel cool in the shade at a couple spots after swimming, but no wetsuit necessary. mayeb a fleece in a drybag for thte colder natured.

the icebox peak route was a ton of fun. we were moving casual, but if you don't dawdle AS much this is still a 8-9 hour route casual paced, a very fun day. and you get to avoid the hassle of either a shuttle to, or hiking up, the rocky gap road.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/565301756oUinMS

[Wasatch]

Nice pics. This is IceCube Canyon right?

[goofball]

yeah, ice cube canyon is another moniker.

[canyonguru]

I am glad to see you guys make it down. i did The maze this summer once already and there is talk with my guys that we might be doing it again. I am very interested in the short route you guys did. is there anyway i can get some beta from you about the short route. We did it from the top down before and it took us over 15 hours. It also looks like you had a little more water then us. probably because of all the rain we have had. good pics.

[goofball]

I am glad to see you guys make it down. i did The maze this summer once already and there is talk with my guys that we might be doing it again. I am very interested in the short route you guys did. is there anyway i can get some beta from you about the short route. We did it from the top down before and it took us over 15 hours. It also looks like you had a little more water then us. probably because of all the rain we have had. good pics.

always willing to share what i do know.

here is a link for the icebox peak route - http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/408611/icebox-peak.html

all i can add is that the boulder that marks the route out is on upcanyon right and there is a big dead tilting pine tree up canyon just a little bit. the scramble out is upcanyon left and is pictured in that beta. once up on that initial shelf above we cut left and got in that chute where there was 2 semi awkward moves around boulders. once up just follow cairns or gain the ridge however you want to. ivebox peak hass niiiiice 360 viewss and a register and is a pretty obvious dome on the ridge once you see it. its really a nice route combo.

let me know if i can add anything else.

[canyonguru]

thanks again for the beta and pics. Its a pretty darn nice canyon isnt it. i can 't wait to get up there again. we are probably going to sleep up on the rocky gap road and start early so we are not rappelling the last drop in the dark again.

ps did you happen to clear out a yellow 9mil rope stuck in a pothole ledge on the last rap. if so i would love to get that back please. thanks.

[goofball]

thanks again for the beta and pics. Its a pretty darn nice canyon isnt it. i can 't wait to get up there again. we are probably going to sleep up on the rocky gap road and start early so we are not rappelling the last drop in the dark again.

ps did you happen to clear out a yellow 9mil rope stuck in a pothole ledge on the last rap. if so i would love to get that back please. thanks.

we did see an orphaned rope at teh last rap. it was red and black though i think. and was more than 9mil. i am sure. there was another one just like it hanging out on the canyon wall about 20' beyond the final rap and hanging down from somewhere above. were both those yours ? we cleaned the one from the rap, but did not pack it out. left it coiled at the ledge below te initial dismount thru the crack.

camping at the top would be an awesome option ! i do love sleeping out...

[canyonguru]

i have heard that the other rope hanging out 40 out from that rap that is tied off to a bolt anchor high up for rock climbers in the winter. ours was a yellow rope that was about 30 -40 feet up on the rap stuck on a ledge we had to cut it off. maybe i will run up there there this week to see if it is still there. the rope was brand new for that rap kinda sucks we lost half of it.

[Pubalz]

Let me know if there is any room on that trip id like to go. I have ropes,gear; and a 4x4 :mrgreen:

[canyonguru]

sorry man our trip this year got pushed back till next year but i am pretty sure since you live in vegas we could probably get something together between now and then.

[Jaxx]

Very nice TR and Pics. I love the Red Rocks area. We did some hiking while visiting family in Vegas. Beautiful. I expected it to be busier but it wasn't too bad.

[rivera1181]

So how much rope do you need to bring?

[goofball]

jaxx -

yeah red rocks is pretty cool. up just about any of the canyons you can scramble to higher ground and get some amazing views from teh escarpment.

rivera - here is a link to beta

http://www.dankat.com/swhikes/icecub.htm

2 x 200' ropes for the final rap. maybe a 100' for all teh shorter ones, or just use one of the 200's.

[ratagonia]

jaxx -

yeah red rocks is pretty cool. up just about any of the canyons you can scramble to higher ground and get some amazing views from teh escarpment.

rivera - here is a link to beta

http://www.dankat.com/swhikes/icecub.htm

2 x 200' ropes for the final rap. maybe a 100' for all teh shorter ones, or just use one of the 200's.

The longest rappel is 190'. From that, you can likely figure out what ropes to bring. Chris's suggestion is one that could work especially for a large group.

Canyon could have flashed a lot this summer, which suggest that bringing a large amount of webbing and rings might be a good idea.

Tom

[canyonguru]

Well unfortunately we here in vegas have had a pretty sucky monsoon season. I am not sure if it has flashed anytime this summer. i pay pretty good attention to red rock when it rains here. i live up on the west side of town so i have a pretty good look at the red rocks. It still might have but all the webbing in the canyon that i saw this year looked marginal. so i would do like tom said a bring plenty of rings and webbing for 23 raps.

[rivera1181]

Awesome, thanks!

[nosivad_bor]

I miss that place. great pic's Jason.

[cilantro13]

We made a video of some of Ice Cube last year. Pretty low quality with a throwaway digital. Video is 7 or 8 minutes.

http://kolobcreek.com/videopop.php?vid=1195364026&url=http://kolobcreek.com

(We had a couple of noobs -- the brake hand incident was on of them in particular).

[Ryebrye]

For those who have done Ice Cube - how does it stack up against some other canyons in the Utah area I might be more familiar with?

Is it a 4B IV? from the little I've gathered here - it sounds similar to the Squeeze - but with more swims... ?

Is it in season in the winter? (with wetsuits or drysuits perhaps?)

I lived in Vegas for 2 years and still have a lot of friends down there. Are there a fair amount of canyons around there?

[cilantro13]

First, the majority of my time has been in the Zion canyons, so I can't speak to others in other parts of the state. It is like the Zion canyons, except it doesn't ever slot up like a Zion canyon until right at the end.

I would say it is a 4B IV. I'll bet it can be done in the winter, although somebody from Vegas should weigh in. The issue in the winter for anybody who has done it, obviously, is getting to the Cable Mountain trail head. You have to drive 5-10 miles of rough 4x4 road that can't be done with a 2WD. So if there is snow or ice... it might be tough to get to the trail head.

During the summer, the water is chilly, but doable without a wetsuit. (And I am pretty insulation challenged.)

As for specific challenges, there is one section of stemming over a 20-30 foot drop that isn't hard (I am not a climber and I didn't think it was too hard), and a couple of big rappels during the middle. The hardest challenge are the last rappels. The approach to the second to last has the potential for a pendulum swing as you rappel around a chokestone (I think I remember it being a chokestone). The opening for the last rappel is in a V-slot that is really narrow. You have to get on rope and shimmy out of the slot into a free hanging portion of the rappel, which is a little less than 200 feet.

All in all, it is like most canyons I have done with a little bit different scenery. You wouldn't want a big group. I seem to remember there being about ~20 some-odd rappels. It can be done during a single long day.

Dankat has a full beta.
http://www.dankat.com/swhikes/icecub.htm

It is well worth the trip. The action never stops except for a hike through a wide opening right about at lunch time. It is one of my favorite canyons.

Hope the helps.

[canyonguru]

Well i am from vegas and i would pretty much have to agree with cilantro. i spend most of the summer doing zion canyon. The Maze is a long hard cayon that never stops except the forested area in the middle of the canyon. It took my party of three 15 hours to finish the canyon and we were rapping the last 190ft in the dark. That was a little interestesting. I think the canyon is awesome and some of the starts to the raps are a little difficult, especialy the last one. Be carful on the last rap becuse you are standing on sand above an overhang that looks to me like it isn't very thick. i could hear the water falling underneath my feet. it that ever washes out it would make for that last drop to be really narly. When i did the canyon this year it was july 26th and we used shrty wet suits and we were chilled on the last drop in the dark. Lots of pools lots of swimming but the nice thing is no sand so the ropes stay clean. Great canyon, as for the rocky gap road to get up to the trail i would not suggest doing that in the winter unless you have a pretty beffy 4X4 and even in the summer a 4X4 is recomended. Have fun

[goofball]

For those who have done Ice Cube - how does it stack up against some other canyons in the Utah area I might be more familiar with?

ditto what has been said already.


Is it a 4B IV? from the little I've gathered here - it sounds similar to the Squeeze - but with more swims... ?

not really. the squeeze is actually a slot. the maze isn't but for a few short sections, and no keepers to sweat. the upper canyon has a pothole but i remember it was not really a major obstacle. when we went thru it was brim full and even so a couple members stayed dry (except for feet/ankles) up until the next to last rap and the final rap.


Is it in season in the winter? (with wetsuits or drysuits perhaps?)

the maze would be no harder than other wet canyons people do in winter. caution for ice or snow on rock ! just wet or dry suit up. short days would be a big issue tho. and your car will get a ticket if not out of red rocks by dusk. i could think of much more pleasant times to descend but if you are prepared then what the hey.


I lived in Vegas for 2 years and still have a lot of friends down there. Are there a fair amount of canyons around there?

the maze is the crown jewel by far. lost creek and icebox are fun but pale in comparisson. icebox is the most overrated canyon i have ever descended. reality of it and the hype were worlds apart in my opinion. other than those technical slots aren't here as far as i know. death valley has some tumbles down a mountain. much different character here than utah.

[canyonguru]

I have no idea how you stayed dry for most of the canyon i can clearly remember at least 4 or 5 swims that are manditory and there is no way to stem around them. i remember one short rap i had to pull the rope while swimming becuase the angle from the shore was to sharp for the rope to pull.

As for the slot i agree it dosnt really slot up until the las drop but it is an awesome canyon none the less. Well worth doing but i am sure it would be more enjoyable when the weather is nice.[quote]

[ratagonia]

I would say it is a 4B IV. I'll bet it can be done in the winter, although somebody from Vegas should weigh in. The issue in the winter for anybody who has done it, obviously, is getting to the Cable Mountain trail head. You have to drive 5-10 miles of rough 4x4 road that can't be done with a 2WD. So if there is snow or ice... it might be tough to get to the trail head.

During the summer, the water is chilly, but doable without a wetsuit. (And I am pretty insulation challenged.)

As for specific challenges, there is one section of stemming over a 20-30 foot drop that isn't hard (I am not a climber and I didn't think it was too hard), and a couple of big rappels during the middle. The hardest challenge are the last rappels. The approach to the second to last has the potential for a pendulum swing as you rappel around a chokestone (I think I remember it being a chokestone). The opening for the last rappel is in a V-slot that is really narrow. You have to get on rope and shimmy out of the slot into a free hanging portion of the rappel, which is a little less than 200 feet.

All in all, it is like most canyons I have done with a little bit different scenery. You wouldn't want a big group. I seem to remember there being about ~20 some-odd rappels. It can be done during a single long day.

Dankat has full beta: http://www.dankat.com/swhikes/icecub.htm


Support - mostly. I see no reason it would be a "4" though, as there is nothing requiring tricks. 3B IV would be an appropriate rating.

The trick is, you want to get it when the days are long, when it is not too hot, and when the pools are full. April or May are usually the best months.

It would be a Top Ten in Zion, but not a Top Five.

Tom

[Wasatch]

All I can say is go prepared in the middle of March (5-7mm Wetsuit), not 2mm like I did. This is a very cool canyon, wish I could have enjoyed it more. I believe we took 16 hours to complete with 5 of us and me having to stop alot because of the cold water and ice. I would definitely like to do it again in say Jun or Jul, LOL