Ice Conditions 10-11 Season

[jumar]

It's that time again! Dust off your axes and crampons! Where's the ice growing? :cold:

[Brian in SLC]

It's that time again! Dust off your axes and crampons! Where's the ice growing? :cold:

Someone posted fantastic looking stuff forming on Timp on mountainproject the other day. Also heard the GWI in LCC had a sheen of ice on it and looked scary, thin, but someone's cup of tea maybe. With the warmer temp's, my bet is its not good now.

[Brian in SLC]

Got a look at the GWI in LCC today. Doesn't look great. Running water, some ice on either side of the flow up high.

A bigger concern might be the parking and access to the trail. The bridge is out, parking lot is posted "no parking" and "no trespassing" and the lot isn't being plowed. Kinda hoping someone can talk to someone about a solution. Crossing the creek wouldn't be a deal, as, there's spots that are fairly shallow. There's also a tree folks had been using in the summer/fall, but, it looks scary with a pile of snow on it and its a long drop to the creek if someone slipped.

I put feelers out there. We'll see.

[jumar]

There were groups on Stairway's first pitch on Saturday. It's building.

[nieder]

Southern Utah Update

http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?42629-Southern-Utah-Ice&p=427320#post427320

[Brian in SLC]

Quick update on routes we scoped from the road in Provo Canyon (1-15-11):

Fang: tube pitch looked like it wasn't all the way down, but, formed kinda on the backside, but, front was still pukin' water and not formed. Lower pitches looked wet but in.

Miller's Thriller: first pitch had a break in it which was high flow open water. Wetsuit?

Finger of Fate: looked very anemic and not formed.

Bridal Veil Left: super wet but in.

Bridal Veil Right: wet, in, sticky, and easy climbing conditions.

White Nightmare: very in, all the way up. Wet in the lower 1/3, then, nicer up high.

Stairway: 4th pitch looks bad and maybe not that doable. Other pitches looked formed.

GWI from late last week: Sticky and wet but fully in. Loosing bulk in the heat and rain, though, so, take care.

[ratagonia]

Ice in Zion, Jan 13, 2011. Unusual Ice-Forming conditions at Zion Canyon floor level, but I got there one day too late (a warmish day) and at around 5 pm, so these are the worst possible conditions of an unusual ice-forming week. Not suggesting any of these were actually climbable, but it is nice to imagine.

Drove up hoping the 600 foot Temple of Sinawava waterfall could be in to some extent... no luck. So here's what I saw. Last pic is of the Twin Brothers, which could have a nice waterfall there, about 600 feet all free-hanging.

Tom

[Brian in SLC]

Wow, Tom, neat!

Makes me wonder what's goin' on up high. Folks in Cedar and near there claim the ice is goin' off. Even Dave said Moab was wild. Fickle stuff. Raining here. Friends went to Provo this morning and didn't bother getting out of the car. Warm and wet.

Crazy year.

I gotta get that Hidden Haven thing done this season. On "the list". If you have access to a snowmachine...? Lava Point in full winter conditions might be "interesting". I have a friend with a sled near Brianhead. Hmm...best get the bug in his ear!

[ratagonia]

Wow, Tom, neat!

Makes me wonder what's goin' on up high. Folks in Cedar and near there claim the ice is goin' off. Even Dave said Moab was wild. Fickle stuff. Raining here. Friends went to Provo this morning and didn't bother getting out of the car. Warm and wet.

Crazy year.

I gotta get that Hidden Haven thing done this season. On "the list". If you have access to a snowmachine...? Lava Point in full winter conditions might be "interesting". I have a friend with a sled near Brianhead. Hmm...best get the bug in his ear!

Seems like with the warmer weather we are in the last few days, should be good conditions for setting up the Z-cicle (which is at higher altitude than these things shown on the canyon floor). Sunny and 60 degrees here at 5000 feet, top of Engelstead is at about 6000 feet, I think. How about the first rap in Kolob? Can fix a rope to the side to rap in. skiing those logging roads could be wild, snowshoes might work better in the brush on the stream bottom. that's about a 12 mile snow machine ride, from Mahoney Hill.

The top few raps of Lower Echo might be fun, though, come to think of it, few of the raps would be good pitches (ie, vertical). If it is set up, it might be fun low-angle ice bits mostly.

Tom

Tom