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It's awfully, wonderfully warm at June Lake. I ended up only soloing at Roadside to practice left-handed screwing. Healthy dinner plating going off on left side. Eventually a party arrived and invited me to climb roped with them. Did thin stuff on right side in shade - THAT is where the goods are!

Promised pictures:

Main Wall 2/3/2013


Small army heading to Choinard falls (Saturday 2/2/13)


My friend Amy following Plumb line on Main


Deleted user 'Burchy' on Plumb Line (taken from the climb on the left side)


Brian topping out on the left flow (Main wall)

vote if you like!
http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.p ... t=4&page=1

I knew people would love the photo of the small battalion

Vitaliy M. wrote:I knew people would love the photo of the small battalion

Actually, it's a squad.

Changes up in LVC over the last few weeks. The warm spell not only crusted up a fair bit of the backcountry (although if you're willing to hunt...), but did a number on the walls.

Main Wall, Plumb Line, from 1-20-13:



And Main Wall yesterday (2-10-13):



Left Side of Chouinard Falls:



Right Side:



Yikes...



Good times had by all, very laid-back despite the crowds. Roadside on Saturday was perfectly lovely and quiet.

-L

Roadside was good and fat yesterday, but the meatloaf sandwich at Tiger Bar was bullshit. :/

Thanks for the update Deb! I'm going out Friday to see what I can find. Cheers!

Had a lot of fun climbing The Watchtower via Moonage Daydream (wi4/5.9) in Sequoia NP. One of the longest ice routes in CA. I think it is about 700-750ft, not 1000ft as per SP page (which would make it longer than 300m Widow's Tears). In any case, the climbing was varied, fun, challenging, scenic, and our calves were burning in the end. From the look of things seemed like we were the first ascent of the season. Maybe even in the last few years, who knows. Get on it while it is there!

Watchtower and first 2.5 pitches of Moonage Daydream

The Route

Me on first pitch. This one was spicy. Photo by Mike.

Mike and Adam coming up 1st pitch

I took the second pitch too, which was nice and well protected.

Adam on 3rd pitch. Good quality pitch, after which you end up on a snow field. You walk up the snow field and do two more full pitches to the top.

Mike leading the last pitch. This pitch had perfect ice for screws. Calves were burning!

Views from the summit of Watchtower

The Chief wrote:Good stuff....brings back some great memories.

One of the longest ice routes in CA. I think it is about 700-750ft, not 1000ft as per SP page (which would make it longer than 300m Widow's Tears).

Be advised, Widows Tears is in fact 8-10 solid 100-190' pitches and this season was well over 1400' in total length.

Chief, did you have the pleasure of climbing a touched-down first pitch, or were you force to find a solution on the rock like we were?

x2 on the Widows Tears comment - not only is that much longer, the ice climbing is steeper as well.

Nice. When will the beloved Bard come back to us?

The Chief wrote:When I did it in Feb of 94, it was full on conditions and the bottom was fat!


Also, when Hob Nail Boots in LVC is in, it is well over 900' long of solid M4+/WI4+ climbing!!!

http://aboutmyadventure.com/directories ... -28-04.htm

World is small. The guy whose site you linked goes to my gym! I met him a few weeks ago there, and than saw him again at Lee Vining just in a few days. Couldn't believe it. He was there with the guy he climbed widow's tears with and his gf.

There he is on the left side of main wall.


Hob Nails seems pretty damn cool.

Nice shots V! Memories of The Watchtower ions ago, having climbed The Timex Route. The ice on Moonage is aces!

V, nice send! What do you think the mixed section was rated in your picture? Any other sections of the route not filled in?

Anyone gonna be local (Mammoth area) Sunday night for some moonlight ice climbing at Roadside? Should be pretty bright.

- later that week -
Yep, Sunday night was incredibly beautiful and bright. I spent 2 hours alone on the ice and had a great time. No headlamp, screws or rope needed. You missed out!

Hey Fire,

The only blank spots were in the lower pitch, with the exception of a couple small snow fields that interrupted the ice in the upper portions. Supposedly that rock goes 5.9 when it's dry, but we're not sure what to call it the way we found it.

If I had to guess, there is probably more ice formed lower now than we found, based on the recent snowfall and then slight warming trend. You never know, we went with low hopes - ended up stoked.