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Starved Rock Ice

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 6:46 pm
by grabbs146
So, a friend and I went to Starved Rock to do some ice climbing last weekend. We knew the weather was a little on the warm side so, it was known that the ice could be too thin to climb. As you can guess a sign on the sign-in sheet said no climbing Ice is too thin. We took a hike down to french canyon and found the ice quite thick. I can't put the pictures I took on this message but, check my profile to see pics of the ice

Anyway has this ever happened to any of you?? I was a nice hike but, I came to climb:(

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 7:11 pm
by aedwards
I'm hoping to go this coming weekend (in MN), but the forecast says 40 and raining. :evil:
Will be checking it out anyway...

PostPosted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:08 pm
by drjohnso1182
You can call ahead to check conditions, but the recording is only updated once a week, I think. Right now it still says that (as of Jan 15) ice climbing is not permitted due to warm temps.

It was good of you not to climb. We don't want to make access a bigger issue than it already is.

The rangers rely on climbers for info on ice conditions, so pass along your observations to them, and when you do climb, definitely mark conditions on the sheet when you sign out.

I might head down there tomorrow and hike around. I'm expecting that it will be wet, but hopefully the falls will still be intact.

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 12:48 am
by Yeti
I might be inclined to heed the signs:

http://c0278592.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspac ... 590806.JPG

That fracture mid-way might make me apprehensive. It's not that the ice is too thin, it's that the ice is big, heavy, and [b]possibly[b] coming apart. You don't want to be there if anything comes down.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:44 pm
by grabbs146
thanks for the info. The weather here in Chicago is getting cold again maybe the ice will comeback..........