Tried NE face (W variation) on Sunday--pretty excellent ice and mixed conditions. Didn't finish last pitch through steep, blocky terrain because ice was too thin for us, but I think this week's weather should fatten it up enough by Friday. Anyone have off from work or school that day and want to give it a go? Lower part is AI3, and the pitch we didn't do looks like AI3+, M4-5.





More reasons to go in the album.

Email me if interested at [SP handle]@caltech.edu or respond to this thread.

Great pics, and job getting up there.

If I could I would go with you friday, looks like a lot of fun

Maybe I can get off work, If I can I will PM you

That looks so rad. In all these years (though none recently), I've never been able to time the conditions right. Sadly, next Fri. I am chock a block.

Looks great!!

INsane! And I work Friday too.......FFFFFFFFFKK!

Nice skis, Deb! I was oh-so-close to getting those but settled on the Manaslus for an easy home-mount.

I managed to find partners for this; I'll be sure to put some pictures up when we get back.

I wish i knew how to ice climb! anyone wanna teach a broke highschooler?

-CS

climberslacker wrote:I wish i knew how to ice climb! anyone wanna teach a broke highschooler?

-CS

Do your parents have a release of liability that needs to be signed?!

Hint: study hard

Good colleges have good alpine clubs

nope, they don't care... thay are anti litigation I WANNA GO ICE CLIMBING!!!

-CS

Finished the route







Everything else in this album. I think the conditions are unfortunately out now thanks to temperatures well above freezing day and night, but that's just based on the point forecast. If it stays below freezing at night, the climb will hold out a little while longer. Anyone else head up there recently? What did you climb? Also, my partners think this is El Grandote, but the lower dihedral looks an awful lot like the picture of NE face on SummitPost.

For future parties, this route goes at AI3 when it's in, and probably M4 when it's not at the headwall. 60 degrees average for first 3 pitches with short, steep steps, then 70 degrees for a while through the crux with a couple 2 meter vertical steps, followed by more moderate, 60 degree or lower stuff.

You did the NE Face East and the finish pitch that your climbed is the exit from the dihedral that is shared with the NE Farce and El Whampo. El Grandote is much steeper, does not have the prominent long right facing dihedral that you climbed, and finishes to the left (east) of El Whampo.

We climbed this route today and it was neve the whole. Not much going for ice screws as it was mostly snow, and we finished up a headwall to the right (west) of your exit. That was some nice water ice at the top. IT was 60 degrees at Cafe Aroma after the climb. I don't think it will be around much longer.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23030238@N ... 437021620/

Here is the link to our day on the route. It went like this:

Pitch 1: I led a 60m pitch with 4 pieces of rock pro to a tree anchor
Pitch 2: I led a 50m pitch with a tied off tree immediately above the belay and 2 stoppers to a tree anchor
Pitch 3: Ryan led a 60m pitch with a nut and cam right off the belay and 1 ice screw to a tree ancho
Pitch 4: Ryan got the money pitch of 60m of WI 3ish ice using 4 screws and a cam to a tree anchor:
Pitch 5: I led a 60m pitch with 2 stoppers to the top

Excellent! It looks like we did the same thing except the second-to-last pitch, where you guys took the wide WI patch instead of the narrow gully. Thanks to the Internet, it looks like one doesn't need to be a local anymore to get in on the transient Tahquitz ice.

WOW! All of you guys are awesome and I am puking green with envy!!!!!