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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 26, 2010 - 02:52pm PT
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The Last Gent Ampatheater. From left to right.
Way to the left you can see parts of Called on Accounts of Rain IV WI5+ Arora Direct 5+ and a bunch of other hard and mixed stuff. There is lots more good stuff left of that.
The promonant climb on the buttress just left of center is Stormy Monday III WI4+ Sand bag!
The Hanger over cave in the Middle is China Shop IV5+ when it touches down. The climb as pictured in hanger condition is Chop Shop and Machine Shop.
The long Skinny one just Right of center is Who's Who In Outer Space IV WI5
Then its The Last Gentleman IV WI5
Le Promanade IV WI5+
Then Reign of Terror, Bullwinkle etc.
Lots more good stuff to the right and all of it 30 min from the car :)
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 26, 2010 - 02:58pm PT
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Myself on the last Gent 2008 Le PromenadeIV WI5+ is on the far right.
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rick d
climber
ol pueblo, az
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Mar 26, 2010 - 05:02pm PT
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Willoughby-
best place east of Denver/Billings
uh, what about Cody?
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 26, 2010 - 05:54pm PT
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I don't know? that is why I put the question mark in the title. The cliff is about a mile long and sports about 36 multi pitch climbs most in the 4+ to 5+ range with a few 3's and 6's thrown in. Its reliable, Sunny and for the most part short approaches. 20 to 45 min. Avalance danger is a minimum and allmost never a real factor in closeing down any populer climbs.
Post up and prove me wrong or b etter yet post up your lake photos ;)
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tradchick
Trad climber
Vermont
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Mar 26, 2010 - 05:58pm PT
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I agree with you Nick. I climbed with Will Mayo once and that was his exact quote, "the best ice in the lower 48". He should know.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 26, 2010 - 06:03pm PT
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Larry Gunning it on P2 of Glass Menagerie III WI5
Jan 2010
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tradchick
Trad climber
Vermont
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Mar 26, 2010 - 06:24pm PT
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Nice pics and wish I had some to add to your thread. My sissy ass stays down on the Tablets.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 26, 2010 - 10:09pm PT
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Here is a good shot of China Shop.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 26, 2010 - 10:14pm PT
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Bob Brandt follows the rock traverse on The Last Gentleman. 2008
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Mar 26, 2010 - 10:29pm PT
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Nice photos, Nick.
It's a beautiful place to climb quality multipitch ice. I was fortunate to do a few FAs there in 1977-78 with my friends (until I broke my back trying to do an ice FA on Whitehorse in North Conway in January 1978; now retired from ice climbing!).
Al Rubin told us about Willoughby and encouraged us to check it out.
One of the factors which helped us do the FAs was that we had quite a large rack of MSR ice screws, which were vastly superior to the Chouinard screws made at that time. The MSRs could be placed with one hand, without a wrench, and they were full strength and fairly easy to remove as well.
I remember parking below Stormy Monday, packing our gear to attempt the FA. But a couple of our friends/rivals (Rainsford and Gustavo) showed up minutes later, jumped out of their car with their packs ready, and charged up the approach ahead of us! We tried to run after 'em, but realized we couldn't catch those guys! So John Imbrie and I went off to the left end of the cliff and made our first attempt on Called On Account of Rains (that's how it got its name).
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
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Mar 26, 2010 - 10:34pm PT
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I have a good friend with a house on Willoughby. I guess maybe I should go there more often...
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 26, 2010 - 10:37pm PT
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Wow! Cool stuff Clint. This is a shot of Matt cranking the 1st Pitch of Called in unusualy fat condition. This is an insanely long sustained pitch.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 26, 2010 - 10:42pm PT
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HighDesert
Ask your friend if he knows anything about Mt Wheeler. Pretty cool top secret 500ft granit dome with over 100rts about 15 min from the lake ;)
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 27, 2010 - 07:03am PT
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Clint, that story is so funny! They ran up there and cut you off and you end up getting the much better known classic. Stormy does not get done all that much due to the sandbag factor and a bit obscure where Called is a huge classic and on most strong folks hit list.
Never even heard of MSR screws? We allways thought you guys were supermen for climbing that stuff with such crappy screws. I remember doing Renorm in the mid eightys and looking at Mindbender thinking it was super impossible. Did shaker heights back then as well and that was a super cool but scary day.
The new screws have completly changed the game far beyond anything I would ever have imagined back then.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Mar 27, 2010 - 09:36am PT
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Great climbing! But that New England damp cold...brrrrr!
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slabbo
Trad climber
fort garland, colo
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Mar 27, 2010 - 09:52am PT
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Wow ! I haven't heard 'Rains mentioned in a while, a real ice legend. Like a lot of others, the stuff they did in the '70's was crazy.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Mar 27, 2010 - 11:33am PT
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Amazing place. Pretty high concentration of climbing.
Scoping...
Ahh...too warm!
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 27, 2010 - 04:17pm PT
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Yea, the gent Ampatheater can turn into an oven when the sun is out. great spot for cold days.
Dave Powers cranking the 3rd pitch of Called. what an amazeing sustained climb.[photoid=151253]
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Willoughby
Social climber
Truckee, CA
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Mar 27, 2010 - 04:21pm PT
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I can't speak to the ice climbing, but it sure does have a top-notch moniker.
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Basilisk
Ice climber
New Hampshire
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Mar 27, 2010 - 05:52pm PT
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Dave is not human. For all the time I've spent in the NEK this winter, I never touched the ice.
I'll make up for it tomorrow with some early-season Wheeler action!
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