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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 3, 2009 - 01:27pm PT
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So I'm figuring out how to scan my old B&W's and
thought we should post up our 'cool' shots to beat
the heat!
FWA Central Buttress Willis Wall - Feb '76
Was actually pretty nice weather as you can see.
Prolly about +10F! Sounds good right now, eh?
Dusan Jagerski, RIP.
The Big, the Bad, and the Ugly
I know it doesn't look like 4000'
'Cool' rock climbing...You don't want to see the 'belay'.
Dusan said this was sooo like the N Face of the Matterhorn! LOL
The Pause that refreshes...
Heading up towards 'The Reaper' and one of 'my' rock bands, LOL.
Yeah, those clouds pre-saged a rapid change in the weather. A lot 'cooler'!
With officially recorded winds over 100 mph later at Crystal Mt (at 7500') I think our wind chill was prolly 'cool'.
Sorry, no more 'action' shots as the 'action' rather precluded
artsie-fartsie photography.
Edit: The rest of the story:
As we pulled over the top the approaching storm's wind, from which we had been shielded on the wall, said "Howdie"! The slog up to Liberty Cap to catch the sunset (how romantic!) saw our rope bowed out tighter than a good G-string. We started down the steep snowfield at the top of Liberty Ridge as the light faded faster than a newly elected politician's scruples. By the time we got to the bergschrund I could barely see Dusan at the end of the rope. I set up a boot-axe belay about 50' above the 'schrund while he searched for a bridge.
"OK, Reilly, watch me!"
"Watch you? What am I, an owl?"
"I'm down! Belay on!"
Oh, the old 10 second belay set up. I guess I only rate a boot axe too, fair enough.
I get down to the spot where Dusan had disappeared and from the inky shadows I hear:
"Uh, Reilly, don't climb down that bridge. Go to the east and look for something else."
Huh? No time for debate so I walk along the overhanging lip looking for revelation in the dark.
I guess Dusan could see me silhouetted against the sky because I hear,
"That's far enough. Now jump!"
Excuse me? Is this Abbot and Costello downclimb Lib Ridge in the freaking dark?
I peer into the void and gather myself as the wind reminds me time is of the essence.
"It's only about 10 feet!"
OK, now I feel better. I grasp my trusty bamboo Coonyard across my chest in the Mountaineers'
approved self-arrest position and give a little hop. Being quite familiar with how time slows to a
crawl at times like these I just can't get the thought out of my head that this is taking an awful long time for "10 feet". About the time that thought had completed its third cycle I felt my trusty rigid Coonyards touch down. I am still as shocked today as I was 33 years ago that instead of a nice flat cushy powder snow touch down I feel my heel points catch on water ice. Then, despite well flexed knees, my toes suddenly assume a 45 degrees downhill position and the rest of the points dig in. Then I hear the loud crack from my left foot and I feel myself plummeting headfirst down the 3500' gully that separates the Willis Wall from Liberty Ridge. Not so good, this. I actually manage to slow myself down a little when the rope comes taut.
I claw my way back up to the 'belay' and Dusan asks, "Is it your ankle?"
"I'm not sure, might be in the foot." Oddly enough, the rest of the descent went fairly smoothly. My Galibier Makalus performed admirably as a walking cast. The night in the tent at 10,000' in 120 mph winds was not terribly restful but the JanSport prototype stayed together. The 12 mile walk down the glacier the next day? Not so fun. But at least it wasn't hot and there weren't any mosquitoes! And that is why I love winter.
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Is it just me or does that rock band look pretty darn loose?
Bruce
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho-dee-do-dah-day
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It's not the rock band that would bother me. It's the overhanging white stuff up higher.
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mazamarick
Trad climber
WA
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Herr Moss,
What were you thinking?!!! Now you know what a pin feels like at a bowling alley.
Bruce, the rock is crap if it's anything like Curtis or Liberty Ridge. Hard to believe that for awhile these frozen dung heaps were the "last great challenges!"
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 3, 2009 - 01:48pm PT
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Rick,
Think? Somebody who thinks would go up there? Surely you jest.
Actually, I've a slide of a big chunk of 'The Reaper' sweeping the route the day before so we figured we were good to go. Ya know, like a gud omen or something like that.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Actually, I've a slide of a big chunk of 'The Reaper' sweeping the route the day before so we figured we were good to go.
We always felt that way, too. That is, you watch the Serac Band of Death for a day or so, and if huge chunks peel off and sweep your proposed route, you say "Okay, anything that was going to come off has now come off, so we're clear for the next couple of days."
Or, if you watch it for a day or two and nothing comes off, you say "See? Nothing's coming down, so we're okay to go."
Simple common sense, right?
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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"Is it just me or does that rock band look pretty darn loose?"
Heck no! That's pretty solid for some Cascade stuff!!
Cool indeed.
Gotta add my latest "cool" pic.
Notice the snow....
Photo by Jay Kerr (Alpinista 55)
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mazamarick
Trad climber
WA
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I realize I have no rhythm, four kids later, but timing ascents between ice falls seems ludicrous. Check that, climbing the WW seems ludicrous imho, however you do get sanity points for a winter ascent.
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Good thread,
Z
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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there's no rope in that last pic
zoinkies!
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RDB
Social climber
way out there
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Damn it Reilly! What should be one of the best threads on ST and you bury it with "Hot Times"? What are you smoking?
How about a run down on Dusan at pentence? One of my early heros for sure. Willis in winter...proud send :)
Terros' and the Thule not with standing....
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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This isn't B&W, but it was taken on a cool day.
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divad
Trad climber
wmass
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another to cool you off
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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High 80s, high humidity here today, I've had a fan in my face at the office.
But soon enough, fall and then winter will come back.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 5, 2009 - 04:47pm PT
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I'm feeling 'cooler' already...
You've heard of 'black ice'? This is it: 50% rock particles.
It does sort of automatically sharpen your points.
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poop*ghost
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Wow, my man - that is REALLY hanging it all out there.
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Munge,
"there's no rope in that last pic"
Thanks for noticing. That's ok, there's no harness either.....
Doesn't jive with my safety thread I know, but I was much younger then....
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Reilly, what route is that?
Same to you other guys!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 5, 2009 - 09:43pm PT
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Survival, I know you can read.
So where was your shot?
ps
I've added some pics up thread.
Think Cooool! Think Scotland in winter!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 11, 2009 - 03:36am PT
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Take back the night!
Carbon Glacier
Beam me up!
Even scarier in the dark...
Ice fog on summit
Finally, sunrise!
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