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Bill Sherman
Mountain climber
Thousand Oaks, CA
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Feb 13, 2010 - 04:47am PT
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Jordan and I went back today along with a friend of his from the Cal Tech Alpine Club (Hamik). We climbed the North Face with excellent conditions. I was even able to place up to a 13 cm ice screw. The route consisted of mostly alpine ice but there were a few sections of waterfall ice.
Jordan and I met up at his apartment at 0400 and we met Hamik at Tahquitz. We began climbing at 0800 and topped out at 1430. We were back at the car at 1500 thanks to the snow cover on the North Face Gully that allowed us to glissade almost all the way back to the creek.
It was a beautiful day with no other parties around. The temps in the afternoon started warming up enough that sun exposed faces began to fall down. I doubt there will be much ice left after the weekend if the temps continue to trend upwards.
This was a spectacular rarity seen in this El Nino year. I'd always heard about the ice possibilites there but now I've seen them and experienced them first hand.
Bill S.
Here's some photos from our climb today:
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bajaandy
climber
Escondido, CA
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Feb 13, 2010 - 09:32am PT
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Damnnnnn Bill! Those shots are the shizzle! nICE!
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apogee
climber
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Feb 13, 2010 - 12:34pm PT
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Well done, lads....veeerrry well done.
You might have had the last of it- it's supposed to be in the 60's in Idyllwild this weekend. That ice you sunk your points into will probably be sitting at the base by Monday.
Of course, these days, there's no such thing as 'unformed' or 'out of condition'- just depends on how scrappy you like it!
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Feb 13, 2010 - 12:43pm PT
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I've been kicking around Idylwild for like 35 years and I've never seen it iced up like that. Muy Magnifico that you doods are taking advantage of the conditons. Those sheet-ice pics of the North Face are the shizat.
JL
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Jordan Ramey
Big Wall climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Feb 13, 2010 - 05:18pm PT
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Great pics! Here are some more that I thought were pretty awesome too. Yesterday was a truly epic day of climbing in an amazing location!
This video of Hamik belaying Bill on the last pitch is hilarious. It was a constant snowstorm that Bill was unleashing as he ended the pitch wading through the deep loose snow covered in a thin layer of ice. I was 100% sheltered a few feet further left under a bulge, so I got to document the misery ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=364xygXzIHk
We soloed the right facing dihedral. This pic shows the steepness pretty well. It was incredibly solid, even the little bulge about halfway up.
Hamik leading the 3rd pitch to put us at the base of the waterfall ice!
Waterfall ICE!
What are the screaming barfies? Well, I can begin to describe them now. Apparently my "womens" gloves I had bought the night before coupled with my gumby bashing knuckle skills gave me a quick education in pain!
Bill leading the crux pitch. This was definitely a blast to follow!
We topped out near this tree then followed the ridge up to the summit to sign the register. Last signature was from November 2009!
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Anastasia
Mountain climber
hanging from a crimp and crying for my mama.
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Feb 13, 2010 - 06:33pm PT
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I am proud to know you guys. :)AFS
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gonzo chemist
climber
a crucible
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Feb 13, 2010 - 07:05pm PT
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SoCal!!!
where else can you have winter AND summer at the same time! There's ice climbing up on Tahquitz, and it'll be 70F at Woodson tomorrow! this beats the sh#t out of living in Connecticut!
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