Two Days

This last Saturday I got to climb with Jesse M out in Redstone, Colorado. He wanted to fire a mixed ice and rock climb that he took a 30 footer on the weekend before. We stayed in Carbondale with Andrew B from Rock and Ice Magazine. After he cooked us a fat meal and smoked out the whole house with chipotle seasoning on the steak fajitas, we tried to pick out baby names. Long story short, we had a lot of fun rhyming names with Pizem. Oh yeah, by the way my wife and I are going to have a baby this coming August (more on that later). Then we headed to meet DR the owner of Rock and Ice Magazine, who had been establishing ice and mixed routes near his house in the mountains. This photo is of Jesse attempting the second mixed ice route of the day, but the ice over the first route was softening up so quickly that it was extremely difficult to make the campus moves over the roof.

Me at the base of the Silver Surfer. It was real Colorado conditions this weekend with the cold wind, blowing snow, and blizzard like conditions. I had to batten down the hatches and was totally lucky to be wearing the best outerwear on the market. Arcteryx everything!

DR shooting some video while slayed slayed the dragon! The mixed route had ice that was at places no more than an inch thick. This was the first time that I climbed anything so thin. I was way impressed with Jesse's ability to hang in there at the ice was giving way on every placement. He stayed focused and calm and held on until he made it to the next best section of good ice.

The Silver Surfer heads up from the very bottom of the wall to the obvious black streak on the wall. The tiny looking drips to the right of that is called the Honeydripper. We tried to climb that pitch but the ice on it was deteriorating rapidly in the afternoon and made it impossible.

The first thing that I saw on the 5 minute hike from the car to the ice.

That was day one. Jesse sent and we headed back to Grand Junction to see if I could take care of business before the forecasted rain and snow.

piz : )

More Ouray

What the ice looks like on the Killer Pillar, a mixed route that we climbed after the Skylight. This route is only one pitch tall and pretty exciting. In mixed climbing, you have to use the ice and the rock with your crampons and ice axes. Ice screws are still used but cams and nuts are also placed in the rock just like traditional climbing.

Chris at the top of the Killer Pillar. Notice that he is standing on the rock on either side of the ice.

Some the the other ice routes in Ouray. As you hike up the road the waterfalls are within a few feet from the side.

Chris and I at the top of the waterfall. We rappelled off the pine tree in the picture.

The top of the Skylight. I am deep inside that crevice. The ice was really solid and easy to climb. If you got tired you could just lean on the walls because it was so narrow. We use two ropes in ice climbing in case one rope gets cut by a crampon or ice axe or falling ice. The two colors help remind the climbers which one is set for pulling while on rappel.
What normally happens when you ice climb is that your hands begin to freeze after 30-40 feet. then you try to rest and shake and get the blood flowing again. After you begin climbing again, your hands warm up and the rest of the route is quite nice to climb. If it is really cold out, your hands will be cold the whole way and then after you stop the blood will return and a feeling a great pain blasts through your hands as they warm up.

piz : )

Ouray Ice Festival 2011

For those of you who have never seen an ice screw in the ice. There is a carbiner attached to the screw and the rope to that. You just turn it like a crank and it bites into the ice. The trick is to pick a nice solid section as you head up the waterfall!

Chris Alstrin on lead on the route called Skylight. It is a two pitch ice climb. You can see the think ribbon of ice that we climbed on the next pitch. We hiked from the car up a well packed road to these ice falls located just a few feet off the road. The views were great and the weather was not too cold. Actually, when the sun came out and we were finished climbing we just wore light jackets. It felt like it was in the 40's!

Me sporting my borrowed ice axes and warm Arcteryx winter gear!

Chris in front of the route and right off the road that we hiked up on.

As usual, our shenanigans before dawn in downtown Ouray. Chris helping adjust my crampons since I was borrowing gear that he had set up for his boots.
The Ouray Ice Festival was a blast after we finished climbing some routes in the morning. More pictures in the next post!

piz : )