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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

[MCR] Squamish ice

It looks like we have a few more days cold weather so here is what I have seen and heard over the last few days.
 
Squamish has 10-20cm of snow at sea level and almost 40cm at the top of the Chief. The sea to sky is mostly clear with slippery sections from Van to Squamish and winter driving from there north. Temperatures approached 0 degrees yesterday for the first time in almost two weeks. Sun aspect climbs were starting to detach.
 
There is ice across from Murrin Park. I havn't been there personally but people have been climbing there.
 
Shannon Falls is in and climbable on the right side. You must cross the river a number of times (easy) so expect to get sprayed. Thin in places and don't take the ice bridges for granted. Open pools would make rappelling hard. The left side of the falls looks thin and hard to protect but not much more than WI4.
 
Klahanie Column is in and looks like it spent a week in the Rockies getting beaten out.
 
Olesen Slabs are in as well as several FA's that have gone up in this area in last week.
 
The Dream saw a visit two days ago, although climbable, it did't look to protectable.
 
Rainy day woman (what is visible above the trees from the road) looks thin but climbable.
 
White Dyke is mostly rock.
 
Moving to Montana has a neat looking smear coming out of it (FA?)
 
U Wall drool doesn't reach the ground.
 
Diedre has no ice on it worth climbing.
 
There is some ice on the ramp to the right of the Sherrif's badge.
 
The obvious ice line on the Squaw was  climbed about 4 days ago.
 
The bluffs have more ice than they have had in decades. Alice on Ice is fat and has mixed possibilities on both sides. There are about five 20-30m pitches to climb on the walk up to Pixies Corner, all in the WI 3 range. I know it is tough not to, but please don't scratch up or bang pins in to summer climbs.
 
There is lots of ice across Squamish river, however the sides of the river are all iced over and ice flows on the river make the canoe crossing pretty daunting.


Conny Ameunxen
MG ACMG/IFMGA




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