Category: Climbing (Rock or Ice)

A Thousand Feet Short: Grand Teton 4.11.12

Posted by Frank – April 19, 2012

Brittany’s spring break was last week, and with the Colorado snowpack currently pegged at 39% of average and the Gunnison Basin at 47%, it was pretty clear we should go somewhere that got a little more snow. The Tetons didn’t exactly get hammered with snow this season either, but it was still the best and closest destination for us to eke out at least a few worthwhile descents this spring. Josh Macak was in town and equally keen on a road trip, and meanwhile Jordan White and Anton Sponar headed up from Aspen as well.

The weather forecast wasn’t perfect later in the week, so we decided to jump right into things and go after the big objective- The Grand. Jordan and I had already tried the Grand back in 2009, but in the end we wandered around in thick fog and sleet in upper Garnet canyon before mistakenly summiting Middle Teton. A midnight alarm clock had us leaving the Bradley/Taggart trailhead around 1am, where there was just barely enough snow to skin right from the trailhead.

After a long drive and only a little sleep, with thoughts of a big climb weighing on our minds, we all retreated into our own heads and zombie-walked through the rolling terrain to the base of Garnet canyon. I’m sure many of you reading this know exactly what I’m talking about when it comes to these surreal dark’o'clock experiences. It looks a bit like this:

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When There’s No Snow, There’s Ice: Silverton Ice Climbing 12.2.11

Posted by Frank – December 6, 2011

The silver lining during a mediocre early season? The ice is usually as good as it gets during a dry year. Climbing ice is something I really enjoy, but I tend to blow it off for pow turns. The way things are going this season, however, ice might just have to become my activity of choice.

I gave Ethan Passant a call and we decided a trip down to Silverton was in order, which boasts a number of long, beautiful, natural routes. The ice park in Ouray is fun, but I’ll take long moderates like these any day of the week. The ice was in, the avalanche danger from above was minimal due to the lack of snow (not the case anymore), and the temps were perfect. Stairway to Heaven (WI4, 280m) was day one’s objective:
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A quick hike got us to the base of the route and Ethan began leading up the first pitch.
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This was my first time using modern leashless tools (Ethan has an extra set), and like fat skis or full suspension, they change the game and make things a lot easier. We had the route to ourselves, although there were several other groups in the valley.
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Climbing is such a mental game compared to my normal activities like biking and skiing. Especially on the dead vertical 3rd pitch, there were times when doubt crept in and I thought “I can’t do this, this is way above my head”. But then I tried anyway and I made it- that sense of overcoming adversity is sky-high when it comes to climbing. It takes challenging oneself to a level that skiing and biking just can’t match, at least for me. Which isn’t to say that I prefer climbing by any stretch, only that the mental experience is a lot different.

We had to skip the last pitch- after driving from Crested Butte that morning, we simply didn’t have the time to complete the route. We still ended up rapping in the dark:
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TR: Can you double bag that please? Afley & Purple Peak (2 Apr 2011)

Posted by Brittany – April 4, 2011

It’s been too long since I’ve been in the high alpine. Weather windows kept happening on week days, but alas, I am a weekend warrior. After two weeks of battling a bug that delivered 4 days of 102 degree fever topped with a long-lasting heinous cough, I was finally began feeling like myself again on Thursday. With the weather shaping up for a bluebird day, it was time to hit the high alpine. Frank was out filming with AE Films, but I was able to convince Josh to join me, and his roommate Brett also joined. Our plan was for a double bag- Afley and Purple Peak, which lie adjacent to one another at the end of Scarp’s Ridge.

Afley – one that’s been on my more recent wish list.
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Purple Peak – also on the wish list.
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Reinhold Messner on mental strength

Posted by Frank – June 1, 2010

It’s May, and May is time for Everest. If you keep up with the Everest gossip, you know about the achievement of a 13-yr old reaching the summit just last week. It seems like every year there’s some new record on that peak. Though today’s records are certainly great achievements, I also like to recognize achievements of old, remembering amazing revolutionary climbers and alpinists like Reinhold Messner. Messner, with is continuous successes at high altitude climbing solo, and without oxygen, pushed the sport to new levels. His solo no-oxygen climb on Everest proved to the world that humans can accomplish the near-impossible. The video below highlights his achievements and also gives a deeper insight into Messner’s mind. Messner’s attitude is different than many mountaineers- he views that in climbing mountains he is not battling the mountain, he is battling himself and his own mental capabilities. His successes are due more to finding the mental strength within himself than just brute physical strength. Great video to watch- inspiring for all athletes as we each battle our own mental demons.

Spider Face Attempt 5.23.10

Posted by Frank – May 27, 2010

The Spider Face, photo taken on 5.9.09:

Pete Sowar has a photo of this face in his house, and it’s been on my list ever since. Pete and John Jasper were able to ski it after a number of attempts just a couple of weeks ago, so Brittany and I thought we’d give it a shot as well. We knew there was some ice on the route, but we were told it wasn’t too bad and we wouldn’t need a rope.

We headed up to the base of the route and quickly booted up to the first ice pitch. Brittany:
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Great Article from Climbing: Female Mountaineers in the Karakoram

Posted by Brittany – April 11, 2010

Lizzy Scully contributed an article in Climbing magazine highlighting the history of female mountaineering in the Karakoram, a region in Pakistan presently torn apart by war. Female mountaineering has had a strong presence there, pioneered by well-known Fanny Bullock Workman back in the early 1900′s.


Fanny Bullock Workman

Since then many women have paved the way, including Hettie Dhyrenfurth, Alison Chadwick-Onyszkiewicz, Wanda Rutkiewicz, Chantal Mauduit, and many others. The article talks briefly about the contribution of many women, and the double-standards that so many women have to face in a male-dominated sport.


Wanda Rutkiewicz

Check out the article on Climbing Magazine’s website here: In the Footsteps of Fanny: Women in the Karakoram

TR: Sherman Ice Climb (5 Dec 2009)

Posted by Brittany – December 6, 2009

I wouldn’t really consider myself an ice-climber. But, when I take the time or have the opportunity to go, I always enjoy ice climbing. Still, my exposure to it has been minimal. Aside from the fun-factor, I appreciate ice climbing for the mountaineering skills it builds.

Three years ago, Frank and I passed this Sherman ice climb near Lake City while on our way to ski Handies, one of the fourteeners in the area. Since then, I’ve had my sights set on climbing this ice fall, but never really got around to doing it.

My friend Jim, who works as a guide splitting his time between the Aspen area and Boulder, is an avid ice-climber. We’d been talking about getting together for an ice climb for awhile. Things finally came together this past weekend as Frank, Jim, and I all made our way to Lake City to climb the Sherman ice fall.

If you think Crested Butte is small, then you should go to Lake City. Even smaller and more isolated, I cannot think of a place in Colorado that has a more Northern Exposure feel to it than Lake City. From the deer that wander through the road on a regular basis to the eccentric characters you meet at the bar, Lake City is the living version of this long-canceled television show.

The temperature read 4 degrees F when we left town in the morning. Brrrr! Thankfully an incoming storm was blasting “warmer” wind our way.

A view of the ice fall from the road.

The hike to the bottom of the ice fall was less than 30 minutes. Frank in front of the ice fall.

Staring up the ice fall. Ice is so beautiful :)

Jim began leading the first pitch of the ice climb for us.

Frank belaying Jim.

Frank and I followed.

Top of the first pitch. Guess I like it :)

View looking down the valley from the top of the first pitch.

The second pitch was more of a walk than a climb. But the third pitch was more demanding. Again, Jim lead this pitch.

I followed next.

Jim smiling while we dangle off the anchor at the top of the third pitch.

Frank’s turn.

At the top of the third pitch there was still one more pitch to go. But, time was ticking and daylight would have been an issue should we continue up the fourth pitch. With this in mind, we decided to forego the last pitch. I was oddly relieved as the third pitch had taken a lot out of me.

View from the top of the second pitch as Jim and Frank prepare to rappel. Can you find them about half way up, just below the rock wall on the left?

Frank rappelling.

Showing some steeze!

Setting up the rappel for the first pitch.

Frank rappelling down the first pitch.

As we packed up and headed back to the car the first flakes of the big storm were beginning to fly.

Frank is all smiles with the onset of the snow.

Even though we didn’t make it to the top of the ice climb, it was still a great day. I had forgotten how fun ice climbing can be. We’ll just have to come back on another day to attack that 4th pitch. Thanks to Jim, who was a great leader and who made this trip possible as neither Frank nor I are capable of leading this climb. I’m looking forward to getting out with Jim some more on climbs and skis, and I’m looking forward to getting back to face some ice again soon!

Thanksgiving Week Adventures

Posted by Brittany – December 4, 2009

Thanksgiving week is supposed be a time of relaxing and vacation. But, we found ourselves incredibly busy. Between socializing, exercising, skiing, climbing, traveling, shopping, eating, and going to hockey games, we had no time to spare. Here’s a few random assortment of pictures from the week.

Cross-country skiing at Lily Lake

I always love it when my friend Sonya comes to visit Crested Butte. Energetic and spunky, she’s always fun to hang out with. As many of you know, I have rejuvenated my liking for cross-country skiing this year. Combine this with the fact that Sonya loves to come here to cross-country ski and it was obvious what we were supposed to do! We headed up towards and area called Lily Lake, near Kebler and Ohio Passes, which has a groomed path for cross-country and skate skiing.

Sonya and her dog Teocalli

The track was in good shape!

Climbing in Golden

For the remainder of the week we headed down to the Denver area, spending Thanksgiving in Golden with Frank’s parents. The weather was wonderful- 70′s and sunny- a far cry from the 2 degrees it was when I woke up Tuesday morning to go cross-country skiing in Crested Butte! We decided to take advantage of the warm weather and enjoy the climbing that Golden has to offer. We headed to North Table mountain…. us and about 500 other people decided to enjoy a nice post-Thanksgiving day climb.

View of Denver.

View of Golden, with the Coors Brewery below. We were surrounded by the wonderful aroma of hops the entire day.

Frank and I were joined by two of our Golden friends, Jamie and Liz, who are both avid climbers. They brought along their friend Arianne. Between 5 people and two top ropes, we had plenty of climbing and belaying to do, and not much time for pictures. I did grab a few nice photos of Liz, though.

Another one of our routes.

It felt great to be climbing on rock again! It’s been over a year since I’ve climbed and I miss it!

Conversations at the Subaru Dealership

While in the Denver area, I took advantage of the multitude of Subaru dealerships that are located there since the closest dealership to Crested Butte is 3 hours away. I scheduled an appointment to get a part that was recalled fixed- a one-way fuel pump injector or something like that.

So, I went to the dealership where they proceeded to prepare the paperwork to repair the one-way fuel-pump injector, and I suddenly have an epiphany. I ask the serviceman, “Do you know of any way to turn off the alarm on my car?”

He looks at me very inquisitively. I respond, “You see, I live in a tiny town of 2000 people where nothing is ever locked. No one locks their front door- I have friends who don’t even have keys to their own houses. Cars aren’t usually locked either. So, my alarm is really touchy and it’s pretty annoying when it goes off in a town where things are rarely locked in the first place.”

The serviceman seemed to understand my predicament, but still said in a laughing tone, “I’m not sure there is any way to turn off the alarm. I’ll look into it. But, I do know you can disconnect the horn. Do you want us to do that? But, then, of course, your horn wouldn’t work.”

I then responded, “No, I kind of need my horn to scare all the deer off the road…. and for when the cowboys drive the cattle through town. Those cows kind of do get in the way….”

By now the serviceman is choking his laughter, wondering if I’m actually telling the truth or some crazy fib. “Yeah, I guess you do need a horn for deer and cows….. We’ll see what we can do.”

I love living in a 2000 person town where my biggest problem is my alarm going off and my encounters with deer and cows… and the occasional bear. But, I left the bears out of the story. I didn’t want to freak out the Subaru serviceman too much :)

The People you Meet…

Posted by Frank – November 19, 2009

In Crested Butte, or any other ski town full of talented and adventurous people, I’m always running into people who have done some amazing things. Whether it’s a first ascent of a route on an 8,000 meter peak, or international meeting to stop global warming, people here get things done far away from this valley we call home.

So it came as no surprise when I started talking to the General Contractor of a job I was on last week that the G.C. had done some things in his day. We started talking about 14ers, and Dave Penney mentioned that he and his buddies had made the first descent of the South Face of Maroon, almost 30 years ago:

Dave mostly wanted to talk about his latest project, a guiding project on Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest summit. It’s a fairly straightforward climb under most circumstances, a little less so when the client is paralyzed. Chris Waddell has won more skiing medals in the paralympics, and he wants everyone to know just how much you can still do, and he set to prove it by climbing Kilimanjaro.

The project involved creating a handbike capable of slowly climbing the mountain, something which a whole cast of locals took on with a vengeance. It’s a cool looking machine, with huge tires and a winch for the really steep parts. This bike, as well as the people who made it, deserve a lot of the credit for getting Mr. Waddell up Kilimanjaro. Of course, that doesn’t even begin to compare to the amazing strength, determination, and willpower of Chris Waddell.

It’s a great story, and I’m glad I ran into a local, going about my daily life, to find out about it. I wonder who I’ll run into next, and what story they’ll have to tell.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Worth Checking Out…

Posted by Frank – November 17, 2009

I thought I’d pass this link along, since it’s pretty amazing. It’s a 1980 ascent of the East Ridge of Huntington in Alaska, starting from a train whistlestop and covering huge expanses of glaciated terrain by skis. Looks like some great skiing in the area as well. Here’s the link, there are a lot of photos that take a long time to download, so be patient.

LINK

One of many spectacular photos: