Road conditions are getting smoother with more snow. Trappers hill and hill climb after sharp left are worse than big hill, but very gentle overall. Was thinking Sorcerer but 4runner parked in position.

River crossings to GBU parking area are about 30cm with minimal ice shelves. GBU is definitely forming as I type but is a few days off, at least a week if you want good pro.

Valley of the Birds first pitch formed in last few days. Great ice. Scott broke through the first big pool of water, past hist waste shortly after the first pitch. It was not pretty, he got the full experience splashing into the water at an akward angle, leaving his body off balance, and his feet scrambling for traction.

Speed walked to HOS but wanted to check for Phantom falls. Just our luck, the Phantom was stunningly formed with a brittle thin, white appearance.

First 15 meters is high quality, bring your 19 cms. Climb soon begin to get thinner with brittle ice on the surface but very cool solid ice underneath. Pro decent but need stubs. Slightly discontinuous through crux with a few rock moves and long reaches to blobs of suprising sticky sweetness, most would probably say a bit run unless you want to put pro in a blob. Bolted anchor offers good descent but could use a chain or even a thicker quick link (getting a bit old). Climbers on house of sky....suspect another soaker. A star line IMO.

Cold and intermitten snow with ridge blow snow on departure. Slabby, getting real slabby even spots in the Ghost.

Real big drip is almost touching. Joker approach, Hidden Dragon and Joker can likely be linked right now as a sweet multipitch, and the snow above which was looming last weekend seems redistributed. Might not be to bad of hazard and sick ice for sure.

Time for some Nicks Pizza...

A picture is worth a thousand words I suppose.


Watch out for those pools. It sure was quite the scene. It doesn't have to be fun, to be fun.

I just want to mention that if you do soak your feet; BE CAREFULL. I am not the only one who has froze there feet after saturating ones leather ice boots. I am probably not the only one to freeze ones feet at Evan Thomas either..anyhow one -30 day we went to Evan Thomas, I broke through the creek without having to cold of toes at that point. By the time we climbed snowline, my feet were totally frozen; I just didn't know it yet! The walk back to the car was the most painfull experience I can remember. Shooting pain from my feet right up my legs into my ass. My toes were purple/black for a while, and the toe nails came off later that night. I couldn't climb ice for a while and I was on cruches for 3 weeks. My big toe was so frozen it abraded the inside of my boot completly right to the rubber outter layer! Of course 4 years later, my toes are really sexy with a crusty,. hard feel and of course, they are always getting cold. I wear down booties in Skaha...put it that way.

If you soak yourself:

1. BAIL - Don't be an idiot like I was - ensure you can feel your toes. If they are num and its below -5 consider bailing. Scott did the right thing and went back to the truck istead of climbing Phantom; I can only imagine, a really tough call for him, but defintely the right one. Walking quickly back to the truck got his circulation going again and made his feet take some blood. He also heated his core.
2. GET RID OF THE WETNESS - Get those wet socks off and out of saturated boots; a really wet boot will weigh twice as much! Use jackets, mittets, whatever you can to warm the feet. ALso add layers to your core to reduce shell to core shunt
3. CREATE HEAT - fire starters are great extras to have in your ice pack. Don't hesistate to take the time to light a fire if you get a soaker or idle your car (some of you never thought you would hear me say "idle your car")
4. GEAR - Gaitors help, so does retreating your boots but foam liners in a plastic boot will also help avoid super saturated boots (although for how long Scott was in the pool, any boot would have soaked).
5. Be sure you have some beer. I don't know why but there is some magical reaction with beer that automatically makes your toes feel wonderfull despite eminant amputation.

I bet we have some kick ass freezing stories amongst us... perhaps I will start a new thread in Ice is for whiskey when I am home...

Tim