http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/frozen-waterfall-climber.html#more-1769 How cold does it have to be to freeze a waterfall anyway? Pretty cold I guess, but the question that really bugs me is “how crazy do you have to be to climb one of these babies?” I mean besides the fact that they don’t make them much steeper than this, they must be slippery as hell! Yeah, sure, you’ll say that with the right equipment it’s doable, but still, I think it’s just nuts. Did I mention I’m not big on adrenalin rush? And no, that doesn’t mean I’m a coward! =============================== http://www.seattlepi.com/getaways/153747_ice25.html SEATTLE PI GETAWAYS Thursday, December 25, 2003 Tackling a frozen waterfall takes a cool mind By JASON D. MARTIN SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER My fingers are so cold they feel like blocks of dead wood wrapped around the shafts of my ice axes, but I cannot let go. Placed precariously in the blue ice above my head, these tools are all that keep me attached to this frozen waterfall. Slowly I raise my foot a few inches. Razor-sharp spikes protrude from the front of my boot. I kick, knocking off small icicles. I kick again, and this time the spikes stick. Tom Hargis Zoom Sean McCabe / Special to the P-I With ice tools and crampons, Tom Hargis of Wyoming ascends the frozen beauty of The Drip near Leavenworth. I wrench the shaft of my ice tool up and down. After what seems like an eternity, I extract it from the ice. I look up at the steep ice ahead, swing an ax over my shoulder -- like a carpenter swings a hammer -- and drive the pick home. Thunk! The placement is perfect, but my forearms are burning. Ice climbing really is a sport of suffering. Many people are familiar with the sport of rock climbing. With the advent of indoor climbing gyms, mountaineering clubs and university climbing classes, the sport has become popular in recent years. Ice climbing, on the other hand, is a less familiar, more dangerous story. The sport usually involves a two-person team attacking a waterfall or the icy face of a mountain. One climber leads, ascending the ice by swinging a pair of ice axes. The sharp tips of the tools cut deeply into the ice, thus making the tools handholds. For footholds, the climber wears sharp spikes on his boots, called crampons, which can be kicked into the ice, affording a platform. The leader climbs the ice face first, dragging a rope behind. This climber also puts in tubular ice screws, anchors that act as protection. The leader can clip the rope into the screws while the follower belays from below. Should the leader fall, the follower will "catch" him in midair with the belay device. Of course, if the leader falls when 10 feet above the last ice screw, he will actually fall 20 feet or more before the follower catches him. That makes the leader's job quite risky. Many climbers consider ice climbing the most dangerous mountaineering activity. Climbing a frozen cascade of ice is nothing like ascending a spire of rock, since ice is incredibly more variable. Ice falling from above or the collapse of the entire structure are very real threats. Armed with ice tools and crampons, climbers have up to 29 sharp points attached to their bodies at any given time. Putting a crampon into a leg or an ice ax through oneself are also dangers that ice climbers face. Every year throughout North America, climbers are killed while ascending ice. So why not go rock climbing, somewhere warm where you can wear shorts? It's because climbing is about challenge. In the beginning, many climbers are challenged psychologically by the heights and physically by the work. As time goes by, the psychological challenge begins to fade. Exposure to heights no longer bothers a climber as much as it once did. Ice climbing, in particular, tends to elevate psychological awareness to one's environment and technique. "I enjoy interacting with such a unique medium," says Jay Hack, a professional climbing guide. "It provides a sense of adventure and uncertainty that I can't get in day-to-day life. I've used the skills I've learned on winter ice climbs on high mountains all over the world." Learning from a professional guide ensures that novices learn the proper skills and techniques. Bill Sumner Zoom Sean McCabe / Special to the P-I Bill Sumner of Ellensburg leads a route up Tyee Falls in the Entiat River valley south of Lake Chelan. For climbers with a high level of skill on rock and in the mountains, waterfall ice climbing -- with all its dangers and discomforts -- is merely training for steep routes on big mountains. Mounts Hood, Rainier, Baker and Stuart all have steep technical ice routes that require a high degree of skill and understanding of the many different types of climbing. These routes -- and others like them around the world -- often inspire climbers to learn how to safely and effectively climb ice. The climbers who indulge in waterfall ice climbing are a very dedicated bunch. They watch the weather closely, hoping and praying for it to be cold enough to climb nearby. If it is warm and wet -- often the case in the Northwest -- these climbers will drive north into Canada, often logging from six to 12 hours one way. Many will report on popular Internet bulletin boards about the ice conditions they found. Ice climbing in Washington began on the large glaciated peaks in the Cascades. In the sport's early days, perhaps the most significant ascent was on the steep flanks of Rainier. In June 1961, Charlie Bell -- a little-known climber -- decided to scout the fearsome north face of the volcano. Until then, no one had attempted this feature, known as Willis Wall. The route had a disturbing reputation for being swept by massive avalanches with no warning. Any party that attempted it would have to be technically proficient and fast. Bell found the route to be moderate (the steepness never exceeding 55 degrees) and soon his reconnaissance mission turned into a summit attempt that took him to the top of Rainier's northwest peak, Liberty Cap. Bell had completed the first ascent of an ice route thought to be one of the most difficult and dangerous in the state -- solo. Over the next few years, steep ice climbs on the volcanoes and obscure peaks throughout the Cascades dominated the world of Northwest ice climbing. Climbers also experimented with waterfall ice in the late '60s as training, but it wasn't until the mid-'70s that waterfall climbing began to develop a following. Large waterfalls above the touristy town of Leavenworth and in the freezing coulees of Eastern Washington were heavily explored. Steep fangs of ice hanging from high cliffs and thin ribbons in gullies hidden from the sun felt the bite of ice tools. But by the mid-'80s, Northwest climbers began to lose sight of the ice in their back yard. Instead, they started making long road trips to Alberta or Montana. However, in recent years, ice climbing in Washington has experienced a renaissance. Popular ice climbing areas around Leavenworth and Snoqualmie Pass now see numerous parties whenever the ice is in. The most accessible beginner area -- steep ice walls on Mount Baker's Coleman Glacier -- often harbors 20 to 30 people in season. This is partly due to new interest in the sport, but also because of better access to information about local climbing areas and conditions. Details on new routes and current ice conditions are constantly being posted on Internet bulletin boards. Guidebooks and climbing guide services offer more Northwest information than in the past. There is even a rock climbing gym in Everett called Cascade Crags that offers indoor ice climbing practice on a foam wall. Beyond all that, the sport is going through yet another period of evolution. Some ice climbers are pushing their limits on "mixed" routes, which require ascending a significant amount of rock using ice tools and crampons before reaching the ice. Areas near the Mt. Baker Ski Area and on Snoqualmie Pass are explored by climbers looking for a mixed challenge. Ice climbing Zoom Sean McCabe / Special to the P-I A climber makes his way up Rainy Lake Right in the North Cascades. New interest in local ice and exploration of the mixed realm bring more diversity to what many believe is one of the best places for climbers. "It's come to be a badge of honor to suffer through something for yourself," says Andy Bourne, a Bellingham climber. "It's not the goal to die in the mountains, but to test ourselves, to find something within ourselves. It makes everything feel real." Thunk! Thunk! Each tool sticks perfectly in the crystal-blue ice as I near the top. I kick twice and my crampons grip the frozen surface. Thunk! Thunk! My fingers are warming in the wet gloves as blood rushes to them from my aching forearms. I kick twice more. Suddenly, there is nowhere else to climb. I'm on top of the steep, frozen cascade. My body aches and almost as soon as I stop climbing, the sweat flowing beneath my shell begins to give me a chill. I turn from the ice and take in the scene. A thick forest filled with ancient snow-covered firs blankets the valley below. Rocky and ice-covered peaks stretch out as far as the eye can see. The sky is so clear and so blue that that it feels as if it is the eye of a living thing, watching me. In these moments after a hard climb, I feel as if I have realized a state of contentment and grace. It is for these moments that I climb. ICE CLIMBING INFORMATION INSTRUCTION # American Alpine Institute (Bellingham) -- 360-671-1505, www.aai.cc # North Cascade Mountain Guides (Mazama) -- 509-996-3194, www.ncmountainguides.com # Mountain Madness (Seattle) -- 206-937-8389, www.mountainmadness.com # Alpine Ascents International (Seattle) -- 206-378-1927, www.alpineascents.com BOOKS # "Washington Ice: A Climbing Guide," by Jason D. Martin and Alex Krawarik (Mountaineers, 254 pages, $21.95) # "Ice & Mixed Climbing: Modern Technique" by Will Gadd (Mountaineers, 237 pages, $22.95) OTHER INTERNET SITES # www.wastateice.net # www.cascadeclimbers.com # www.mountaineers.org # www.summitpost.com Jason D. Martin is a writer, climber and mountain guide from Seattle and Las Vegas who can be reached at j_dougie@yahoo.com.