Spent the last two days climbing local ice. The more I explore ice in Washington the more I realize that there is plenty available. The thing is, it is usually very green unstable ice and often quite thin. Washington could really be a great place for an ice climber but we need a different approach. They climb frozen dirt in the Tatras. Since 90% of the routes in the ice guide are in climbable shape a few times a decade why not add some bolts on these rare formers to make hard routes that can be climbed each year?
The other problem with Washington ice is that it is rarely easy. Granted we screwed up the approach a little but it took a 4-hour ski after 3-hours of driving to reach Strobach, then another 2-hour ski and 3-hour drive. That equals 12 hours of skiing/driving for 50m of climbing! I don't know if I'll be doing anymore day trips to Strobach without a sled.
On the other end of the spectrum is the Rap Wall which is about an hour drive and an hour approach from my house. The easiest route is M7 and the hardest is either M11/12. The climbing is techy, steep, and if the chains are covered... scary. Lots of potential for new routes and still a lot of existing ones to send... game on.
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| Jeff following First on Right |
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| Ghost Dog M11/12 |
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| Rap Wall |
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| First on Right... ironically on the left |
