| Ice Report 2006-2007 |
| November 19, 2004 Climbed in Bear Creek today after being blown off the 19-Mile area. "Rain Check" is fat but is wet and "Big Brother" was looking good. We climbed an "Unnamed Route" opposite of Big Brother that was 800', WI4, most of it was WI3 or under with a top pitch of WI4. Routes in Keystone look good and the road is open without a pilot car. People were climbing on "POS" and "Horse Tail" 19-Mile Wall Rain Check Big Brother and Twisted Sister Approach ice to "Unnamed" route |
| November 30th, 2006 Climbing has been very good lately with cold conditions and very little to no snow. Mineral Creek is passable by vehicle now, high clearance is recommended. We drove back and climbed "Kayaker's Delight" today. We found chandiler and cauliflower ice and some fun climbing. "Kayaker's Delight" 60m WI4 December 1st, 2006 Temps have risen and we recieved 4-6" of new snow over the last 24hrs. It was 26 degrees F in Keystone Canyon today and blowing lightly. We went up to 38-mile and found calm winds and 17 degrees F. We climbed "Falstaff", the pillar is in great shape and is quite substantial. We found about 60 feet of asthetic WI4 conditions on a free standing pillar. The bottom section is snow/ice lens covered cauliflower but the top pillar is in excellent shape. There is a crack bisecting the pillar about 2/3rd's of the way up but it looked like it had healed some. Pictures from today: Falstaff (39-mile), Falstaff #2 Foutainhead (37-mile) Oosik (19-mile) Matinee (19-mile) Bridalveil (Keystone) Greensteps (Keystone) Hung Jury (Keystone) December 30th,2006 Not a lot of change in the Valdez area most major climbs are in. Sheep Creek area was pretty dry with not much ice though. A couple of weeks ago it was possible to gain access to the "Deep Sheep Creek" area and the ice looked fat back there. The pool was passable on the left hand side via an ice shelf. If you travel to the area be mindful of avi conditions. We have had a lot of new snow recently and there are several major slide paths to cross. We attempted to climb "Necromancer" in Salomon Gulch yesterday and found very little ice. We bailed to Keystone and had a quick enjoyable day on "Hung Jury". February 28th, 2007 Its been awhile since an update. I have heard good reports from the Bear and Sheep Creek area. There was even some prospecting getting done elsewhere. It has been unseasonably cold and windy but it should break soon. March, 12, 2007 The days are longer and the sun is out. No major changes in the area. Cool temp have kept the ice in good shape. Parties are traveling deeper and finding good adventures. The 19-Mile wall does appear to be suffering from some sun effect. |
