Western Pennsylvania Ice II/Taming the Beast (Cinema Part 5)

While we're at it we figured that we might as well post two additional old videos - follow up to last post. Is also a lousy afternoon and we're waiting for some epoxy to dry:

Western Pennsylvania Ice II (2004)

Run Time: 49min (Approx.)

Taming the Beast (2007)

Run Time 11min (Approx.)

We had made four of those WPA Ice videos. This is the second and best one (our opinion). Principal cast of characters include Tim Anderson and Tom Koppler. A bunch of other folks who are credited at the end of the "flick". That was a pretty good winter - probably two months of deep freeze and lots of snow - you could actually snowshoe about for several weeks. That 'Sky Monkey' route of Tim's has never even come close to being in since then.  Keep the grapes peeled for around time 20:20  - there's a shot of the Yough River completely frozen over. That would be for over a mile from above the SC dam. We were lucky enough to be out walkin' the dog during the spring thaw when that ice jam let loose. Sounded like a train wreck with huge blocks of ice then sweeping down stream. Pretty spectacular sight to behold. If we're lucky and weather patterns follow their typical 20 year cycle, then we're due for similar (we think that was more like a 50 year cycle, though - we'll see)

We had posted some narrative and images regarding that first free ascent of the "Beast' a few years back. We didn't look it up or we would have provided a link. It's back in the archives somewhere. That was one heck of an effort by eastern PA climber  Rob "Griz" Ginieczki, seconded by Brintton Price. Basically just walked up, looked up the thing, geared up and climbed it. No falls and in flawless style. "Cool as a cucumber" and smooth all the way. 

We hadn't looked at any of this stuff for probably the past ten years. Was fun viewing it yet again. Now glad we had processed it all to MP4 video format. We had almost abandoned it all (we like to keep moving along to new endeavors).